State place rankings
Best Places in California
Compare places by General Quality score or population. Each place links to its sourced facts, scores, and local summary.
General Quality score
Best overall places
- st
Cupertino, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 58,333
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- nd
Palo Alto, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 67,609
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- rd
Irvine, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 318,764
- Median home value
- $1,191,500
- th
Los Altos, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 30,965
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
San Carlos, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 29,261
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Woodside, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 5,181
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
West Menlo Park, CA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 3,634
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Kentfield, CA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 6,900
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
San Ramon, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 86,209
- Median home value
- $1,509,500
- th
- General Quality
- Population
- 8,419
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Belmont, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 28,752
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
- General Quality
- Population
- 4,292
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Ross, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 2,304
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Corte Madera, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 9,929
- Median home value
- $1,755,200
- th
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 12,085
- Median home value
- $1,863,900
- th
Orinda, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 19,507
- Median home value
- $1,863,200
- th
Atherton, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 6,960
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Danville, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 43,302
- Median home value
- $1,681,700
- th
Saratoga, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 30,418
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- th
Strawberry CDP (Marin County), CA
Published place
- General Quality
- Population
- 5,830
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- st
Pleasanton, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 74,556
- Median home value
- $1,537,100
- nd
Burlingame, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 31,929
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
- rd
Fremont, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 226,442
- Median home value
- $1,403,800
- th
Foster City, CA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 32,411
- Median home value
- $1,838,200
- th
Hillsborough, CA
Town
- General Quality
- Population
- 11,206
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
How this list is ranked
Places are ordered by General Quality score. General Quality is a balanced livability composite spanning safety, affordability, healthcare, climate, education, jobs, mobility, outdoors, taxes, and other core factors.
Largest to smallest
Population-ranked places
- st
Los Angeles, CA
City
- Population
- 3,869,089
- Median home value
- $921,200
- Median rent
- $1,933
- nd
San Diego, CA
City
- Population
- 1,406,106
- Median home value
- $906,700
- Median rent
- $2,313
- rd
San Jose, CA
City
- Population
- 989,814
- Median home value
- $1,233,200
- Median rent
- $2,669
- th
- Population
- 826,079
- Median home value
- $1,394,500
- Median rent
- $2,476
- th
Fresno, CA
City
- Population
- 555,549
- Median home value
- $374,800
- Median rent
- $1,421
- th
Sacramento, CA
City
- Population
- 536,449
- Median home value
- $506,300
- Median rent
- $1,779
- th
Long Beach, CA
City
- Population
- 450,469
- Median home value
- $806,600
- Median rent
- $1,871
- th
Oakland, CA
City
- Population
- 440,838
- Median home value
- $929,900
- Median rent
- $1,979
- th
Bakersfield, CA
City
- Population
- 422,165
- Median home value
- $371,700
- Median rent
- $1,472
- th
Anaheim, CA
City
- Population
- 341,008
- Median home value
- $831,200
- Median rent
- $2,175
- th
Stockton, CA
City
- Population
- 324,597
- Median home value
- $440,900
- Median rent
- $1,577
- th
Riverside, CA
City
- Population
- 323,057
- Median home value
- $584,800
- Median rent
- $1,914
- th
Irvine, CA
City
- Population
- 318,764
- Median home value
- $1,191,500
- Median rent
- $2,997
- th
Santa Ana, CA
City
- Population
- 315,586
- Median home value
- $713,000
- Median rent
- $2,082
- th
Chula Vista, CA
City
- Population
- 275,533
- Median home value
- $758,700
- Median rent
- $2,229
- th
- Population
- 228,430
- Median home value
- $784,700
- Median rent
- $2,544
- th
Fremont, CA
City
- Population
- 226,442
- Median home value
- $1,403,800
- Median rent
- $2,933
- th
- Population
- 222,044
- Median home value
- $422,300
- Median rent
- $1,508
- th
Fontana, CA
City
- Population
- 221,223
- Median home value
- $586,800
- Median rent
- $1,839
- th
Modesto, CA
City
- Population
- 219,652
- Median home value
- $442,700
- Median rent
- $1,690
- st
- Population
- 214,263
- Median home value
- $503,700
- Median rent
- $2,135
- nd
Oxnard, CA
City
- Population
- 199,651
- Median home value
- $652,700
- Median rent
- $2,032
- rd
- Population
- 191,451
- Median home value
- $1,100,000
- Median rent
- $2,510
- th
Glendale, CA
City
- Population
- 187,160
- Median home value
- $1,102,300
- Median rent
- $2,182
- th
Ontario, CA
City
- Population
- 187,013
- Median home value
- $607,600
- Median rent
- $2,030
How this list is ranked
Places are ordered by their latest available population estimate. Incorporated places and census-designated places are both eligible when they appear in the published location data.
Annual Census population estimates are used where available; ACS place estimates fill coverage gaps.