What percentage of people rent in Los Altos, CA?

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

18.3% (±2.1 points) of the occupied homes in Los Altos, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 1,988 renting households against 8,852 that own their home.

In Los Altos, the share of households that rent went from 19.0% in 2015–2019 to 18.3% in 2020–2024 (−0.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 18.3% (±2.1 points)
Renting households: 1,988 (±236)
Median renter income: $224,722 (±$42,600)

Who rents and who owns in Los Altos

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Los Altos	Santa Clara County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	18.3% (±2.1 points)	44.9% (±0.5 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	1,988 (±236)	296,206 (±3,317)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	8,852 (±321)	363,147 (±3,294)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.8 (±0.2)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.8 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$224,722 (±$42,600)	$122,974 (±$2,206)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$250,000 or more	$208,519 (±$2,856)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Los Altos, the renter share is lower than in Santa Clara County (44.9%).

It is also lower than in California (44.1%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Santa Clara County, Los Altos ranks 17 of 23 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 856 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Los Altos has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	19.0% (±1.6 points)	18.3% (±2.1 points)	−0.7 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.

Households that rent in places near Los Altos

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Los Altos
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Los Altos	—	18.3% (±2.1 points)	—
Loyola	1.3 mi	13.5% (±4.9 points)	Not measurably different
Los Altos Hills	2.3 mi	6.6% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Mountain View	2.4 mi	61.4% (±1.7 points)	Higher
Palo Alto	3.2 mi	45.4% (±2.2 points)	Higher
Sunnyvale	4.0 mi	56.2% (±1.4 points)	Higher
Cupertino	4.4 mi	39.4% (±2.3 points)	Higher
Stanford	5.6 mi	73.2% (±5.2 points)	Higher
Ladera	6.0 mi	3.8% (±5.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Los Altos Hills, CA (6.6%), Ladera, CA (3.8%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Mountain View, CA (61.4%), Palo Alto, CA (45.4%), Sunnyvale, CA (56.2%).

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

Households that rent across Santa Clara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
11	Gilroy	37.6% (±2.4 points)
12	Los Gatos	35.1% (±2.8 points)
13	Alum Rock	29.8% (±6.4 points)
14	Cambrian Park	29.6% (±10.7 points)
15	Morgan Hill	28.5% (±2.9 points)
16	San Martin	22.2% (±8.0 points)
17	Los Altos	18.3% (±2.1 points)
18	East Foothills	13.7% (±5.2 points)
19	Saratoga	13.6% (±2.3 points)
20	Loyola	13.5% (±4.9 points)
21	Lexington Hills	13.4% (±7.4 points)
22	Los Altos Hills	6.6% (±3.0 points)
23	Monte Sereno	2.6% (±2.6 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), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Los Altos

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).

Is renting growing in Los Altos?

In Los Altos, the share of households that rent went from 19.0% in 2015–2019 to 18.3% in 2020–2024 (−0.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Los Altos?

A renting household in Los Altos has 2.8 people on average, against 2.8 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Los Altos?

The median renting household in Los Altos, CA has an income of $224,722 (±$42,600) a year, against $250,000 or more for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.