What is the median rent in Palo Alto, CA?

Name: Median rent in Palo Alto, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Palo Alto, CA is $3,484 (±$157) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 11,488 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Palo Alto, the median gross rent went from $2,569 in 2015–2019 to $3,484 in 2020–2024 (+35.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $3,484 (±$157)
Rented homes: 11,488 (±597)
$2,000 or more: 82.0%
Since 2015–2019: +35.6%

How much rent costs in Palo Alto

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Palo Alto	Santa Clara County	California	United States
Less than $500	4.1% (±2.1 points)	2.7%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	4.5% (±1.5 points)	3.6%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	4.0% (±1.5 points)	4.6%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	5.4% (±1.4 points)	9.7%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	8.3% (±2.0 points)	16.8%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	14.0% (±2.7 points)	17.7%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	59.7% (±3.7 points)	44.9%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $3,000 or more, paid by 59.7% of renting households.

82.0% of rented homes in Palo Alto cost $2,000 or more a month.

Palo Alto against Santa Clara County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Palo Alto	Santa Clara County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$3,484 (±$157)	$2,857 (±$19)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	11,488 (±597)	288,485 (±3,403)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In Palo Alto, median gross rent is higher than in Santa Clara County ($2,857).

It is also higher than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Santa Clara County, Palo Alto ranks 6 of 22 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 54 of 1,010.

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

How rent in Palo Alto has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$2,569 (±$83)	$3,484 (±$157)	+35.6%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	45.4% (±1.3 points)	45.4% (±2.2 points)	0.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	6.4% (±1.7 points)	10.2% (±2.8 points)	+3.8 percentage points	Measurable increase

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.

Median gross rent in places near Palo Alto

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Palo Alto
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Palo Alto	—	$3,484 (±$157)	—
Los Altos Hills	2.1 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Stanford	2.5 mi	$1,976 (±$111)	Lower
Los Altos	3.2 mi	$3,500 or more	—
Mountain View	3.5 mi	$3,062 (±$93)	Lower
Loyola	4.0 mi	$3,500 or more	—
West Menlo Park	4.2 mi	$3,324 (±$593)	Not measurably different
East Palo Alto	5.0 mi	$2,244 (±$166)	Lower
Atherton	5.3 mi	$3,500 or more	—

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Stanford, CA ($1,976), Mountain View, CA ($3,062), East Palo Alto, CA ($2,244).

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

Median gross rent across Santa Clara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1 (tie)	Cupertino	$3,500 or more
1 (tie)	Los Altos	$3,500 or more
1 (tie)	Los Altos Hills	$3,500 or more
1 (tie)	Saratoga	$3,500 or more
1 (tie)	Loyola	$3,500 or more
6	Palo Alto	$3,484 (±$157)
7	East Foothills	$3,321 (±$558)
8	Los Gatos	$3,247 (±$211)
9	Cambrian Park	$3,179 (±$1,226)
10	Milpitas	$3,120 (±$150)
11	Mountain View	$3,062 (±$93)
12	Sunnyvale	$3,039 (±$59)

Showing 12 of 22 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 Palo Alto

What is the average rent in Palo Alto, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Palo Alto is $3,484 (±$157) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Palo Alto?

In Palo Alto, the median gross rent went from $2,569 in 2015–2019 to $3,484 in 2020–2024 (+35.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Palo Alto cost more than $2,000 a month?

82.0% of rented homes in Palo Alto have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 4.1% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Palo Alto higher than in Santa Clara County?

In Palo Alto, median gross rent is higher than in Santa Clara County ($2,857).

It is also higher than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

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) for Palo Alto city, California (place:55282, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.