SaranapCA
A town of 5,662.
Is Saranap a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Saranap grades A overall, ranked 13th of 841 in California. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 97% of the state's. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 10.7 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Saranap, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Saranap is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 56 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse.
What makes Saranap stand out
Where Saranap beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Saranap has grown 12% from 2010 to 2020
5,202 counted in 2010 and 5,830 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Saranap grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Saranap is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and 214 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Saranap. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw20 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's StadiumPhoto 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 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Moving to Saranap: who provides what
Saranap is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Saranap.
Saranap has schools in the top 5% of California and has less tooth loss than most of California, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Saranap’s grade for health is an A+
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 3.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide.
9.8% of Saranap adults report frequent physical distress. Saranap beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 6.5% of Saranap adults smoke cigarettes.
| Saranap | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Saranap | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.6% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Saranap’s grade for schools is an A+
Its A+ ranks #10 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.45M.
Its public schools are run by the Walnut Creek Elementary school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkmead ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 478 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Saranap faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Saranap.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Saranap has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
34% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Saranap for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in Saranap is $157,000. The top destinations are San Francisco (18%), Walnut Creek (9%) and Oakland (9%).
| Saranap | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $157,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Saranap, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Saranap 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.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A home in Saranap sells for about $1.41M at the median
At 10.7 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 81% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Saranap’s median rent is $2,540 a month.
| Saranap | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,540 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
Everything we know about Saranap
Colleges nearby
21 within 15 miles of the center of Saranap
About 4 of every 100 Saranap residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
98% of working residents leave Saranap for work
Where Saranap’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Saranap
Census-designated place in California, United States
Saranap (until 1913, Dewing Park) is a residential census-designated place (CDP) within central Contra Costa County, California, United States. Lying at an elevation of 180 feet (55 m), it is bounded on the south and east by portions of Walnut Creek (including the gated senior residential development Rossmoor) and on the north and west by Lafayette. Saranap's ZIP code is 94595, but is addressed "Walnut Creek, CA" for delivery purposes as this is the postal designated city name used by residents. The community is in telephone area code 925. Saranap's population as of the 2020 census was 5,830. Saranap has had numerous opportunities to be annexed as either part of Lafayette, or of Walnut Cree…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 180 ft
Saranap’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Saranap.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saranap | #13 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| Walnut Creek | #223 | B− | D− | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Lafayette | #18 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Acalanes Ridge | — | — | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
Acalanes Ridge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Saranap and Acalanes Ridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Saranap with a neighbor →
Questions about Saranap
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Saranap, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Saranap grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #13 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Saranap, 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.