The Town Files

Mountain View, California

City in Santa Clara County · population 82,376 (2020 Census)

Map: where Mountain View is in CaliforniaMountain View
Median home
$1,927,000
Household income
$189,917
Jan low / Jul high
42° / 77°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
4
Median age
35.5

Mountain View is a city of 82,376 people in Santa Clara County, California. The median home is worth $1,927,000, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks better for young professionals than 99% of California towns, better for cycling than 99% of California towns, better transit than 99% of California towns.

Mountain View in our rankings:

How Mountain View 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.

Mountain View lifestyle rankings vs other California townsRetirement40th pctFamilies27th pctQuiet15th pctWalkability88th pctFirst-time buyers31st pctYoung professionals99th pctVibrancy98th pctHip & trendy91st pctCollege town49th pctUpscale97th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside character86th pctCycling99th pctTransit99th pctDriving6th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Mountain View is worth $1,927,000, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 10.1 times the median household income of $189,917, which is more affordable than 9% of California towns. Median rent is $3,062 a month. 38.6% of households own their home.

Mountain View vs Santa Clara County vs typical California townMountain ViewSanta Clara CountyTypical California townHome value$1,927,000$1,490,600$596,900Household income$189,917$164,281$91,557Monthly rent$3,062$2,857$1,827
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of California towns with 500+ people.
HousingMountain ViewTypical California town
Median home value$1,927,000$596,900
Median rent$3,062$1,827
Median household income$189,917$91,557
Home value ÷ income10.1×6.4×
Homeownership38.6%67.4%
Median year built19751977
Seasonal / vacation homes0.8%—

Who lives in Mountain View

PeopleMountain ViewTypical California town
Median age35.540.2
Age 65 and over12.0%17.7%
Under 1819.9%—
Bachelor's degree or higher75.0%27.7%
Below the poverty line6.0%10.3%
Veterans2.1%—
Born outside the U.S.42.9%—
Work from home30.6%13.4%
Average commute23.3 min27.5 min
Homes with broadband96.0%93.3%

Weather in Mountain View

July highs average 76.9°F and January lows 42.4°F. About 13.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 9 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 2 nights at or below freezing.

Mountain View monthly temperatures and precipitation40°50°60°70°80°59°42°Jan62°45°Feb65°47°Mar68°49°Apr72°53°May76°56°Jun77°59°Jul77°59°Aug78°57°Sep74°53°Oct66°46°Nov59°42°DecPrecipitation (in)2.52.92.01.00.40.10.00.00.10.61.42.5
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Moffett Federal Airfield station (1.7 mi away); snow from Palo Alto (4.5 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mountain View 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 3.4 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 5, 1998.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Mountain View by decade11950s01960s01970s01980s31990s02000s02010s02020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Severe weather in Santa Clara County since 1996

Storm events in Santa Clara County since 1996 by typeHail35Heat30Flood143Wildfire10Dense Fog13High Wind112Heavy Rain13Debris Flow33
NOAA Storm Events Database, Santa Clara County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 61 deaths recorded.

Santa Clara County has been included in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
April 3, 2023Severe StormDR-4699: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
March 10, 2023FloodEM-3592: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
January 14, 2023FloodDR-4683: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
January 9, 2023FloodEM-3591: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides
August 22, 2020FireDR-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 Mountain View itself the ACS puts it at 3.7%.

Largest industries in Santa Clara CountyProfessional & technical serv…160,179 jobs · $291,081Health care & social assistan…151,414 jobs · $86,799Manufacturing122,683 jobs · $316,673Information92,985 jobs · $488,642Hotels & restaurants83,084 jobs · $39,219Retail70,920 jobs · $60,350
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Santa Clara County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023Santa Clara 3.5%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Mountain View

15 public schools with 7,193 students, about 19.0 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
Mountain View High9-122,20219.3
Isaac Newton Graham Middle6-887018.1
Crittenden Middle6-858217.6
Stevenson ElementaryK-545023.7
Amy Imai ElementaryK-539819.9
Gabriela Mistral ElementaryK-538021.1
Edith Landels ElementaryK-536320.2
Jose Antonio Vargas ElementaryK-534819.3
Springer ElementaryK-634720.4
Benjamin Bubb ElementaryK-533518.6
Theuerkauf ElementaryK-531518.5
Monta Loma ElementaryK-527416.1

Towns near Mountain View

Mountain View questions

Is Mountain View, California a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Mountain View scores better for retirees than 40% of California towns and quieter than 15%. 12.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 35.5).

How much does a house cost in Mountain View?

The median owner-occupied home in Mountain View is valued at $1,927,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $189,917, so homes cost about 10.1 times income. Median rent is $3,062 a month.

What is the weather like in Mountain View?

July highs average 76.9°F and January lows 42.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 13.4 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Mountain View get tornadoes?

4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mountain View since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on May 5, 1998. The typical California town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Mountain View's Census boundary (GEOID 0649670). Comparisons use the median of California towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-12.