Santa Clara, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Santa Clara, 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 Above average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 127,362 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 6968.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.64% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.7 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 49,267 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Santa Clara grew by 20.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 127,362 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Santa Clara is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 30.1% of residents. That is 6.4 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 29,414 23.1% +1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 38,311 30.1% +6.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 23,229 18.2% -1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,782 11.6% -3.7 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 48.0% of the people living in Santa Clara and men 52.0%.
- Women 48.0% California 49.9%
- Men 52.0% California 50.1%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Santa Clara
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Santa Clara has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $179,943 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.21% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Santa Clara is about 81% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,005,517 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $3,033 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 41.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Santa Clara is about 27.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $3,033 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Santa Clara spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.7 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,390 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 25.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 25,688 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,756 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Santa Clara 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
Santa Clara has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 59.5% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.51 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Santa Clara has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Santa Clara | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 9.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 8.2% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Santa Clara, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Santa Clara, CA is the 2nd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 127,362 residents against a local median of 56,040. Nothing separates Santa Clara, CA sharply from the cities around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 8% below the local median at $1,005,517 against $1,093,873. Santa Clara, CA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, CA | 127,362 | $179,943 #3/4 | $1,005,517 #3/4 | 20.9 min #1/4 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 155,720 | $186,994 | $248,284 | 21.1 min |
| Campbell, CA | 46,259 | $139,034 | $1,814,764 | 21.9 min |
| Cupertino, CA | 56,040 | $205,362 | $1,093,873 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Santa Clara, California.
How many people live in Santa Clara, California?
About 127,362 people live in Santa Clara, California, in 49,267 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 33.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Santa Clara, California?
Averaged over its land area, Santa Clara, California has 6,969 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 81 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Santa Clara, California?
The median home costs 5.6 times the median household income ($1,005,517 against $179,943), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $3,033 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Santa Clara, California have a college degree?
59.5% of adults in Santa Clara, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 6 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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