Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,662, settled in 1886.
Few places in the country grade higher. Stanford earns an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns. Its public schools beat 96% of California towns on state tests and graduation, the median household earns $75K, and it is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Stanford is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among California’s towns. 92% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Stanford, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Stanford is home to Stanford University.
Where Stanford beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Escondido Elementary | K–5 | 432 |
| Lucille M. Nixon Elementary | K–5 | 350 |
13,809 counted in 2010 and 21,150 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Stanford is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for hazard risk (better than 13%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Lou Henry Hoover House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 13,314 in 2000, 21,150 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Stanford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw31 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw11 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw25 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw27 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
Stanford is unincorporated, so Santa Clara 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Stanford.
Stanford is shaped by its college students, has schools in the top 5% of California and draws workers from Palo Alto and beyond.
At 19.9 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income, the typical home (about $3.23M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. 71.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
27% of Stanford households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Stanford is $1,976 a month.
| Stanford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 27% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,976 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #18 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Palo Alto Unified school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escondido ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 432 | A |
| Lucille M. Nixon ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 350 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
7.8 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Stanford’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Frenchman's Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 2. Kite Hill Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
| 3. Meyer Green | 0.3 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
19,075 jobs are based in Stanford, 5.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.6 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
19% of working residents work locally in Stanford. Jobs based in Stanford grew to 19,075 in 2023, 16,436 more than in 2013. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Stanford.
| Stanford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with California is diabetes: 3.3% of its 20,150 adults have diabetes, against 11.7% statewide.
Stanford beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Among 847 California towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Stanford.
| Stanford | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 3.3% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.1% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 31% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Stanford | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 3.3% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.6% | 5.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 39.1% | 71.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Stanford since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Palo Alto weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 310 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Stanford has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 41° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
20 within 15 miles of the center of Stanford
College town 79 of every 100 Stanford residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
5 places in Stanford on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Stanford.
Census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, US
Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University, after which it was named. The CDP's population was 21,150 at the 2020 census. Stanford is adjacent to the city of Palo Alto, which borders it to the east, but the CDP itself remains unincorporated. Most of the Stanford University campus and other core University-owned land is situated within the CDP of Stanford, though the Stanford University Medical Center, the Stanford Shopping Center, and the Stanford Research Park are officially part of the city of Palo Alto. Its resident population consists of the inhabitants of on-campus housin…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Stanford.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | – | A+ | C | — | A+ | A |
| Palo Alto | #112 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Menlo Park | #109 | B+ | D− | C+ | A− | A+ |
Stanford reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Stanford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Stanford grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns. Stanford is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among California’s towns. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
25 notable people were born here, including Deborah S. Jin and Andrew W.K..
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