The Town FilesPalo Alto, California
City in Santa Clara County · population 68,572 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $2,000,001
- Household income
- $231,101
- Jan low / Jul high
- 39° / 79°
- Snow a year
- 0 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 4
- Median age
- 43.6
Palo Alto is a city of 68,572 people in Santa Clara County, California. The median home is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks more upscale than 99% of California towns, better for cycling than 99% of California towns, better transit than 98% of California towns.
How Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 8.7 times the median household income of $231,101, which is more affordable than 19% of California towns. Median rent is $3,484 a month. 54.6% of households own their home.
| Housing | Palo Alto | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $2,000,001 | $596,900 |
| Median rent | $3,484 | $1,827 |
| Median household income | $231,101 | $91,557 |
| Home value ÷ income | 8.7× | 6.4× |
| Homeownership | 54.6% | 67.4% |
| Median year built | 1963 | 1977 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 1.4% | — |
Who lives in Palo Alto
| People | Palo Alto | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.6 | 40.2 |
| Age 65 and over | 19.9% | 17.7% |
| Under 18 | 22.2% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 82.3% | 27.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.0% | 10.3% |
| Veterans | 2.2% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 37.0% | — |
| Work from home | 35.4% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 21.4 min | 27.5 min |
| Homes with broadband | 96.1% | 93.3% |
Weather in Palo Alto
July highs average 79.4°F and January lows 39.0°F. About 15.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 14 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palo Alto since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical California town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on May 5, 1998 about 6.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 5, 1998.
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 Palo Alto itself the ACS puts it at 3.9%.
Public schools in Palo Alto
17 public schools with 9,440 students, about 17.2 students per teacher.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High | 9-12 | 1,932 | 16.9 |
| Henry M. Gunn High | 9-12 | 1,713 | 17.1 |
| Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle | 6-8 | 1,025 | 15.1 |
| Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle | 6-8 | 760 | 14.6 |
| Ellen Fletcher Middle | 6-8 | 549 | 14.8 |
| Ohlone Elementary | K-5 | 448 | 19.5 |
| Fairmeadow Elementary | K-5 | 441 | 21.0 |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary | K-5 | 386 | 20.3 |
| Palo Verde Elementary | K-5 | 366 | 19.3 |
| Duveneck Elementary | K-5 | 349 | 19.4 |
| Addison Elementary | K-5 | 338 | 19.9 |
| El Carmelo Elementary | K-5 | 314 | 20.9 |
Towns near Palo Alto
- Los Altos Hills, CA2.1 mi · 8,489 people · home $2,000,001
- Stanford, CA2.5 mi · 21,150 people · home $2,000,001
- Los Altos, CA3.2 mi · 31,625 people · home $2,000,001
- Mountain View, CA3.5 mi · 82,376 people · home $1,927,000
- Loyola, CA4.0 mi · 3,491 people · home $2,000,001
- West Menlo Park, CA4.2 mi · 3,930 people · home $2,000,001
- East Palo Alto, CA5.0 mi · 30,034 people · home $1,102,600
- Atherton, CA5.3 mi · 7,188 people · home $2,000,001
Palo Alto questions
Is Palo Alto, California a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Palo Alto scores better for retirees than 61% of California towns and quieter than 23%. 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 43.6).
How much does a house cost in Palo Alto?
The median owner-occupied home in Palo Alto is valued at $2,000,001 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $231,101, so homes cost about 8.7 times income. Median rent is $3,484 a month.
What is the weather like in Palo Alto?
July highs average 79.4°F and January lows 39.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 15.1 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.
Does Palo Alto get tornadoes?
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palo Alto since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on May 5, 1998. 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)