Should I Move To
Palo Alto, California comes in at about 67,901 residents. Cost of living comes out very expensive — 55% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $3,169/mo, and the median household income is about $214,118. Overall, 35/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #897 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 155 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very expensive territory. With median rent at $3,169/mo and median household income at $214,118, housing takes about 18% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $2,000,001.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect mild weather — summers near 80°F, winters around 42°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 13 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Air quality reads good (AQI 49).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Palo Alto is a tougher sell for families. It earns 39/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on education (100/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
Palo Alto is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 20/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (100/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
Palo Alto is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 17/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (100/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
Palo Alto is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 43/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (100/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
Palo Alto, California pulls a 35/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #897 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Palo Alto's cost-of-living index is 155 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very expensive band — 55% above the national average. Median rent runs about $3,169/mo.
Mild — summer averages around 80°F, winter averages around 42°F, with about 13 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 16/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Palo Alto has about 67,901 residents, 82% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 42.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Palo Alto head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Palo Alto stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Palo Alto with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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