The Town FilesLos Altos Hills, California
Town in Santa Clara County · population 8,489 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $2,000,001
- Household income
- $250,001
- Jan low / Jul high
- 41° / 81°
- Snow a year
- 0 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 4
- Median age
- 53.6
Los Altos Hills is a town of 8,489 people in Santa Clara County, California. The median home is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks more upscale than 100% of California towns, better for families than 98% of California towns, better for retirees than 91% of California towns.
- #1 in The 25 Richest Small Towns in California
- #5 in The 50 Richest Small Towns in America
- #8 in The 25 Best Small Towns for Families in California
- #8 in 25 Small Towns in California With the Most Remote Workers
- #27 in 50 Small Towns in America With the Most Remote Workers
- #32 in The 50 Richest Places in America
How Los Altos Hills ranks
Percentile among California towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of California towns.
Homes and cost of living
The median home in Los Altos Hills is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 8.0 times the median household income of $250,001, which is more affordable than 28% of California towns. Median rent is $3,501 a month. 93.4% of households own their home.
| Housing | Los Altos Hills | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $2,000,001 | $596,900 |
| Median rent | $3,501 | $1,827 |
| Median household income | $250,001 | $91,557 |
| Home value ÷ income | 8.0× | 6.4× |
| Homeownership | 93.4% | 67.4% |
| Median year built | 1977 | 1977 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 4.8% | — |
Who lives in Los Altos Hills
| People | Los Altos Hills | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 53.6 | 40.2 |
| Age 65 and over | 30.9% | 17.7% |
| Under 18 | 19.6% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 84.9% | 27.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 10.3% |
| Veterans | 3.8% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 34.4% | — |
| Work from home | 44.3% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 29.2 min | 27.5 min |
| Homes with broadband | 97.5% | 93.3% |
Weather in Los Altos Hills
July highs average 80.6°F and January lows 40.9°F. About 42.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 11 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Los Altos Hills since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical California town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on May 5, 1998 about 6.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 5, 1998.
Severe weather in Santa Clara County since 1996
Santa Clara County has been included in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.
| Declared | Incident | Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2023 | Severe Storm | DR-4699: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| March 10, 2023 | Flood | EM-3592: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| January 14, 2023 | Flood | DR-4683: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| January 9, 2023 | Flood | EM-3591: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides |
| August 22, 2020 | Fire | DR-4558: Wildfires |
Jobs and pay in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County had 1,116,581 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $197,043 a year. Unemployment was 3.5% in 2023; in Los Altos Hills itself the ACS puts it at 3.5%.
Public schools in Los Altos Hills
1 public school with 293 students, about 18.3 students per teacher.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Bullis Elementary | K-6 | 293 | 18.3 |
Towns near Los Altos Hills
- Palo Alto, CA2.1 mi · 68,572 people · home $2,000,001
- Los Altos, CA2.3 mi · 31,625 people · home $2,000,001
- Loyola, CA2.5 mi · 3,491 people · home $2,000,001
- Mountain View, CA4.0 mi · 82,376 people · home $1,927,000
- Stanford, CA4.5 mi · 21,150 people · home $2,000,001
- Portola Valley, CA5.2 mi · 4,456 people · home $2,000,001
- West Menlo Park, CA5.8 mi · 3,930 people · home $2,000,001
- Cupertino, CA6.1 mi · 60,381 people · home $2,000,001
Los Altos Hills questions
Is Los Altos Hills, California a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Los Altos Hills scores better for retirees than 91% of California towns and quieter than 78%. 30.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 53.6).
How much does a house cost in Los Altos Hills?
The median owner-occupied home in Los Altos Hills is valued at $2,000,001 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $250,001, so homes cost about 8.0 times income. Median rent is $3,501 a month.
What is the weather like in Los Altos Hills?
July highs average 80.6°F and January lows 40.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.2 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.
Does Los Altos Hills get tornadoes?
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Los Altos Hills since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on May 5, 1998. The typical California town has had 2.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)