Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 43,302, settled in 1860.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Danville grades A overall, 6th among California's 841 graded towns. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 95% of California towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $1.8 million for a typical one and 13.4 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 74% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Danville, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On safety, just 10 of California’s 426 towns do better. Danville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Danville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Danville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Danville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Tao House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,585 in 1960, 43,582 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1976.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Danville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw18 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw25 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Danville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Danville.
Danville has schools in the top 5% of California, fares better on crime within California than nationally and has less no health insurance than most of California.
At 13.4 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.82M) costs more against local pay than in 89% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.82M, is 13% below its June 2022 peak.
Danville’s median rent is $3,501 a month.
| Danville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
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 $1.82M.
Its public schools are run by the San Ramon Valley Unified school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Wood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 853 | – |
| Monte Vista HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,042 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
39 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The trail density in Danville is 2.2 miles per square mile. Sycamore Valley Open Space Regional Preserve, at 680 acres with 6.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sycamore Valley Open Space Regional Preserve | 6.9 mi | 680 |
| 2. Sycamore Valley Park | 1.8 mi | 29 |
| 3. Oak Hill Park | 1.5 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 566 U.S. towns with household incomes like Danville’s, it is less healthy than 56%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Danville. Danville beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 6.5% of adults smoke cigarettes in Danville.
| Danville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Danville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 2002, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Danville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 8.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 99% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 337 to 209 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
37.3% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Danville for work: only 7% work in town. 37% of Danville workers work from home. Jobs based in Danville grew to 11,089 in 2023, 1,321 more than in 2013.
| Danville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 37% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $232,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Danville has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
9 within 15 miles of the center of Danville
About 6 of every 100 Danville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3 places in Danville on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Danville.
City in California, United States
Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in their names instead of "city". The population was 43,582 at the 2020 census. The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Danville. It was first a railroad that has been converted to a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) path that consists of biking and hiking trails as well as controlled intersections. Extending from Livermore to Concord, the trail passes through Danville. Danville is also home to the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, Village Theatre and Art Gallery, and The Museum of the San Ramon Valley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Danville.
At #6 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Camino Tassajara (A) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danville | #6 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Alamo | #15 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Diablo | — | — | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Blackhawk | #43 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A |
| San Ramon | #32 | A− | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Camino Tassajara | #9 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
Diablo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk and Camino Tassajara report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Danville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Danville grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #6 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Chris Wondolowski and Cory Higgins.
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