North Downtown, 2007
Alamo’s story
174 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,791 in 1960, 15,314 in 2020. The archive holds 27 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 8 maps from 1897 on.
- 1852Alamo is settled
AlamoCA
A town of 14,488, settled in 1852.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Richard Niewiroski Jr. · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
14,488
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$2.53M
+5.3% in a year
Household income
$250K
median
Median age
49.8
years
Jobs based here
3,488
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#15 of 841 in CA
Is Alamo a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Alamo grades A overall, ranked 15th of 841 in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country. The median household earns $250K and its schools outperform 95% of the state's. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $2.5 million for a typical one and 18.6 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 78% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Alamo, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Alamo is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. Among 847 California towns, just 9 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Alamo.
What makes Alamo stand out
Where Alamo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Alamo for work
Where Alamo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
3,488jobs based in Alamo
4%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Alamo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Alamo is from typical.
HealthKaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek 3.6 miles awayA+Open →Cost of livingD−Open →Jobs & incomeA+Open →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD−Open →SchoolsA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 4.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 277 attractions →Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 226 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alamo. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw17 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw22 mi LandmarkLombard StreetSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Alamo: who provides what
Alamo is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEBMUDNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesContra Costa CountyContra Costa County provides services here
SchoolsAcalanes Union High School DistrictSan Ramon Valley Unified School District2 districts serve Alamo; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereContra Costa County Elections DivisionContra Costa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code9450794507 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alamo.
Alamo has schools in the top 5% of California and has less no health insurance than most of California, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
HousingCost of living grade D−
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, more of Alamo’s households own their home
At 18.6 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $2.53M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
92% of households own their home in Alamo. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. Alamo’s median rent is $3,501 a month.
$2.53MZillow home value
| Alamo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 92% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Alamo$2.53M
California$762K
Market temperature
7
days on market
103.2%
sale-to-list price
+5.3%
value change, 1 year
15
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsA+
Alamo’s grade for schools is an A+
Its A+ ranks #29 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.53M.
Its public schools are run by the San Ramon Valley Unified school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
95%of CA districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Valley MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 586 | – |
| Central County Special Education ProgramsLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 15 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthA+
Alamo stands out in California and nationally, with fewer of its adults who smoke cigarettes
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 2.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like Alamo’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
5.7% of Alamo adults smoke cigarettes. Alamo beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 16% of Alamo adults get no exercise outside work.
98%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Alamo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.7% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
32 measures vs. California
22 better7 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Alamo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 6.4% |
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek
3.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
97th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Alamo faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities.
86risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsA−
5.2% of Alamo is conserved land
11 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Alamo is 1.1 miles per square mile.
#346for trails in CA
| Alamo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
5.2%
conserved · 327 of 6,250 acres
11 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Diablo Foothills Regional Park | 0.4 mi | 22 |
| 2. Hap McGee Ranch Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
| 3. Livorna Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Alamo has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here grew from 2,475 in 2013 to 3,488. 31.5% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Alamo for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Alamo grew to 3,488 in 2023, 1,013 more than in 2013. The top destinations are San Francisco (12%), Walnut Creek (8%) and Oakland (6%).
4%work in town
| Alamo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $250,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Alamo4%
San Francisco12%
Walnut Creek8%
Oakland6%
San Ramon4%
18 mi
median commute distance
3,488
jobs based in Alamo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Alamo has mild winters and pleasant summers
Alamo has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring46–70°
Summer56–85°
Fall50–75°
Dec 22
typical first frost
Mar 8
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Alamo
18pages on Alamo
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
21 within 15 miles of the center of Alamo
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Moraga5.3 mi$57,803 tuitionDiablo Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pleasant Hill8.5 mi$1,312 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-BerkeleyUniversity or college · Public · Berkeley13.5 mi$16,347 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Alamo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Famous people from Alamo
4 notable people were born in Alamo.
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About Alamo
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Alamo (Spanish: Álamo; meaning "poplar tree") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is a suburb located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, approximately 28 miles (45 km) east of San Francisco. Alamo is equidistant from the city of Walnut Creek and the incorporated town of Danville. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,314. Police services are provided by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff. Fire and EMS services are provided by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. Alamo has a median household income of $385,967 (as of 2022). The average sale price of a home in Alamo is.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 259 ft
- ZIP code
- 94507
- Area code
- 925
Alamo’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Alamo.
DanvilleWalnut CreekCastle HillDiabloAlamo
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo | #15 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Danville | #6 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Walnut Creek | #223 | B− | D− | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Castle Hill | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Diablo | — | — | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
Castle Hill and Diablo have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Alamo, Castle Hill and Diablo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Alamo with a neighbor →
Questions about Alamo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alamo, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Alamo grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #15 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Alamo, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
What is Alamo, CA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including JT Marcinkowski and Ryan Whalen.