City safety & data profile

Palo AltoCA

Palo Alto, CA is a 67K-resident city in Santa Clara County with a median household income of $231,101.

Santa Clara County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Palo Alto, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Palo Alto has a population larger than 86% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $2,000,000+, and 2 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-18

67K
Population
Top 14%
By size
$231,101
Median income
$2,000,000+
Median home
6%
Poverty rate

The read on Palo Alto

Palo Alto posts a median household income higher than 99% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 2 hospitals serve the Palo Alto area.

Top 1%
by median income, US cities
2
hospitals in & near Palo Alto

Where Palo Alto income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$231,101 Top 1% higher than 99% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Below this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Below this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Below this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). This entry sits in this band. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Palo Alto, CA beyond the headline numbers

Palo Alto sits inside Santa Clara County, California, at roughly 37.44°N, -122.14°W. Population 66,853, $231,101 median household income. Median home value $2,000,000+, median rent $3,484. Poverty rate 6%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Palo Alto's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 28%, then short sleep duration at 27.6%. 2 hospitals in/around Palo Alto, 5/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Palo Alto from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
66,853
Palo Alto
Median Income
$231,101
+240% vs avg
Median Home Value
$2,000,000+
+778% vs avg
Median Age
43.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Santa Clara County) - Palo Alto's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
1.9M+5%
Median Income
$164,281+79%
Median Home Value
$1,490,600+131%
Poverty Rate
7.1%-30%
Unemployment
4.9%-49%

Economics

Economics indicators for Palo Alto, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$3,484/mo
Poverty Rate
6% -58% vs avg
Unemployment 3.9%
Bachelor's Degree+ 82.3%
Work From Home 35.4%
Public Transit 2%

Population

White 45.7%
African American 1.8%
Asian 38.1%
Two or More Ethnicities 6.5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
28%
Short Sleep Duration
27.6%
Obesity
20.2%
Physical Inactivity
16.7%
Binge Drinking
13%
Frequent Mental Distress
11.9%
Diabetes
9.1%
Frequent Physical Distress
8.8%
Current Asthma
8.1%
Current Smoking
5.8%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 76.4%
Annual Checkup 74.6%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
4.7%
Lack of Health Insurance
3.4%
Stroke
2.4%

Hospitals 2 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
1
★★★★
0
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
5/5
Total Hospitals
2
With ER
1
PALO ALTO VA MEDICAL CENTER
PALO ALTO · Acute Care - Veterans Administration · ER
★★★★★

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Palo Alto, CA? ▼
Palo Alto, CA has a population of 66,853 people, located in Santa Clara County, California.
What is the median household income in Palo Alto? ▼
The median household income in Palo Alto, CA is $231,101 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 6%.
What is the median home value in Palo Alto? ▼
The median home value in Palo Alto, CA is $2,000,000+. Median rent is $3,484/month.
What are the top health concerns in Palo Alto? ▼
The top health indicators in Palo Alto include High Blood Pressure (28%), Short Sleep Duration (27.6%), Obesity (20.2%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Palo Alto? ▼
Palo Alto has 2 hospitals with an average rating of 5/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Palo Alto? ▼
The median age in Palo Alto, CA is 43.6 years. 82.3% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Palo Alto, CA is located in Santa Clara County, California. With a population of 67K and a $231,101 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Residents have access to 2 hospitals with an average rating of 5/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Palo Alto area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

East Palo Alto, CA 30K Stanford, CA 14K Menlo Park, CA 33K North Fair Oaks, CA 15K Los Altos, CA 31K Mountain View, CA 80K Redwood City, CA 85K Sunnyvale, CA 156K
All cities in California → Compare Palo Alto vs East Palo Alto → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Palo Alto's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Palo Alto area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Palo Alto against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Santa Clara County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.