Housing data for Los Altos, CA
Los Altos, CA has an estimated 30,698 residents and 11,781 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Santa Clara County.
18.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $3,500 or more a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+0.6%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 30,698 (±67)
- Housing units
- 11,781 (±314)
- Households that rent
- 18.3%
- Median gross rent
- $3,500 or more
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +0.6%
What stands out in Los Altos
Households that rent: 18.3% (±2.1 points) in Los Altos, lower than in Santa Clara County (44.9%).
Working from home: 39.4% (±3.3 points) in Los Altos, higher than in Santa Clara County (23.9%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 11.3% (±1.8 points) in Los Altos, lower than in Santa Clara County (28.6%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 18.6% (±2.4 points) in Los Altos, lower than in Santa Clara County (27.9%).
- Renters and owners in Los Altos
- Commute and cars in Los Altos
- Types of homes in Los Altos
- How long people stay in Los Altos
Housing in Los Altos at a glance
- Median rent: $3,500 or more median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $3,500 or more median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 39.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 18.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $250,000 or more median household income
- Home values: $2,000,000 or more median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 11.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 81.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 72.9% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 4.6% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 77.0% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 22.3 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 36 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +0.6% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 18.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $4,030 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 94024)
Los Altos against Santa Clara County, its state and the nation
| Los Altos | Santa Clara County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 30,698 (±67) | 1,902,047 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 11,781 (±314) | 698,837 (±290) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 18.3% (±2.1 points) | 44.9% (±0.5 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $3,500 or more | $2,857 (±$19) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $250,000 or more | $164,281 (±$1,955) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $2,000,000 or more | $1,490,600 (±$14,163) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $10,000 or more | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 72.9% (±4.3 points) | 59.7% (±0.6 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.3 minutes (±1.2) | 26.2 minutes (±0.2) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 98.6% (±0.6 points) | 95.6% (±0.2 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 45.9 years (±1.4) | 38.1 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Los Altos covers 6.5 square miles of land, about 4,694 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Los Altos has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 30,504 (±78) | 30,698 (±67) | +0.6% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 11,057 (±246) | 11,781 (±314) | +6.5% | Measurable increase |
| Households that rent | 19.0% (±1.6 points) | 18.3% (±2.1 points) | −0.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.5% (±2.0 points) | 4.6% (±3.5 points) | +2.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Los Altos
In 2025, the Los Altos Police Department reported 36 violent and 1,041 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Santa Clara County, the departments that report recorded 357 violent and 2,219 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Los Altos
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94024 | 46% | 23,051 | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | $250,000 or more |
| 94022 | 15% | 20,027 | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | $250,000 or more |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Los Altos
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola | 1.3 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 13.5% |
| Los Altos Hills | 2.3 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 6.6% |
| Mountain View | 2.4 mi | $3,062 | $1,927,000 | 61.4% |
| Palo Alto | 3.2 mi | $3,484 | $2,000,000 or more | 45.4% |
| Sunnyvale | 4.0 mi | $3,039 | $1,801,800 | 56.2% |
| Cupertino | 4.4 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 39.4% |
| Stanford | 5.6 mi | $1,976 | $2,000,000 or more | 73.2% |
| Ladera | 6.0 mi | — | $2,000,000 or more | 3.8% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Los Altos, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,458 | $2,778 | $3,272 | $4,396 | $4,688 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Los Altos, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $43,200 | $71,950 | $113,700 |
| 2 people | $49,350 | $82,200 | $129,950 |
| 3 people | $55,500 | $92,500 | $146,200 |
| 4 people | $61,650 | $102,750 | $162,400 |
| 5 people | $66,600 | $111,000 | $175,400 |
| 6 people | $71,550 | $119,200 | $188,400 |
| 7 people | $76,450 | $127,450 | $201,400 |
| 8 people | $81,400 | $135,650 | $214,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $205,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Los Altos
What is the average rent in Los Altos, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Los Altos is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Los Altos?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Los Altos, CA is $3,286 (±$260) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Los Altos rent-burdened?
39.7% of renting households in Los Altos pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Los Altos?
Los Altos has an estimated 1,988 (±236) renting households, 18.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Los Altos?
The median household income in Los Altos is $250,000 or more a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Los Altos, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $2,000,000 or more for owner-occupied homes in Los Altos (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Los Altos growing?
In Los Altos, the number of residents went from 30,504 in 2015–2019 to 30,698 in 2020–2024 (+0.6%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Los Altos?
The ZIP codes that cover Los Altos are 94024, 94022.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 94024?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 94024 is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Los Altos Police Department (ORI CA0430500)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Los Altos city, California (place:43280, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .