The Town FilesStanford, California
Community in Santa Clara County · population 21,150 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $2,000,001
- Household income
- $75,208
- Jan low / Jul high
- 39° / 79°
- Snow a year
- 0 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 4
- Median age
- 22.0
Stanford is a community of 21,150 people in Santa Clara County, California. The median home is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks better for cycling than 100% of California towns, better for young professionals than 99% of California towns, more of a college town than 99% of California towns.
How Stanford 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 Stanford is worth $2,000,001, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 26.6 times the median household income of $75,208, which is more affordable than 0% of California towns. Median rent is $1,976 a month. 26.8% of households own their home.
| Housing | Stanford | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $2,000,001 | $596,900 |
| Median rent | $1,976 | $1,827 |
| Median household income | $75,208 | $91,557 |
| Home value ÷ income | 26.6× | 6.4× |
| Homeownership | 26.8% | 67.4% |
| Median year built | 1982 | 1977 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 2.0% | — |
Who lives in Stanford
| People | Stanford | Typical California town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 22.0 | 40.2 |
| Age 65 and over | 3.7% | 17.7% |
| Under 18 | 5.0% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 92.3% | 27.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 15.9% | 10.3% |
| Veterans | 0.6% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 26.1% | — |
| Work from home | 20.9% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 14.6 min | 27.5 min |
| Homes with broadband | 63.6% | 93.3% |
Weather in Stanford
July highs average 79.4°F and January lows 39.0°F. About 15.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 14 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Stanford 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 8.5 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 Stanford itself the ACS puts it at 8.1%.
Public schools in Stanford
2 public schools with 814 students, about 19.4 students per teacher.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escondido Elementary | K-5 | 460 | 19.2 |
| Lucille M. Nixon Elementary | K-5 | 354 | 19.7 |
Towns near Stanford
- West Menlo Park, CA2.0 mi · 3,930 people · home $2,000,001
- Palo Alto, CA2.5 mi · 68,572 people · home $2,000,001
- Atherton, CA2.8 mi · 7,188 people · home $2,000,001
- East Palo Alto, CA3.4 mi · 30,034 people · home $1,102,600
- Menlo Park, CA3.8 mi · 33,780 people · home $2,000,001
- North Fair Oaks, CA3.9 mi · 14,027 people · home $1,276,900
- Los Altos Hills, CA4.5 mi · 8,489 people · home $2,000,001
- Woodside, CA5.0 mi · 5,309 people · home $2,000,001
Stanford questions
Is Stanford, California a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Stanford scores better for retirees than 20% of California towns and quieter than 7%. 3.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 22.0).
How much does a house cost in Stanford?
The median owner-occupied home in Stanford is valued at $2,000,001 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $75,208, so homes cost about 26.6 times income. Median rent is $1,976 a month.
What is the weather like in Stanford?
July highs average 79.4°F and January lows 39.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 15.1 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.
Does Stanford get tornadoes?
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Stanford 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)