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California City Rankings

How cities and counties in California compare on income, housing, population growth, climate and natural hazard risk.

People & housing

Richest Cities in California

  1. 1. Palo Alto$231,101
  2. 2. San Ramon$196,161
  3. 3. Pleasanton$190,124

Most Expensive Cities in California

  1. 1. Newport Beach$2,000,000+
  2. 2. Palo Alto$2,000,000+
  3. 3. Mountain View$1,927,000

Most Affordable Cities in California

  1. 1. Hemet$352,200
  2. 2. Madera$359,900
  3. 3. Visalia$371,500

Cities with the Highest Rent in California

  1. 1. Palo Alto$3,484/mo
  2. 2. Newport Beach$3,316/mo
  3. 3. Mountain View$3,062/mo

Most Educated Cities in California

  1. 1. Palo Alto82.3%
  2. 2. Davis76.8%
  3. 3. Mountain View75%

Cities with the Highest Poverty Rate in California

  1. 1. San Luis Obispo30.4%
  2. 2. Davis26.5%
  3. 3. Madera25.6%

Most Densely Populated Cities in California

  1. 1. San Francisco17,784
  2. 2. Hawthorne13,996
  3. 3. South Gate12,641

Largest Cities in California by Population

  1. 1. Los Angeles3,857,263
  2. 2. San Diego1,389,526
  3. 3. San Jose990,138

Youngest Cities in California

  1. 1. San Luis Obispo26.3 years
  2. 2. Davis26.4 years
  3. 3. Santa Maria29.3 years

Oldest Cities in California by Median Age

  1. 1. Palm Springs58.5 years
  2. 2. Palm Desert57.5 years
  3. 3. Newport Beach45.9 years

Population growth

Fastest-Growing Cities in California

  1. 1. Menifee+14.2%
  2. 2. Manteca+12.9%
  3. 3. Merced+11.2%

Fastest-Shrinking Cities in California

  1. 1. San Francisco-5.8%
  2. 2. Pleasanton-5.3%
  3. 3. Hawthorne-5.0%

Fastest-Growing Cities in California Since 2010

  1. 1. Irvine+44.9%
  2. 2. Menifee+32.3%
  3. 3. Santa Clarita+32.0%

Climate

Warmest Cities in California

  1. 1. Indio75.9°F
  2. 2. Palm Desert75.9°F
  3. 3. Palm Springs75.2°F

Coldest Cities in California

  1. 1. Eureka52.6°F
  2. 2. Monterey56.9°F
  3. 3. Salinas57.7°F

Snowiest Cities in California

  1. 1. Redding2.6 in
  2. 2. San Ramon0.7 in
  3. 3. Monterey0.3 in

Wettest Cities in California

  1. 1. Eureka40.4 in
  2. 2. Redding33.5 in
  3. 3. Santa Rosa31.5 in

Driest Cities in California

  1. 1. Indio2.9 in
  2. 2. Palm Desert2.9 in
  3. 3. Palm Springs5.1 in

Natural hazards

Counties with the Highest Natural Hazard Risk in California

  1. 1. Los Angeles County100.0
  2. 2. Riverside County99.9
  3. 3. Alameda County99.8

Counties with the Lowest Natural Hazard Risk in California

  1. 1. Alpine County10.6
  2. 2. Sierra County31.5
  3. 3. Modoc County39.7

Counties with the Highest Expected Annual Loss from Natural Hazards in California

  1. 1. Los Angeles County$7.60B
  2. 2. Riverside County$2.27B
  3. 3. San Bernardino County$2.08B

Environment

Counties with the Highest Radon Potential in California

  1. 1. Butte County3
  2. 2. Colusa County3
  3. 3. Del Norte County3

Counties with the Worst Air Quality in California

  1. 1. Riverside County87
  2. 2. San Bernardino County87
  3. 3. Los Angeles County80

Counties with the Cleanest Air in California

  1. 1. Mono County19
  2. 2. Sonoma County19
  3. 3. San Mateo County27

Counties in the Worst Drought in California

  1. 1. Modoc County200.0
  2. 2. Siskiyou County189.9
  3. 3. Lassen County158.5

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey, 2010 Census, Population Estimates Program), NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index.