Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 156,577, settled in 1901.
For a city of 156,577, Sunnyvale does well: it grades B+, ranked 82nd of 841 in California. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $186K. The trade-offs: homes are expensive, about $2.0 million for a typical one and 12.4 times the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sunnyvale, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Sunnyvale is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Sunnyvale is home to University of East-West Medicine.
Where Sunnyvale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
140,081 counted in 2010 and 155,805 in 2020; an estimated 156,577 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 11.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Sunnyvale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,094 in 1930, 155,805 in 2020. The archive holds 26 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 7 maps from 1897 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sunnyvale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw3 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw37 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
8 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
Big draw31 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
3 mi MuseumComputer History MuseumLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Computer History Museum: Dzou, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sunnyvale, 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 Sunnyvale.
Sunnyvale has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of California, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 12.4 years of the San Jose metro’s $162K median household income, the typical home (about $2.01M) costs more against local pay than in 88% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,220, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Sunnyvale is $3,039 a month. The typical Sunnyvale home is worth about $2,008,000, up 1% in a year, more than twice the California typical home. 44% of Sunnyvale households own their home.
| Sunnyvale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,039 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 44% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 35% | 55% | 48% |
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 $2.01M.
Three of its 30 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cupertino MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,067 | A+ |
| Fremont HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,060 | A |
| West Valley ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 422 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 4.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 1,223 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sunnyvale’s, it is healthier than 82%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
8.4% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale beats the California average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Sunnyvale.
| Sunnyvale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Sunnyvale | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 67.3% | 71.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1983, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sunnyvale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16 miles of trail in 31 parks and preserves. Sunnyvale Baylands Park, at 66 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sunnyvale Baylands Park | 2.8 mi | 66 |
| 2. Las Palmas Park | 0.9 mi | 24 |
| 3. Ortega Park | 0.8 mi | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 3,297 to 3,188 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Sunnyvale’s property crime rate is 18.4 per 1,000 residents. Sunnyvale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 69% report less. Within California, it does better than 56% of towns.
| Sunnyvale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Palo Alto weather station, 7 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 310 days, longer than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.5°.
Sunnyvale has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sunnyvale | 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
29.2% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Sunnyvale for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Sunnyvale has added 19,129 jobs, to 103,348 in 2023. The top destinations are San Jose (14%), Mountain View (10%) and Santa Clara (8%).
| Sunnyvale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $186,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
20 within 15 miles of the center of Sunnyvale
About 6 of every 100 Sunnyvale residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
15 notable people were born in Sunnyvale.
City in California, United States
Sunnyvale () is a city in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by the San Francisco Bay to the north, Moffett Federal Airfield and NASA Ames Research Center to the northwest, Mountain View to the northwest, Los Altos to the southwest, Cupertino to the south, and Santa Clara to the east. A small section of the border near Sunnyvale Baylands Park meets the city of San Jose (specifically the Alviso region) to the east and north. Sunnyvale's population was 155,805 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in the county (after San Jose) and the seven…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Sunnyvale.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnyvale | #82 | B+ | D | C | A | A+ |
| Cupertino | #26 | A− | D | B− | A+ | A+ |
| Mountain View | #113 | B+ | D− | C− | A | A+ |
| Santa Clara | #148 | B | D | C− | A− | A+ |
| Los Altos | #10 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| San Jose | #293 | C+ | D | D | B+ | A− |
| Fremont | #105 | B+ | D− | C | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sunnyvale grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #82 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, C for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 56% of towns.
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.
15 notable people were born here, including Camille Guaty and Diego Luna.
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