Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 25,313, settled in 1848.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lafayette grades A overall, 18th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools beat 98% of California towns on state tests and graduation and the median household earns $228K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.9 million, 14 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 79% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lafayette, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Lafayette is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. On civic life, just 40 of California’s 463 towns do better.
Where Lafayette beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Burton Valley Elementary | K–5 | 653 |
| Lafayette Elementary | K–5 | 515 |
| Springhill Elementary | K–5 | 479 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lafayette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1848, comes before those of 96% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 7,114 in 1960, 25,391 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1987 and 8 maps from 1897 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lafayette. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw13 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw17 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw20 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 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 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lafayette, 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 Lafayette.
Lafayette fares better on crime within California than nationally, has schools in the top 5% of California and has less no health insurance than most of California.
At 14 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.91M) costs more against local pay than in 90% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.91M, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The median rent in Lafayette is $2,892 a month. The typical Lafayette home is worth about $1,907,000, up 3.5% in a year, more than twice the California typical home. 77% of households own their home in Lafayette.
| Lafayette | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,892 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #6 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 $1.91M.
Its public schools are run by the Lafayette Elementary school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. H. Stanley MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,117 | A+ |
| Acalanes HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,256 | A+ |
| Lafayette ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 515 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 618 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lafayette’s, it is healthier than 61%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
5.5% of Lafayette adults worry about having enough food. Lafayette beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 13% of Lafayette adults report frequent mental distress.
| Lafayette | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Lafayette | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
28 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Lafayette’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Lafayette Community Park, 49 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| Lafayette | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 16% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lafayette Community Park | 1.1 mi | 49 |
| 2. Acalanes Ridge | 0.3 mi | 23 |
| 3. Land Bank | — | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 96% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lafayette.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lafayette has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lafayette has about as many jobs (8,814) as working residents, but only 699 people both live and work here. 42.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Lafayette for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are San Francisco (19%), Oakland (8%) and Walnut Creek (7%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Lafayette | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 43% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $228,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 330 to 289 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
22 within 15 miles of the center of Lafayette
About 4 of every 100 Lafayette residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 notable people were born in Lafayette.
City in California, United States
Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Lafayette.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | #18 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Moraga | #8 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Saranap | #13 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| Acalanes Ridge | — | — | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Reliez Valley | #92 | B+ | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Orinda | #3 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Walnut Creek | #223 | B− | D− | C− | B+ | A+ |
Acalanes Ridge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Saranap, Acalanes Ridge and Reliez Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lafayette with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lafayette grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #18 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and A+ for schools. Hazard risk 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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Charles Frederick Tickner and Doris Willette.
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