CensusEasy
CITY

Palo Alto

California · 67,609 residents (2025 est.) · 24.051 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the San Jose metro area
Compare
Notable rankings
#21Most expensive homesof 6,786$2,000,001#58Most educatedof 6,82682.3%#88Highest median household incomeof 6,818$231,101#92Highest median rentof 6,764$3,484
The short version

Palo Alto is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $231,101. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 82% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $2,000,001. Poverty is rare here, at 6.0% of residents. It ranks in the top 1% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
82% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 41%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
67,237
+15%since 2000
from 58,598 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,796 / sq mi
+16%since 2009
from 2,409 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
43.6
+8%since 2000
from 40.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:67,609 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
55K58K62K66K70K1990201020202024Palo Alto
202467K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.8%(3,221)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(3,818)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.9%(4,658)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(4,347)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.9%(2,606)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.8%(7,255)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.1%(8,794)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.8%(9,979)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.7%(9,190)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.9%(5,958)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.5%(4,377)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over4.5%(3,034)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$231,101
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,377 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$123,939
+120%since 2000
from $56,257 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
80.7%
+12.4 ptssince 2009
from 68.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
6.0%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 4.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.492
+1%since 2010
from 0.489 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11%
US avg: 9.9%
Arts, entertainment, food8.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Information3.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance2.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade1.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$2,000,001
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $776,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$3,484
+42%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,349 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
54.6%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 57.2% in 2000
45.4% rent
Vacancy rate
11.0%
+6.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
23.2%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 27.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.0%
+4.6 ptssince 2009
from 37.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.7
+3%since 2009
from 8.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
66
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Palo Alto on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic72.8%(42,682)
Black2%(1,166)
Hispanic / Latino4.6%(2,722)
Asian17.2%(10,056)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic45%(30,262)
Black1.8%(1,201)
Hispanic / Latino7.9%(5,280)
Asian38.1%(25,620)
Other7.2%(4,874)
Diversity Score
80
+25%since 2009
from 64 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.4%(2,264)
South American1.8%(1,195)
Guatemalan0.9%(611)
Peruvian0.7%(476)
Spaniard0.5%(335)
Argentine0.4%(241)
Venezuelan0.3%(231)
Colombian0.3%(170)
Cuban0.2%(156)
Salvadoran0.2%(115)
Puerto Rican0.1%(69)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(56)
Dominican0%(27)
Asian origin
Chinese20.2%(13,567)
Asian Indian7%(4,680)
Korean3.5%(2,370)
Japanese1.9%(1,299)
Taiwanese1.5%(982)
Filipino0.7%(465)
Pakistani0.6%(423)
Vietnamese0.6%(418)
Laotian0.1%(91)
Cambodian0.1%(90)
Thai0.1%(88)
Malaysian0.1%(86)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Singaporean0.1%(69)
Kazakh0.1%(62)
Indonesian0.1%(61)
Hmong0.1%(45)
Sri Lankan0.1%(43)
Uzbek0%(17)
Nepalese0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(90)
Tongan0.1%(40)
Chamorro0.1%(34)
Ancestry
English9.3%(6,271)
German8.7%(5,843)
Irish6%(4,008)
Italian3.5%(2,343)
American2.7%(1,839)
French2.2%(1,480)
Russian2.2%(1,449)
Polish1.9%(1,299)
Norwegian1.8%(1,231)
Scottish1.8%(1,204)
Swedish1.7%(1,157)
Arab1.4%(908)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Iranian1%(688)
British1%(683)
Ukrainian1%(643)
Swiss0.9%(606)
Turkish0.7%(481)
Dutch0.5%(355)
Austrian0.5%(349)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(345)
Greek0.5%(341)
Danish0.5%(322)
Portuguese0.4%(270)
Hungarian0.4%(255)
Czech0.4%(241)
Iraqi0.4%(240)
Welsh0.4%(237)
Slovak0.3%(221)
Brazilian0.3%(189)
Canadian0.3%(187)
Romanian0.3%(182)
Lithuanian0.3%(176)
Lebanese0.2%(162)
Belgian0.2%(144)
Serbian0.2%(114)
Armenian0.2%(103)
Egyptian0.1%(99)
West Indian0.1%(99)
Israeli0.1%(98)
Croatian0.1%(96)
Bulgarian0.1%(78)
Palestinian0.1%(63)
Australian0.1%(58)
Finnish0.1%(56)
Syrian0.1%(49)
Jamaican0.1%(47)
Latvian0.1%(34)
Ethiopian0.1%(34)
Moroccan0%(33)
Jordanian0%(32)
Slovene0%(32)
Somali0%(18)
Ghanaian0%(16)
Haitian0%(13)
Nigerian0%(12)
RANKED:Largest Chinese population · Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Asian Indian population · Largest Irish population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
82.3%
+7.9 ptssince 2000
from 74.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 96.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
55.0%
+11.9 ptssince 2000
from 43.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.4 min
+59%since 2000
from 13.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
44.2%
−24.7 ptssince 2009
from 68.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
4.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.0%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
35.4%
+27.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
7.9%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 7.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.5%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.9%
−1.2 ptssince 2011
from 5.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2011
from 64.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
13.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
80.5%
−7.2 ptssince 2009
from 87.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
Female
51.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
Foreign born
37.0%
+6.8 ptssince 2009
from 30.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.2%
−47.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2012
from 7.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.9%
−92.7 ptssince 2013
from 94.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
96.1%
+4.8 ptssince 2017
from 91.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
57.7%
−1.9 ptssince 2016
from 59.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.5%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 5.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.5%(8,526)
Married62.1%(16,824)
Widowed2.1%(571)
Divorced4.4%(1,182)
Women 15+
Never married23.8%(6,772)
Married57.8%(16,442)
Widowed9.6%(2,738)
Divorced8.7%(2,485)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Palo Alto

Alpharetta
Pop 66,921
Johns Creek
Pop 80,401
Weston
Pop 69,588
Parkland
Pop 39,186
Places similar to Palo Alto
Head to head

Compare Palo Alto to nearby cities

PALO ALTO VS
Los Altos Hills
Income$250,001+8%
Home value$2,000,001same
Population8,419−88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PALO ALTO VS
Stanford
Income$75,208−67%
Home value$2,000,001same
Population18,662−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PALO ALTO VS
Los Altos
Income$250,001+8%
Home value$2,000,001same
Population30,965−54%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PALO ALTO VS
Mountain View
Income$189,917−18%
Home value$1,927,000−4%
Population85,438+26%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Palo Alto, California?

Palo Alto, California has about 67,237 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Palo Alto, California?

The typical household in Palo Alto, California earns about $231,101 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Palo Alto, California expensive?

In Palo Alto, California, the median home is worth about $2,000,001, and the typical rent is about $3,484 a month.

How educated are people in Palo Alto, California?

About 82.3% of adults age 25 and over in Palo Alto, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Palo Alto, California?

About 6.0% of people in Palo Alto, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Palo Alto, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Palo Alto, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 11,337 residents, a change of about 20 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
California
Rankings
Highest income citiesFastest growing citiesMost educated cities
Compare
Compare Palo Alto with another place

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →