Saratoga, California

Area Profile

30,319 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Saratoga, in Santa Clara County.

Area Score unavailable

Missing required signal: opportunity. AreaProfile withholds a score rather than inferring the missing dimensions.

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
SchoolsTop 13% of 4,162 cities measured79
Growth2,866th of 4,224 cities measured42
Housing affordability3,469th of 4,218 cities measured47
ClimateTop 8% of 4,225 cities measured89
Physical resilience3,382nd of 4,226 cities measured25
AccessTop 21% of 4,226 cities measured98
Economic stabilityTop 37% of 4,226 cities measured64
The quick read

Public schools test above most of the state: 76% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 13% of published profiles for schools.

97 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 2% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

Rent takes 31% of renter income here, at or above the threshold conventionally called cost-burdened.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
30,319
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$250,000+
Density
2,373/sq mi
12.8 sq mi of land
Median age
51.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
California
Nearest major airport
SJC
8 mi · Mineta San Jose Intl
Median home value
$2,000,000+
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.4% — higher than in all but 47% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 1.3% over the past year, to 13,353 employed residents.

81% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsSanta Clara County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$143,91298th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftSanta Clara County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$174,28499th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income2024 ACS 5-Year$250,000+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$7,6762024 ACS 5-Year$124,686Top 1%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year3.1%Top 16%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year27.4 minBottom 47%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year81.1%Top 1%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year55.7%9th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202613,353Bottom 9%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−0.6%Bottom 45%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.3%Bottom 38%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202613,9719th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year76.4%Bottom 44%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$119,230Top 1%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$84,050Top 1%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year0.9%84th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.7%Top 22%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.4%Bottom 47%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year37.4%97th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.32.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.4% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024250k224k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $250,000+ in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Software Developers87,350$213,110
Home Health and Personal Care Aides49,610$37,640
Fast Food and Counter Workers23,060$44,570
Registered Nurses22,930$216,740
Computer and Information Systems Managers19,070$291,660
Retail Salespersons18,340$44,220

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

76% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 82% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 21.2 students for every full-time teacher across 9 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
10
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
21.2
across 9 of them
Math proficiency
75.5%
Top 4% in California
Reading proficiency
82.5%
Top 3% in California
All 10 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Prospect HighCampbell Union High1,46021.847%68%
Saratoga HighLos Gatos-Saratoga Union High1,16119.490%93%
Redwood MiddleSaratoga Union Elementary70920.989%88%
Marshall Lane Elementary · charterCampbell Union42723.781%83%
Blue Hills ElementaryCupertino Union42423.682%82%
Argonaut ElementarySaratoga Union Elementary36722.992%92%
Christa McAuliffeCupertino Union35819.977%87%
Saratoga ElementarySaratoga Union Elementary29722.882%82%
Foothill ElementarySaratoga Union Elementary27818.582%82%
Saratoga Special Services PreschoolSaratoga Union Elementary0———

17.8% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against California’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 13% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 113.1, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area is up 27% over five years, but down 1.0% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

Cost of living
113.1

Prices here run about 13% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
30.9%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
—
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$3,470
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$3,500+
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$2,000,000+
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2023113.1Bottom 7%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2−1.0%2nd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+27.4%12th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+52.2%3rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year86.4%72nd percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3082024 ACS 5-Year11,44795th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$2,970Bottom 2%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$4,590Bottom 2%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$3,470Bottom 2%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent2024 ACS 5-Year$3,500+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value2024 ACS 5-Year$2,000,000+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes2024 ACS 5-Year$10,000+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income2024 ACS 5-Year$250,000+—2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year30.9%Bottom 37%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±782024 ACS 5-Year10590th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.9%61st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.9%38th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2212024 ACS 5-Year66492nd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

42/ 100
Ranks 2,866 of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 30,486 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 96 units authorized in 2025, 9% below the prior year.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 97 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Santa Clara County, which contains Saratoga, lost about 1.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $143,912, below the $174,284 of households that moved out.

At 3.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
97
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.2
Top 42% nationally
Year over year
−2%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202431k30k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 2 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−1.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
43%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$143,912
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$174,284
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Alameda County, CA 7,373 people · 12% of arrivals
  2. San Mateo County, CA 5,963 people · 9.3% of arrivals
  3. Los Angeles County, CA 3,074 people · 4.8% of arrivals
  4. San Francisco County, CA 2,813 people · 4.4% of arrivals
  5. King County, WA 1,725 people · 2.7% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Alameda County, CA 11,226 people · 13% of departures
  2. San Mateo County, CA 5,845 people · 6.9% of departures
  3. San Joaquin County, CA 4,541 people · 5.4% of departures
  4. San Francisco County, CA 3,924 people · 4.7% of departures
  5. Contra Costa County, CA 3,245 people · 3.9% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Santa Clara County, CA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202513250
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+92%).

Weather & climate

9 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 42°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 13.5 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 47, in the Good band, and one day a year passes 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SAN JOSE, 8.4 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND2.8"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year632024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals13.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals42°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals81°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals91991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year12024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year472024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals19°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
47
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
63
90th percentile index
Days above 100
1
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

25 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, inland flooding and heat wave, with earthquake alone responsible for 60% of it.

EarthquakeHigh
Inland floodingHigh
DroughtModerate
Heat waveModerate
AvalancheModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, wildfire, coastal flooding, tornado, lightning, hail, tsunami, volcanic activity, strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, ice storm, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
66
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
484
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Saratoga's police department reported 66 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, lower than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 484.

Santa Clara County records 1.6 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 3.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 13.6 per 100,000 residents in Santa Clara County.

Homicide
1.6
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
3.6
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
13.6
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
7.1
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Saratoga’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Saratoga (Santa Clara County) rather than Saratoga itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. This profile has no Area Score, and that is because of a missing input above rather than anything on this list; the rule is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Mineta San Jose Intl at 8 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year97.3%Top 15%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle8 miTop 21%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 38%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year2.0%Top 19%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Mineta San Jose IntlSJC8 mi11,000 ft
San Francisco IntlSFO31 mi11,870 ft
Oakland San Francisco BayOAK33 mi10,520 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
—
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Other cities in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
San JoseSanta Clara County990,13858San Jose vs Saratoga
SunnyvaleSanta Clara County154,23659Sunnyvale vs Saratoga
Santa ClaraSanta Clara County130,25662Santa Clara vs Saratoga
Mountain ViewSanta Clara County83,73267
MilpitasSanta Clara County78,57857
Palo AltoSanta Clara County67,23765
GilroySanta Clara County59,00453
CupertinoSanta Clara County58,56662
Morgan HillSanta Clara County45,42558
HollisterSan Benito County43,81149
CampbellSanta Clara County42,78158
Los GatosSanta Clara County32,78659

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Saratoga side by side with a similar place.

Saratoga vs BlackhawkSaratoga vs San Ramon

Moving to Saratoga from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Saratoga

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Saratoga with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Saratoga closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
9507031,417$250,000+$2,000,000+—