With 989,814 people, San Jose can't be summed up by one letter: its C+ averages neighborhoods that are worlds apart. Within California, that puts it 293rd of 841. The median household earns $146K and residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What weighs on its grade: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top, and homes are expensive, about $1.4 million for a typical one and 8.4 times the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income. San Jose’s median rent is $2,669 a month, above both the California town median ($1,895 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Its National Register listings include New Almaden and Spillman Engineering 3-Abreast Carousel. San Jose is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns.

StrongestAWalkability AOutdoors A⁻Jobs & incomeWeakestD⁻Hazard risk DCost of living DSafety

What makes San Jose stand out

Where San Jose beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel (1953-1960)

HistoryA⁻

Settled in 1777

35 places on the National Register

A history going back 249 years.

Biggest of 5

College	Students
San Jose State University	30,704
Evergreen Valley College	5,332
San Jose City College	5,172

Colleges in town

5 colleges

43,829 students on campus

Students are 8% of residents.

Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD⁻

Earthquakes and inland flooding at the top

FEMA National Risk Index.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel (1953-1960) · National Register of Historic Places

San Jose’s story

249 years in pictures

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel (1953-1960) is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1777, comes before those of 99% of the California towns we grade with a known year.

Census counts: 9,089 in 1870, 1,013,240 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1781 and 6 maps from 1889 on.

35 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1777San Jose is settled

Explore the history →

How San Jose grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Jose is from typical.

How grading works

Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 3%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.

Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD⁻Open →Cost of livingDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 13.8 of 20; 6.1% of households have no car; 4.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →SafetyDOpen →Jobs & incomeA⁻Open →HealthKaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose 4 miles awayA⁻Open →SchoolsB⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

OutdoorsAOpen →History54 notable people born hereA⁻Open →Civic life3.8 library visits per resident; 2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC⁻Open →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market20 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.2; 47% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Levi's Stadium and 89 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Jose. Close and well known come first.

All 240 attractions →

Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium

in town Stadium & arenaSAP Center

Big draw11 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America

in town Stadium & arenaPayPal Park

in town Stadium & arenaCEFCU Stadium

in town MuseumRosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · PayPal Park: Jbburgess0, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CEFCU Stadium: Sjsualum at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Zarathustra~commonswiki assumed (based on c, CC BY 2.5

Getting set up

Moving to San Jose: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in San Jose, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterSanta Clara Valley Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet10 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpRanch Town Recycling Center775 Lincoln AvenueOpenStreetMap

SchoolsEast Side Union High School District San Jose Unified School District2 districts serve San Jose; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereSanta Clara Registrar of VotersSanta Clara County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021

ZIP codes95123, 95112, 95111, 9512295123 7% · 95112 6% · 95111 6% · 95122 5%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 San Jose.

San Jose has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it reports more crime than Milpitas and its other graded neighbors.

HousingCost of living grade D

San Jose’s grade for cost of living is a D

The median property tax bill is $9,393, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

56% of San Jose households own their home. The typical San Jose home is worth about $1,354,000, down 0.5% in a year, 78% above the California typical home.

$1.35MZillow home value

	San Jose	California towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	56%	64%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	50%	55%	48%

Typical home value

San Jose$1.35M

California$762K

Market temperature

days on market

102.7%

sale-to-list price

−0.5%

value change, 1 year

536

homes sold in May

Full pageSan Jose’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 0.5% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 9.2 years of income Rents$2,669 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of 5 of its 10 graded neighbors

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

SchoolsB⁺

Public schools in San Jose beat 72% of California districts

Three of its 290 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

72%of CA districts it outscoresB⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Willow Glen MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	1,180	B⁺
Evergreen Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	2,703	A⁺
Lynbrook HighTop results in townGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	1,702	A⁺

Full pageSan Jose’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsSan Jose Unified Vs. the neighborsAhead of 2 of its 10 graded neighbors Every school290 schools · Easterbrook Discovery Questions“Are San Jose’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D⁻

San Jose faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes

Since 1979, 389 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Jose.

95risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

EarthquakesInland flooding

389

paid flood claims since 1979

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageSan Jose’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims389 paid flood claims · Since 1979 Past disasters5 federal disasters · Paid out in San Jose Get readyReady for earthquakes

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

SafetyD

Crime per resident in San Jose is higher than in 89% of U.S. towns

Each of the 5 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Milpitas (D) to Los Gatos (B−). Reported crimes fell from 30,483 to 28,595 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.

San Jose’s violent crime rate is 5 per 1,000 residents.

11%of U.S. towns report more crimeDSafety Grade

	San Jose	California towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	5 per 1,000 residents	2.9	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	23.7 per 1,000 residents	13.3	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

San Jose5

California4.4

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

San Jose23.7

California18.2

U.S.15.5

11th

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

15th

percentile among CA towns

5,006

violent crimes reported in 2025

23,589

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageSan Jose’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type5 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsBehind its 8 graded neighbors Questions“Is San Jose, CA safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

OutdoorsA

18.1% of San Jose is conserved land

215 miles of trail in 207 parks and preserves. The trail density in San Jose is 1.2 miles per square mile. Alum Rock Park, at 668 acres with 12.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.

#323for trails in CA

18.1%

conserved · 20,944 of 115,426 acres

215 mi

of trails · 1.2 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Alum Rock Park	12.4 mi	668
2. Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve	4.9 mi	497
3. Kelley Park	4.7 mi	169

Full pageSan Jose’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map215 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk12.4 miles of trail · Alum Rock Park Conserved land18.1% conserved · 20,944 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in San Jose?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HealthA⁻

San Jose’s grade for health is an A−

Against the 3,017 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Jose’s, it is less healthy than 68%: its national edge comes with its incomes.

40% of adults feel lonely in San Jose. San Jose beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 24% of adults have obesity in San Jose.

81%healthier than U.S. townsA⁻Health Grade

	San Jose	California towns	U.S. towns
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	40%	36%	33%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	24%	29%	35%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	70%	72%	79%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	13%	16%	16%

32 measures vs. California

17 better15 too close to call0 worse

What stands out	San Jose	CA
Fewer adults with COPD	3.8%	5.1%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	7.9%	10.6%

Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose

4 mi away · emergency room

None

primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

70th

percentile among CA towns

Full pageSan Jose’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby4 miles to an ER · Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose How adults are doingFewer adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than CA on 17 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Mild winters and pleasant summers in San Jose

The Los Gatos weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 310 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns.

San Jose has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.

86°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–61°

Spring46–72°

Summer55–85°

Fall49–76°

Dec 6

typical first frost

Feb 2

typical last frost

+1.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

86°

typical summer high

Full pageSan Jose’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 86°, January lows 39°Rain & snow15″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A⁻

With 0.9 jobs for every working resident, most of San Jose’s workers commute out

About one in 3 of San Jose’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in San Jose grew to 405,006 in 2023, 47,984 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Santa Clara (8%), Sunnyvale (5%) and San Francisco (4%).

36%work in town

	San Jose	California towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	36%	6.6%	8%
Median household income	$146,000	$95,000	$80,000
Work from home	20%	14%	11%
Below the poverty line	8.1%	10%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In San Jose36%

Santa Clara8%

Sunnyvale5%

San Francisco4%

Fremont4%

10 mi

median commute distance

405,006

jobs based in San Jose

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns

Full pageSan Jose’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here405,006 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work36% work in San Jose Commute times27 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 10 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Keep exploring

Everything we know about San Jose

20pages on San Jose

The big questions

SchoolsB⁺Beat 72% of CA districts · 290 schools SafetyD5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthA⁻Better than CA on 17 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingD$1.35M typical home · down 0.5% in a year Work & commuteA⁻$146K median household income · 405,006 jobs here Natural hazardsD⁻FEMA risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities · earthquakes

Out and about

OutdoorsA215 mi of trails · 18% conserved land PlacesAttractions240 nearby · SAP Center under 1 mi LibraryC⁻3.8 library visits per resident CollegesEvergreen Valley College, in town

The story

HistoryA⁻Settled 1777 · 35 on the National Register Famous people54 born in San Jose Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 162 residents Climate86° summer highs

Day to day

News8 recent stories about San Jose WeatherHandbookZIP code 95025, 95101, 95103 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

12 within 15 miles of the center of San Jose

Evergreen Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · San JoseIn town$1,366 in-state tuition San Jose State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · San JoseIn town$8,410 in-state tuition San Jose City CollegeCommunity college · Public · San JoseIn town$1,366 in-state tuition

About 8 of every 100 San Jose residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

San Jose State University calls San Jose home

5 colleges in town.

San Jose State University30,704 students on campus

Admission: 85%
Net price: $13,760
Graduate: 69%

Evergreen Valley College5,332 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $12,414
Graduate: 41%

San Jose City College5,172 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $16,959
Graduate: 34%

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

35 places in San Jose on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel (1953-1960)Built 1953 · National Historic Landmark

New AlmadenNational Historic Landmark

Civic Art GalleryBuilt 1895

Alviso Historic DistrictBuilt 1973

Famous people from San Jose

54 notable people were born in San Jose.

See all 54 →

Steve WozniakAmerican computer pioneer, inventor, computer engineer and programmer; co-founder of Apple Inc. · born 1950

Michio KakuU.S.-American theoretical physicist, futurist and author · born 1947

Dudley R. HerschbachAmerican chemist · born 1932

Josh HollowayAmerican actor · born 1969

Kate WalshAmerican actress · born 1967

Farley GrangerAmerican actor · 1925–2011

About San Jose

City in California, United States

San Jose, officially the City of San José ( SAN hoh-ZAY, -⁠SAY; Spanish: [saŋ xoˈse]), is the most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, and the 13th-most populous in the United States, with an estimated 989,814 residents as of 2025. The city's metropolitan area is home to nearly two million people, while the broader combined statistical area (the fifth-largest in the United States) has a population of over nine million. Located in Santa Clara Valley on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay, San Jose covers an area of 179.97 sq mi (466.1 km2) and is the county seat of Santa Clara County. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the area around San Jose was long in…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1777
Area: 180 sq mi
Elevation: 82 ft
ZIP code: 95025, 95101, 95103
Area code: 408, 669

San Jose’s neighbors

10 towns share a border with San Jose.

Explore the map →

How the neighbors grade

Town	CA rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
San Jose	#293	C⁺	D	D	B⁺	A⁻
Campbell	#179	B⁻	D⁻	D	A	A
Alum Rock	#337	C	C⁻	—	C⁺	C⁺
East Foothills	#253	C⁺	D	—	C⁺	A⁻
Milpitas	#173	B⁻	D	D	A⁻	A
Santa Clara	#148	B	D	C⁻	A⁻	A⁺
Fremont	#105	B⁺	D⁻	C	A	A⁺
Los Gatos	#50	A⁻	D⁻	B⁻	A	A⁺

Alum Rock and East Foothills report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare San Jose with a neighbor →

Questions about San Jose

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is San Jose, CA a good place to live?

San Jose grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #293 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is San Jose, 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 D.

What is San Jose, CA known for?

54 notable people were born here, including Steve Wozniak and Michio Kaku.

Post to San Jose

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What is it like to live in San Jose?