The Town FilesAlum Rock, California
Community in Santa Clara County · population 12,042 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $909,500
- Household income
- $126,705
- Jan low / Jul high
- 43° / 82°
- Snow a year
- 0 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 2
- Median age
- 41.0
Alum Rock is a community of 12,042 people in Santa Clara County, California. The median home is worth $909,500, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks more walkable than 96% of California towns, more vibrant than 91% of California towns, more of a college town than 88% of California towns.
How Alum Rock ranks
Percentile among California towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of California towns.
Homes and cost of living
The median home in Alum Rock is worth $909,500, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 7.2 times the median household income of $126,705, which is more affordable than 38% of California towns. Median rent is $2,389 a month. 70.2% of households own their home.
| Housing | Alum Rock | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $909,500 | $596,900 |
| Median rent | $2,389 | $1,827 |
| Median household income | $126,705 | $91,557 |
| Home value ÷ income | 7.2× | 6.4× |
| Homeownership | 70.2% | 67.4% |
| Median year built | 1953 | 1977 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 1.0% | — |
Who lives in Alum Rock
| People | Alum Rock | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.0 | 40.2 |
| Age 65 and over | 18.5% | 17.7% |
| Under 18 | 18.3% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.7% | 27.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 10.3% |
| Veterans | 2.9% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 41.9% | — |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 27.9 min | 27.5 min |
| Homes with broadband | 88.8% | 93.3% |
Weather in Alum Rock
July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 43.3°F. About 16.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 21 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 2 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Alum Rock since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical California town. The strongest, an F1, struck on January 14, 1980 about 8.2 miles from the town center. The most recent was on December 8, 1997.
Severe weather in Santa Clara County since 1996
Santa Clara County has been included in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.
| Declared | Incident | Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | DR-4699: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| March 10, 2023 | Flood | EM-3592: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| January 14, 2023 | Flood | DR-4683: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| January 9, 2023 | Flood | EM-3591: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides |
| August 22, 2020 | Fire | DR-4558: Wildfires |
Jobs and pay in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County had 1,116,581 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $197,043 a year. Unemployment was 3.5% in 2023; in Alum Rock itself the ACS puts it at 4.5%.
Towns near Alum Rock
- East Foothills, CA1.1 mi · 6,803 people · home $1,346,100
- San Jose, CA5.1 mi · 1,013,240 people · home $1,233,200
- Milpitas, CA5.7 mi · 80,273 people · home $1,251,700
- Burbank, CA6.7 mi · 4,940 people · home $1,104,600
- Santa Clara, CA7.9 mi · 127,647 people · home $1,582,600
- Campbell, CA9.4 mi · 43,959 people · home $1,617,000
- Cambrian Park, CA9.7 mi · 3,719 people · home $2,000,001
- Fremont, CA10.8 mi · 230,504 people · home $1,403,800
Alum Rock questions
Is Alum Rock, California a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Alum Rock scores better for retirees than 14% of California towns and quieter than 5%. 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 41.0).
How much does a house cost in Alum Rock?
The median owner-occupied home in Alum Rock is valued at $909,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $126,705, so homes cost about 7.2 times income. Median rent is $2,389 a month.
What is the weather like in Alum Rock?
July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 43.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 16.1 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.
Does Alum Rock get tornadoes?
2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Alum Rock since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on January 14, 1980. The typical California town has had 2.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)