Best places to live in California

The 62 California cities and towns of 20,000+ where people are moving in, ranked on growth, commute times and cost, using Census data. Looking for the lowest prices instead? See the cheapest places to live in California.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

Lathrop#1 pickScore 72 of 100
LathropFastest growing+48.9% since 2020
San Luis ObispoShortest commute16.1 min average

The top 3 in California

#1Score 72
Lathrop
Growth
+48.9%
Home value
$643,600
Commute
45 min
#2Score 55
Lincoln
Growth
+15.3%
Home value
$651,000
Commute
30 min
#3Score 55
San Luis Obispo
Growth
+7.5%
Home value
$935,100
Commute
16 min

The 10 best places to live in California

Score out of 100. Values and rents are Census medians for each city or town.

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	Lathrop	72	$643,600	$2,570	45.2 min	+48.9%
2	Lincoln	55	$651,000	$2,090	29.8 min	+15.3%
3	San Luis Obispo	55	$935,100	$1,965	16.1 min	+7.5%
4	Roseville	54	$661,400	$2,142	27.3 min	+13.2%
5	Folsom	54	$755,200	$2,352	26.6 min	+14.3%
6	Dixon	53	$604,800	$1,859	26.7 min	+8.8%
7	Loma Linda	52	$596,900	$1,855	19.6 min	+1.7%
8	Palm Springs	51	$604,000	$1,562	22.2 min	+1.7%
9	Manteca	50	$589,900	$2,065	37.6 min	+15.7%
10	Rocklin	49	$703,400	$2,258	26.1 min	+7.3%

Every California city and town we ranked

See all 62, with scores

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020	Population 2025
1	Lathrop	72	$643,600	$2,570	45.2 min	+48.9%	42,783
2	Lincoln	55	$651,000	$2,090	29.8 min	+15.3%	57,367
3	San Luis Obispo	55	$935,100	$1,965	16.1 min	+7.5%	50,636
4	Roseville	54	$661,400	$2,142	27.3 min	+13.2%	167,302
5	Folsom	54	$755,200	$2,352	26.6 min	+14.3%	91,983
6	Dixon	53	$604,800	$1,859	26.7 min	+8.8%	21,116
7	Loma Linda	52	$596,900	$1,855	19.6 min	+1.7%	25,221
8	Palm Springs	51	$604,000	$1,562	22.2 min	+1.7%	45,315
9	Manteca	50	$589,900	$2,065	37.6 min	+15.7%	96,693
10	Rocklin	49	$703,400	$2,258	26.1 min	+7.3%	76,821
11	La Quinta	49	$661,600	$1,785	25.6 min	+4.5%	39,440
12	Stanton	48	$579,300	$1,997	29.0 min	+5.8%	40,161
13	Santa Paula	48	$611,200	$1,736	27.5 min	+3.6%	31,774
14	Ontario	47	$607,600	$2,030	31.5 min	+6.7%	187,013
15	Redlands	47	$618,900	$2,005	24.9 min	+1.3%	74,128
16	Fontana	46	$586,800	$1,839	33.4 min	+6.1%	221,223
17	Marina	46	$818,700	$2,101	24.1 min	+4.0%	23,256
18	Santa Ana	45	$713,000	$2,082	24.5 min	+1.6%	315,586
19	Santa Rosa	45	$713,900	$2,152	22.9 min	+0.8%	179,437
20	Hollister	45	$717,500	$1,914	36.6 min	+9.7%	45,695
21	Riverside	44	$584,800	$1,914	31.3 min	+2.4%	323,057
22	Elk Grove	44	$630,100	$2,262	30.8 min	+5.0%	185,007
23	Jurupa Valley	44	$574,600	$1,741	31.7 min	+2.2%	107,311
24	Paso Robles	44	$687,200	$1,981	25.6 min	+0.4%	31,626
25	Vacaville	43	$620,900	$2,299	28.2 min	+1.4%	103,850
26	Oakley	43	$660,200	$1,953	40.3 min	+9.8%	47,583
27	Rohnert Park	43	$666,300	$2,279	26.7 min	+0.9%	44,811
28	Duarte	43	$779,400	$2,105	30.3 min	+5.2%	22,866
29	San Diego	42	$906,700	$2,313	23.5 min	+1.6%	1,406,106
30	Fairfield	42	$624,300	$2,266	30.7 min	+2.1%	122,489
31	Chino	42	$683,400	$2,336	33.1 min	+5.6%	96,957
32	Placentia	42	$921,000	$2,388	26.6 min	+4.2%	54,911
33	Lemon Grove	42	$705,400	$1,893	29.2 min	+0.5%	27,936
34	American Canyon	42	$692,600	$2,537	29.7 min	+4.3%	22,773
35	Corona	39	$700,700	$2,228	34.3 min	+2.9%	161,734
36	San Marcos	39	$868,000	$2,348	26.5 min	+0.1%	94,908
37	Upland	39	$739,400	$2,029	31.1 min	+0.5%	79,446
38	Lake Elsinore	39	$566,000	$2,078	42.9 min	+6.9%	75,067
39	Rancho Cucamonga	38	$740,200	$2,357	32.3 min	+1.9%	177,856
40	Temecula	38	$679,700	$2,347	36.3 min	+4.4%	114,865
41	Poway	38	$1,034,800	$2,301	25.3 min	+0.7%	49,180
42	Monrovia	38	$909,400	$2,114	30.1 min	+0.9%	38,264
43	Tracy	37	$699,000	$2,478	42.5 min	+9.4%	101,901
44	Lake Forest	37	$937,000	$2,672	25.5 min	+0.5%	86,333
45	Irvine	36	$1,191,500	$2,997	24.7 min	+3.6%	318,764
46	Murrieta	36	$639,800	$2,388	37.4 min	+2.8%	114,124
47	Pittsburg	36	$597,900	$2,264	38.0 min	+1.5%	77,542
48	Antioch	34	$629,700	$2,278	42.0 min	+3.2%	118,958
49	Gilroy	34	$1,027,400	$2,301	33.3 min	+2.0%	60,764
50	Santa Clara	32	$1,582,600	$3,016	22.6 min	+4.3%	133,446
51	Newark	31	$1,142,800	$2,776	30.6 min	+0.8%	47,895
52	Brentwood	30	$836,600	$2,758	40.0 min	+3.6%	66,607
53	Hercules	30	$769,400	$2,991	37.6 min	+1.2%	26,326
54	El Cerrito	30	$1,124,400	$2,548	33.3 min	+0.5%	26,121
55	Morgan Hill	29	$1,210,200	$2,474	33.5 min	+0.4%	45,625
56	Coronado	29	$2,000,000+	$3,257	18.1 min	+4.4%	21,094
57	Eastvale	28	$831,900	$3,252	37.1 min	+1.2%	70,594
58	Mountain View	26	$1,927,000	$3,062	23.3 min	+3.5%	85,438
59	Sunnyvale	25	$1,801,800	$3,039	23.0 min	+0.6%	156,577
60	Belmont	20	$2,000,000+	$2,875	28.5 min	+1.5%	28,752
61	Burlingame	19	$2,000,000+	$2,785	30.7 min	+1.7%	31,929
62	Mountain House	18	$946,900	$3,500+	49.6 min	+3.2%	25,315

How we ranked them

This list is about where people are moving. Each growing place is scored against the others in the state on four Census measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($555,150 in California). Of 299 places, 180 lost population and 57 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in California page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.

Weight	Measure
45%	Population growth, 2020 to 2025
25%	Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work)
20%	Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes)
10%	Lower rent (median gross rent)

Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.

Statewide, California has a top income tax rate of 13.30%, an effective property tax rate of 0.72% and a combined sales tax of 8.99%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.

Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks cities on your own priorities.

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in California?

On our ranking of the 62 growing California cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Lathrop, followed by Lincoln and San Luis Obispo. Lathrop has a median home value of $643,600, median rent of $2,570, an average commute of 45.2 min and grew +48.9% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).

What is the fastest-growing city in California?

Of the places we rank, Lathrop, up +48.9% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).

Where in California are commutes shortest?

San Luis Obispo, where the average trip to work takes 16.1 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Why isn't the cheapest town in California on this list?

This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in California page.

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