Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,292, incorporated in 1964.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Portola Valley grades A− overall, 57th among California's 841 graded towns. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $250K. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $4.3 million, 31.8 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 87% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Portola Valley, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). On the outdoors, just 81 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Portola Valley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
29.2% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Portola Valley is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,996 in 1970, 4,456 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portola Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw34 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw15 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw28 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portola Valley, 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 Portola Valley.
Portola Valley has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 31.8 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $4.33M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. 87.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
The typical Portola Valley home is worth about $4,326,000, up 12.1% in a year, 6 times the California typical home. Its rent at the middle of the market comes in at $3,501 a month. 79% of households live in a home they own here.
| Portola Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 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 $4.33M.
Public schools: the Portola Valley Elementary school district. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corte MaderaLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 252 | A+ |
| Woodside Priory School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 427 | – |
| Ormondale ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 243 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The biggest place to walk is Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, 1,279 acres with 14.8 miles of trail. Trails run 54 miles in 4 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Portola Valley: 4, covering 1,544 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Windy Hill Open Space Preserve | 14.8 mi | 1,279 |
| 2. Coal Mine Ridge Preserve | 6.1 mi | 257 |
| 3. Frog Pond Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like Portola Valley’s, it is less healthy than 71%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Portola Valley, 9.8% have diabetes. No town among the 847 in California we compare has a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Portola Valley. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Portola Valley is ahead of California on 21 and behind on 5.
| Portola Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Portola Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1979, Portola Valley has seen 12 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts just over two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 22% to inland flooding. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 41.4°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.5°.
For Portola Valley, the peak summer temperature is 80°F.
| Portola Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 80°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 41°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,519 working residents takes 19.3 minutes, against 28.7 across California. 49.1% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Portola Valley for work: only 5% work in town. The typical journey to work here is 19 minutes. Employers in Portola Valley added 171 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,191. For residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 6.2%.
| Portola Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 within 15 miles of the center of Portola Valley
About 2 of every 100 Portola Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3 places in Portola Valley on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Portola Valley.
City in California
Portola Valley is an affluent town in San Mateo County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 4,456. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area, the community is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Portola Valley.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portola Valley | #57 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Woodside | #35 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Palo Alto | #112 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Ladera | — | — | C+ | — | A | A+ |
Ladera has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Portola Valley, Woodside and Ladera report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Portola Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Portola Valley grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #57 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $4,326,000, 468% above the California typical home and up 12.1% in a year. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
Portola Valley was incorporated in 1964 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 4 notable people were born here, including Rhett Ellison and Jeff Arons.
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