What kinds of homes are in Los Altos, CA?

Name: Types of homes in Los Altos, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Los Altos, CA has 11,781 (±314) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 1,801 homes per square mile of land.

82.1% are detached single-family houses.

1.6% are in buildings of two to four units.

11.3% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 11,781 (±314)
Detached houses: 82.1%
2–4 unit buildings: 1.6%
5+ unit buildings: 11.3%

Homes in Los Altos by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Los Altos	Santa Clara County	California	United States
Single-family, detached	82.1% (±1.9 points)	50.7%	57.0%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	4.8% (±1.4 points)	11.0%	7.4%	6.2%
2 units	0.3% (±0.3 points)	1.3%	2.4%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	1.3% (±0.6 points)	5.5%	5.4%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	1.1% (±0.6 points)	4.9%	5.7%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	2.5% (±0.9 points)	4.7%	4.9%	4.3%
20 or more units	7.7% (±1.4 points)	19.0%	13.6%	10.3%
Mobile home	0.2% (±0.2 points)	2.8%	3.5%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.0% (±0.4 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%

In Los Altos, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is lower than in Santa Clara County (28.6%).

It is also lower than in California (24.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Los Altos

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Los Altos
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Los Altos	—	11.3% (±1.8 points)	—
Loyola	1.3 mi	0.0% (±5.9 points)	Lower
Los Altos Hills	2.3 mi	0.0% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Mountain View	2.4 mi	49.0% (±2.4 points)	Higher
Palo Alto	3.2 mi	29.6% (±2.3 points)	Higher
Sunnyvale	4.0 mi	38.7% (±1.7 points)	Higher
Cupertino	4.4 mi	21.9% (±2.2 points)	Higher
Stanford	5.6 mi	65.1% (±7.2 points)	Higher
Ladera	6.0 mi	0.0% (±13.5 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Loyola, CA (0.0%), Los Altos Hills, CA (0.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Mountain View, CA (49.0%), Palo Alto, CA (29.6%), Sunnyvale, CA (38.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Santa Clara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
7	Campbell	26.4% (±2.7 points)
8	Milpitas	25.6% (±2.3 points)
9	Cupertino	21.9% (±2.2 points)
10	Los Gatos	20.9% (±2.7 points)
11	Gilroy	14.9% (±2.0 points)
12	Morgan Hill	13.1% (±2.6 points)
13	Los Altos	11.3% (±1.8 points)
14	Saratoga	5.2% (±1.4 points)
15	Burbank (community)	4.4% (±3.2 points)
16	Alum Rock	1.6% (±3.1 points)
17	Cambrian Park	0.9% (±5.0 points)
18	San Martin	0.6% (±3.0 points)
19	East Foothills	0.3% (±2.7 points)

Showing 13 of 23 places in Santa Clara County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Los Altos

How many homes are in Los Altos?

Los Altos, CA has an estimated 11,781 (±314) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Los Altos houses or apartments?

82.1% are detached houses and 4.8% attached houses, while 12.9% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Los Altos?

1.6% of homes in Los Altos are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Los Altos city, California

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 API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

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.