Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Los Altos Hills grades A overall, 5th among California's 841 graded towns. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 97% of California towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $5.9 million for a typical one and 36.5 times the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income. 85% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Los Altos Hills, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On safety, just 7 of California’s 426 towns do better. Los Altos Hills is home to Foothill College.
Where Los Altos Hills beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Gardner Bullis Elementary | K–6 | 313 |
| St. Nicholas Catholic School | K–8 | 270 |
| Palo Alto Middle College High | 9–12 | 45 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Los Altos Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,412 in 1960, 8,489 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Los Altos Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw9 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw35 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw30 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
5 mi MuseumComputer History MuseumLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Computer History Museum: Dzou, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Los Altos Hills, 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 Los Altos Hills.
Los Altos Hills has schools in the top 5% of California, has less no health insurance than most of California and fares better on crime within California than nationally.
At 36.5 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income, the typical home (about $5.92M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
93% of households own their home in Los Altos Hills. Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Los Altos Hills is $3,501 a month.
| Los Altos Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #10 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 $5.92M.
Its public schools are run by the Los Altos Elementary school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Bullis ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 313 | – |
| Palo Alto Middle College HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 45 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
28 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Los Altos Hills’ trail density is 3.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, 106 acres with 1.6 miles of trail.
| Los Altos Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 3.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve | 1.6 mi | 106 |
| 2. Juan Prado Mesa Preserve | 0.3 mi | 14 |
| 3. Purissima Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 2.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like Los Altos Hills’s, it is less healthy than 66%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
11% of Los Altos Hills adults report frequent mental distress. Los Altos Hills beats the California average on 26 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 9% of Los Altos Hills adults report frequent physical distress.
| Los Altos Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Los Altos Hills | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 7.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 99% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 84 to 32 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 437 California towns, just 2 have a lower violent crime rate than Los Altos Hills.
| Los Altos Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Los Altos Hills.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 2,031 in 2013 to 1,600. 44.3% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Los Altos Hills for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Los Altos Hills fell to 1,600 in 2023, 431 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are San Jose (10%), Palo Alto (9%) and San Francisco (8%).
| Los Altos Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Los Altos Hills has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 40°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
20 within 15 miles of the center of Los Altos Hills
About 5 of every 100 Los Altos Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3.6% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
4 notable people were born in Los Altos Hills.
City in California, United States
Los Altos Hills (US: ; Los Altos, Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Los Altos Hills.
At #5 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Los Altos (A) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos Hills | #5 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Los Altos | #10 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Loyola | #78 | B+ | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Palo Alto | #112 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
Loyola reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Los Altos Hills with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Los Altos Hills grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #5 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Max Thieriot and Daniel Rosenbaum.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
