Mountain View, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mountain View, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A+
Health Top grade
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A+
Income Top grade
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 81,842 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 6688.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.77% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 34,683 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mountain View grew by 19.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 81,842 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mountain View is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 31.5% of residents. That is 7.8 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,633 20.3% -1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 25,751 31.5% +7.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,781 18.1% -1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,540 11.7% -3.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.5% of the people living in Mountain View and men 51.5%.
- Women 48.5% California 49.9%
- Men 51.5% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in Mountain View
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Economy
Mountain View has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $193,154 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.17% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mountain View is about 95% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $2,085,161 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $3,067 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 39.0% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mountain View is about 56.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $3,067 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mountain View spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 179 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.5 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.0 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 179 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,553 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 30.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,091 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,414 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Mountain View is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Mountain View has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 71.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Mountain View has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Mountain View | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 83.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 8.5% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 7.5% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Mountain View, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Mountain View, CA is the 2nd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 81,842 residents against a local median of 68,352. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest cities, which makes Mountain View, CA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 14% above the local median at $2,085,161 against $1,821,410. Mountain View, CA has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View, CA | 81,842 | $193,154 #3/4 | $2,085,161 #1/4 | 21.5 min #3/4 |
| Los Altos, CA | 30,560 | $211,028 | $1,821,410 | 21.7 min |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 155,720 | $186,994 | $248,284 | 21.1 min |
| Palo Alto, CA | 68,352 | $203,799 | $2,034,923 | 20.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mountain View, California.
How many people live in Mountain View, California?
About 81,842 people live in Mountain View, California, in 34,683 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 36.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Mountain View, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mountain View, California has 6,689 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 77 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Mountain View, California?
The median home costs 10.8 times the median household income ($2,085,161 against $193,154), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $3,067 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Mountain View, California?
Unemployment in Mountain View, California is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Mountain View, California have a college degree?
71.1% of adults in Mountain View, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 7 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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