Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades B−, 173rd among California's 841 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $179K. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 8.5 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income. Milpitas’ median rent is $3,120 a month, where California’s towns sit at $1,895 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Milpitas is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Milpitas is home to University of Silicon Andhra.
Where Milpitas beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
66,790 counted in 2010 and 80,273 in 2020; an estimated 78,596 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.1%, after 20.2% 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 Milpitas is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,572 in 1960, 80,273 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Milpitas. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw5 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw40 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
7 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
Big draw33 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaChase CenterLevi'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 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Milpitas, 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 Milpitas.
Milpitas trades workers with San Jose and other neighbors, has less no health insurance than most of California and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
The median property tax bill is $8,582, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
36% of Milpitas renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. The typical Milpitas home is worth about $1,386,000, down 1.2% in a year, 82% above the California typical home. 58% of Milpitas households own their home.
| Milpitas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 58% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.39M.
Its public schools are run by the Milpitas Unified school district. Two of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Russell MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 761 | – |
| Milpitas HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,926 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
23 miles of trail in 29 parks and preserves. Milpitas’ trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile. Ed R. Levin County Park, at 578 acres with 9.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ed R. Levin County Park | 9.1 mi | 578 |
| 2. Pinewood Park | 0.9 mi | 10 |
| 3. Hall Memorial Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 5.7% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 1,398 U.S. towns with household incomes like Milpitas’s, it is less healthy than 56%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
18% of adults have obesity in Milpitas. Milpitas beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 15% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Milpitas.
| Milpitas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 29% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Milpitas | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1978, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Milpitas.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 2,839 to 2,447 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Milpitas is 28.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Milpitas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.3 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Milpitas has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Milpitas has about as many jobs (42,298) as working residents, but only 3,716 people both live and work here. 25.2% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Milpitas for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Milpitas has added 3,072 jobs, to 42,298 in 2023. The top destinations are San Jose (26%), Santa Clara (9%) and Fremont (7%).
| Milpitas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $179,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 25% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
16 within 15 miles of the center of Milpitas
About 7 of every 100 Milpitas residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
2 places in Milpitas on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Milpitas.
City in California, United States
Milpitas (Spanish for 'little milpas' or little cornfields) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States and part of Silicon Valley and the broader San Francisco Bay Area. Located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, it is bordered by San Jose to the south, Fremont to the north, and the Coyote Creek to the west, and Calaveras Reservoir to the east. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 80,273. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Milpitas' population at 78,596 as of July 1, 2025. The city is located at the junction of Interstates 680 and 880 and is served by the Milpitas BART station. Historically inhabited by the Ohlone people, the area served as a crossroads bet…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Milpitas.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Milpitas grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #173 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
6 notable people were born here, including Kanak Jha and Jacklyn Luu.
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