West Menlo ParkCA
The town, home to 3,634 people, lies in California.
Is West Menlo Park a good place to live?
West Menlo Park’s best grade is for health (A+). It is strong on schools as well (A) — its schools rank ahead of 92% of California towns. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.0 million, 14.7 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A overall and a rank of 22nd of 841 in California. On that grade it does better than 85% of U.S. towns. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 87% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, against 29% in California’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. This California town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
What makes West Menlo Park stand out
Where West Menlo Park beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | West Menlo Park | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.6% | 10.6% |
99% of working residents leave West Menlo Park for work
Where West Menlo Park’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How West Menlo Park grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far West Menlo Park is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Levi's Stadium and 221 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Menlo Park. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw30 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw13 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw24 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkPhoto credits
Levi'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
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Moving to West Menlo Park: who provides what
West Menlo Park is unincorporated, so San Mateo 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 West Menlo Park.
West Menlo Park is the healthiest town in California and has household incomes well above the California norm, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
West Menlo Park stands out in California and nationally: a smaller share of its adults report frequent physical distress
It is the healthiest of the 847 California towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 2.6% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than West Menlo Park. For adults in the town, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 11%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, West Menlo Park is ahead of California on 22 and behind on 1.
| West Menlo Park | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | West Menlo Park | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Menlo Park faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
4 flood insurance claims have been paid in West Menlo Park since 1998. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 60% come from earthquakes and 40% from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, the median household income in West Menlo Park is higher
The average commute for its 1,596 working residents takes 20.7 minutes, against 28.7 across California. Jobs based here grew from 301 in 2013 to 501.
Most people who work leave West Menlo Park to do it: just 1% work in town. Among residents in the town, 3% live below the poverty line. Jobs based in West Menlo Park grew to 501 in 2023, 200 more than in 2013. The town’s mean commuting time comes in at 21 minutes.
| West Menlo Park | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Menlo Park: mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 41° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in West Menlo Park sells for about $3.8M
At 14.7 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 92% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
On the market in West Menlo Park: a median 10 days to sell. In West Menlo Park, the going rate for rent is $3,324 a month. The share of households in West Menlo Park who are owner-occupiers: 78%.
| West Menlo Park | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,324 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about West Menlo Park
Colleges nearby
15 within 15 miles of the center of West Menlo Park
About 5 of every 100 West Menlo Park residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About West Menlo Park
Unincorporated community in California, United States
West Menlo Park is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in San Mateo County, California, United States, located between the majority of City of Menlo Park, the Town of Atherton, the Sharon Heights neighborhood of Menlo Park and Stanford University (in Santa Clara County). As of the 2020 census, the community had a population of 3,930. The area consists of suburban housing and a small business district along Alameda de las Pulgas (literally, "Avenue of the Fleas"), often just referred to as "the Alameda", which extends the length of the Rancho de las Pulgas land granted to the Argüello family. West Menlo Park is served by the Las Lomitas School District and Menlo Park Fi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 112 ft
- Area code
- 650
West Menlo Park’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with West Menlo Park.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Menlo Park | #22 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Menlo Park | #109 | B+ | D− | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Atherton | #34 | A− | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
West Menlo Park reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Menlo Park with a neighbor →
Questions about West Menlo Park
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Menlo Park, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Menlo Park grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #22 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is West Menlo Park, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $2,000,000, 163% 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−.