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Best places to live in California

1,151 places and 36,991,384 residents in California, United States, ranked for 29 household profiles. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

10#10 North Auburn9#9 Belmont (California)8#8 Stanford (California)7#7 Rocklin6#6 Menlo Park5#5 El Dorado Hills4#4 San Carlos (California)3#3 Roseville (California)2#2 Lincoln (California)1#1 Granite Bay
Young family fit across California, one dot per place; numbers mark the top 10.weakerbest fit not ranked

Rank California for your household

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For young families

  1. 1Granite Bay
    California, 20,402 residents    66
  2. 2Lincoln (California)
    California, 49,757 residents    62
  3. 3Roseville (California)
    California, 130,269 residents    62
  4. 4San Carlos (California)
    California, 29,931 residents    62
  5. 5El Dorado Hills
    California, 42,108 residents    61
  6. 6Menlo Park
    California, 33,449 residents    61
  7. 7Rocklin
    California, 61,213 residents    60
  8. 8Stanford (California)
    California, 13,809 residents    59
  9. 9Belmont (California)
    California, 27,218 residents    58
  10. 10North Auburn
    California, 13,022 residents    57

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For retired couples

  1. 1Menlo Park
    California, 33,449 residents    83
  2. 2San Carlos (California)
    California, 29,931 residents    82
  3. 3Stanford (California)
    California, 13,809 residents    81
  4. 4Belmont (California)
    California, 27,218 residents    80
  5. 5Moss Beach
    California, 3,103 residents    79
  6. 6Redwood City
    California, 85,288 residents    79
  7. 7East Palo Alto
    California, 29,662 residents    78
  8. 8Palo Alto (California)
    California, 66,853 residents    78
  9. 9Montara
    California, 2,909 residents    78
  10. 10American Canyon
    California, 20,554 residents    78

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For remote workers

  1. 1San Carlos (California)
    California, 29,931 residents    67
  2. 2Menlo Park
    California, 33,449 residents    66
  3. 3Stanford (California)
    California, 13,809 residents    66
  4. 4Granite Bay
    California, 20,402 residents    65
  5. 5Palo Alto (California)
    California, 66,853 residents    65
  6. 6Belmont (California)
    California, 27,218 residents    64
  7. 7Arden-Arcade
    California, 92,186 residents    64
  8. 8Los Altos
    California, 30,671 residents    64
  9. 9Carmichael
    California, 61,762 residents    64
  10. 10Redwood City
    California, 85,288 residents    64

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For commuters

  1. 1San Mateo
    California, 103,536 residents    83
  2. 2Daly City
    California, 106,562 residents    83
  3. 3Irvine (California)
    California, 256,927 residents    82
  4. 4Huntington Beach
    California, 201,899 residents    82
  5. 5Roseville (California)
    California, 130,269 residents    81
  6. 6Fullerton (California)
    California, 140,847 residents    81
  7. 7Orange (California)
    California, 140,992 residents    81
  8. 8Sunnyvale (California)
    California, 155,805 residents    81
  9. 9Santa Ana
    California, 310,227 residents    81
  10. 10Santa Clara (California)
    California, 126,215 residents    81

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For single professionals

  1. 1San Francisco
    California, 827,526 residents    80
  2. 2Irvine (California)
    California, 256,927 residents    80
  3. 3Santa Ana
    California, 310,227 residents    79
  4. 4Daly City
    California, 106,562 residents    79
  5. 5Anaheim
    California, 350,742 residents    79
  6. 6San Diego (California)
    California, 1,404,452 residents    79
  7. 7Garden Grove (California)
    California, 175,393 residents    78
  8. 8Orange (California)
    California, 140,992 residents    78
  9. 9Buena Park
    California, 83,270 residents    77
  10. 10Huntington Beach
    California, 201,899 residents    77

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For movers on a budget

  1. 1Imperial (California)
    California, 17,095 residents    35
  2. 2Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek
    California, 2,645 residents    35
  3. 3West Bishop
    California, 2,607 residents    35
  4. 4Alturas (California)
    California, 2,594 residents    34
  5. 5Calexico
    California, 40,053 residents    34
  6. 6Bishop (California)
    California, 3,806 residents    34
  7. 7El Centro
    California, 43,956 residents    33
  8. 8Visalia
    California, 130,104 residents    33
  9. 9Susanville
    California, 15,247 residents    33
  10. 10Lone Pine
    California, 2,035 residents    32

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All profiles in California

ProfileTop placeScorePlaces that pass
Young familyGranite Bay66863
Low-income householdVisalia35775
Low-income familyGranite Bay50709
Single parentGranite Bay58612
Pensioner coupleMenlo Park83760
Single pensionerMenlo Park81760
Early retireeMenlo Park80811
Single professionalSan Francisco80532
Young professionalSan Francisco84527
DINKSSan Francisco87420
Remote workerSan Carlos (California)67648
CommuterSan Mateo83645
Car-free householdSan Diego (California)92490
StudentSan Diego (California)85267
First-home buyerRoseville (California)46709
Budget-constrained moverImperial (California)35862
Urban lifestyle seekerSan Francisco88506
Expat professionalDaly City84648
Healthcare-first moverMillbrae84760
Nature-focused householdPiru561,060
Cross-border commuter–0
Outdoor and mountain loverMira Monte671,020
Rural value seekerAlturas (California)441,060
High-net-worth moverMenlo Park871,020
Lottery winnerSan Mateo851,147
Climate-resilient relocationMillbrae75862
Coastal livingMillbrae78490
Business ownerFoster City84862
Digital nativeSan Diego (California)78551

Towns of 30,000+ in California