Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Los Gatos grades A− overall, ranked 50th of 841 in California. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its schools rank ahead of 94% of California towns and the median household earns $218K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $2.6 million, 16 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Los Gatos, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Los Gatos has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Yung See San Fong House and McCullagh-Jones House. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Los Gatos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
29,413 counted in 2010 and 33,529 in 2020; an estimated 32,576 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.9%, after 14% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Los Gatos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 555 in 1880, 33,529 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1918 and 6 maps from 1919 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Los Gatos. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw12 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
8 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
9 mi Stadium & arenaPayPal Park
15 mi MuseumComputer History Museum
38 mi Park & preserveOyster Point Marina/ParkLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · PayPal Park: Jbburgess0, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Computer History Museum: Dzou, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oyster Point Marina/Park: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Los Gatos, 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 Gatos.
Los Gatos has less no health insurance than most of California and has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 16 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income, the typical home (about $2.6M) costs more against local pay than in 93% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The typical Los Gatos home is worth about $2,598,000, up 4.6% in a year, 3 times the California typical home. The rent at the middle of the market here is $3,247 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 46% of homes sold locally.
| Los Gatos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,247 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.6M.
Three of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The 4 public schools in Los Gatos teach 2,636 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond J. Fisher MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,015 | A |
| Los Gatos HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,914 | A+ |
| Blossom Hill ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 530 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
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 751 U.S. towns with household incomes like Los Gatos’s, it is healthier than 60%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
A fifth of Los Gatos adults have been diagnosed with depression. Against the California average, Los Gatos comes out ahead on 21 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1. In Los Gatos, 13% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 9.8% report frequent physical distress.
| Los Gatos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Los Gatos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Count the trails in 14 parks and preserves and they come to 21 miles. The biggest place to walk is St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve, 174 acres with 3.3 miles of trail. The trail network density for Los Gatos comes to 1.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve | 3.3 mi | 174 |
| 2. Heintz Open Space | 2.2 mi | 86 |
| 3. Santa Rosa Openspace | 1.1 mi | 57 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected losses in Los Gatos break down as 73% from earthquakes and 25% from inland flooding. Since 1980, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Los Gatos weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 310 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
For Los Gatos, the July high is 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 14,464 in 2013 to 18,946. 33% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
The top destinations are San Jose (23%), Santa Clara (7%) and San Francisco (6%). Commuting out is the norm in Los Gatos: 8% of working residents work locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 4,482, to 18,946. A third of workers work remotely from home in the town.
| Los Gatos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $218,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 590 to 446 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns. Los Gatos’ level of violent crime is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Los Gatos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
11 within 15 miles of the center of Los Gatos
About 5 of every 100 Los Gatos residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
16.9% of the town is conserved land, across 14 parks and preserves.
4 places in Los Gatos on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Los Gatos.
Town in California, United States
Los Gatos (US: ; Spanish: [loz ˈɣatos]; Spanish for 'The Cats') is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 33,529 at the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of Los Gatos at 32,576 as of July 1, 2025. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Los Gatos is part of Silicon Valley, with several high technology companies maintaining a presence there. Netflix, the streaming service and content creator, is headquartered in Los Gatos and has developed a large presence in the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Los Gatos.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Gatos | #50 | A− | D− | B− | A | A+ |
| Monte Sereno | #16 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| San Jose | #293 | C+ | D | D | B+ | A− |
| Saratoga | #2 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Campbell | #179 | B− | D− | D | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Los Gatos grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #50 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 77% of towns.
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−.
37 notable people were born here, including Ross Macdonald and Jason Chaffetz.
_(8291160599).jpg){kind=link}