SaranapCA
Population 5,662: a town in California.
Is Saranap a good place to live?
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its strongest subject is health (A+): CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country. It is strong on schools as well: its schools rank ahead of 97% of California towns. What holds it back is hazard risk (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Homes run about $1.5 million for a typical one, 10.7 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 13th of 841 in California. 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%).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
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.
The share of adults in Saranap who get no exercise outside work: 16%. Of 32 CDC measures, Saranap beats the California average on 20 and trails it on 1. Two figures for adults locally: 6.5% smoke cigarettes, 12% say their health is fair or poor.
| 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+
That grade ranks #10 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.45M.
Public schools: the Walnut Creek Elementary school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason 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
The biggest natural risk in Saranap is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
Flood insurance has paid out on 4 claims in Saranap since 1982. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 70% come from inland flooding and 29% from earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Saranap has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
34% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
2.1% of working residents work locally in Saranap. The top destinations are San Francisco (18%), Walnut Creek (9%) and Oakland (9%). The town’s typical household income comes in at $157,000. Half commute less than 16 miles.
| 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
Expect mild winters and pleasant summers in Saranap
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.
In Saranap, the midpoint rent is $2,540 a month. A home in Saranap typically sold within 10 days of listing. Saranap: 65% of households are owner-occupiers.
| 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. The typical home is worth about $1,453,000, 91% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.