Google Headquarters, 2012
Mountain View’s story
Mountain View in pictures
Census counts: 2,468 in 2000, 2,622 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 6 maps from 1896 on.
Explore the history →Mountain ViewCA
A town of 2,418.
Population
2,418
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$590K
Census ACS
Household income
$94K
median
Median age
39.6
years
Jobs based here
158
A commuter town
Is Mountain View a good place to live?
The best of Mountain View’s subject grades are an A+ for walkability and an A for health; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 11 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on walkability. The typical home is worth about $590K, 4.3 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Among 848 California towns, just 7 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Mountain View. On the outdoors, just 63 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Mountain View has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Mountain View stand out
Where Mountain View beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A growing town
Mountain View has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
2,372 counted in 2010 and 2,622 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Mountain View grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Mountain View is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 15.3 of 20; 2.1% of households have no carA+Open →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →HealthContra Costa Regional Medical Center 0.8 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →SchoolsBeat 75% of California districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Jobs & income$94K median household income; 158 jobs based hereB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 276 attractions →Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 192 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mountain View. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw19 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw22 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw24 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
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 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Mountain View: who provides what
Mountain View is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterContra Costa Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesContra Costa CountyContra Costa County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereContra Costa County Elections DivisionContra Costa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code9455394553 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mountain View.
HealthA
Mountain View is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns
Mountain View beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 70% of Mountain View adults had a checkup this year, below both the California town median (72%) and the median of U.S. towns (79%). 19% of Mountain View adults binge drink.
86%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Mountain View | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
17 better14 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Mountain View | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.3% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 10.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.9% | 15.3% |
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
0.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Mountain View
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities.
86risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Mountain View has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Mountain View for work: only 0% work in town. At 34 minutes, Mountain View’s average trip to work is against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Martinez (13%), San Francisco (9%) and Concord (8%).
0%work in town
| Mountain View | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Mountain View0%
Martinez13%
San Francisco9%
Concord8%
Walnut Creek8%
14 mi
median commute distance
158
jobs based in Mountain View
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: among the most walkable U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mountain View has mild winters and pleasant summers
Mountain View 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.
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–59°
Spring47–71°
Summer55–84°
Fall50–75°
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than California overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). 12% of residents are 65 or older in Mountain View. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
39.6median age · CA 37.9
| Mountain View | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
Mountain ViewCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma8%
High school28%
Some college23%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Mountain View | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mountain View
16pages on Mountain View
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
17 within 15 miles of the center of Mountain View
Diablo Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pleasant Hill3.7 mi$1,312 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University Maritime AcademyUniversity or college · Public · Vallejo7.5 mi$9,944 in-state tuitionTouro University CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Vallejo9.6 mi$20,005 tuition
About 6 of every 100 Mountain View residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Mountain View for work
Where Mountain View’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
158jobs based in Mountain View
0%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Mountain View
Place in California, United States
Mountain View is a census designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 2,622 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 112 ft
- Area code
- 925
Mountain View’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Mountain View.
MartinezMountain View
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View | — | — | C− | — | A− | A |
| Martinez | #166 | B− | D | C+ | B | A |
Mountain View has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mountain View reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Mountain View with a neighbor →
Questions about Mountain View
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mountain View, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.