What percentage of people rent in Palo Alto, CA?

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

45.4% (±2.2 points) of the occupied homes in Palo Alto, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 11,804 renting households against 14,217 that own their home.

In Palo Alto, the share of households that rent went from 45.4% in 2015–2019 to 45.4% in 2020–2024 (0.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 45.4% (±2.2 points)
Renting households: 11,804 (±631)
Median renter income: $157,759 (±$18,256)

Who rents and who owns in Palo Alto

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Palo Alto	Santa Clara County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	45.4% (±2.2 points)	44.9% (±0.5 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	11,804 (±631)	296,206 (±3,317)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	14,217 (±668)	363,147 (±3,294)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.4 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$157,759 (±$18,256)	$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 Palo Alto, the renter share is not measurably different from Santa Clara County (44.9%).

It is not measurably different from California (44.1%).

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

In Santa Clara County, Palo Alto ranks 6 of 23 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 268 of 1,076.

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

How renting 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
Households that rent	45.4% (±1.3 points)	45.4% (±2.2 points)	0.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,569 (±$83)	$3,484 (±$157)	+35.6%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$158,271 (±$6,623)	$231,101 (±$9,859)	+46.0%	Up after inflation

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 Palo Alto

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Palo Alto
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Palo Alto	—	45.4% (±2.2 points)	—
Los Altos Hills	2.1 mi	6.6% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Stanford	2.5 mi	73.2% (±5.2 points)	Higher
Ladera	3.1 mi	3.8% (±5.9 points)	Lower
Los Altos	3.2 mi	18.3% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Mountain View	3.5 mi	61.4% (±1.7 points)	Higher
Loyola	4.0 mi	13.5% (±4.9 points)	Lower
West Menlo Park	4.2 mi	21.7% (±7.6 points)	Lower
East Palo Alto	5.0 mi	50.9% (±4.3 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Los Altos Hills, CA (6.6%), Ladera, CA (3.8%), Los Altos, CA (18.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Stanford, CA (73.2%), Mountain View, CA (61.4%), East Palo Alto, CA (50.9%).

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
1	Stanford	73.2% (±5.2 points)
2	Mountain View	61.4% (±1.7 points)
3	Santa Clara	59.2% (±1.7 points)
4	Sunnyvale	56.2% (±1.4 points)
5	Campbell	48.3% (±2.4 points)
6	Palo Alto	45.4% (±2.2 points)
7	San Jose	44.2% (±0.7 points)
8	Burbank (community)	42.3% (±7.8 points)
9	Milpitas	41.6% (±2.6 points)
10	Cupertino	39.4% (±2.3 points)
11	Gilroy	37.6% (±2.4 points)
12	Los Gatos	35.1% (±2.8 points)

Showing 12 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 Palo Alto

How many renters are there in Palo Alto?

Palo Alto has an estimated 11,804 (±631) renting households, 45.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Palo Alto?

In Palo Alto, the share of households that rent went from 45.4% in 2015–2019 to 45.4% in 2020–2024 (0.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Palo Alto?

A renting household in Palo Alto has 2.4 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Palo Alto?

The median renting household in Palo Alto, CA has an income of $157,759 (±$18,256) 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 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 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.