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23 Safest and Richest California Cities To Live in 2025
Written by
Heather Taylor
Edited by
Chris Cluff

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High-net-worth individuals might want to consider relocating to one of these 23 California cities considered to be among the safest and richest in the nation.
This data was provided via a 2025 GOBankingRates original study ranking America’s safest and richest cities to live in. We found these cities by identifying the top 1,000 cities with the highest average income and collecting additional data, such as the average home value, cost of living and property and violent crime rates. From the total list of 100 cities, 23 are based in California.
Keep reading to see which California cities made the list — and check out the 50 safest and richest U.S. cities to live in this year.
Mill Valley
- Average household income: $308,154
- Average home value: $2,111,866
- Total cost of living annually: $176,163
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 7.983
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.503
Lafayette
- Average household income: $319,744
- Average home value: $1,945,074
- Total cost of living annually: $165,358
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.459
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.804
Ross
- Average household income: $443,802
- Average home value: $3,688,053
- Total cost of living annually: $287,093
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 13.164
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.316
San Ramon
- Average household income: $235,524
- Average home value: $1,739,127
- Total cost of living annually: $151,253
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 9.390
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.413
Cupertino
- Average household income: $295,739
- Average home value: $3,251,193
- Total cost of living annually: $256,938
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.196
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.040
Kensington
- Average household income: $258,725
- Average home value: $1,487,688
- Total cost of living annually: $133,769
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 20.327
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.598
Los Altos
- Average household income: $403,512
- Average home value: $4,503,419
- Total cost of living annually: $344,681
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.376
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.901
Dublin
- Average household income: $237,655
- Average home value: $1,474,748
- Total cost of living annually: $132,533
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 16.956
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.490
Saratoga
- Average household income: $344,319
- Average home value: $4,091,202
- Total cost of living annually: $316,331
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.157
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.612
Los Gatos
- Average household income: $317,745
- Average home value: $2,748,787
- Total cost of living annually: $222,586
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.083
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.411
Pleasanton
- Average household income: $238,593
- Average home value: $1,719,032
- Total cost of living annually: $149,197
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.857
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.223
Belmont
- Average household income: $258,184
- Average home value: $2,354,466
- Total cost of living annually: $195,182
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.849
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.110
Livermore
- Average household income: $193,500
- Average home value: $1,191,837
- Total cost of living annually: $111,880
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.349
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.297
Menlo Park
- Average household income: $339,415
- Average home value: $2,941,856
- Total cost of living annually: $235,615
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.609
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.497
Morgan Hill
- Average household income: $199,024
- Average home value: $1,408,718
- Total cost of living annually: $128,900
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.980
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.482
Sunnyvale
- Average household income: $245,990
- Average home value: $2,374,138
- Total cost of living annually: $194,940
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.207
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.480
South Pasadena
- Average household income: $189,883
- Average home value: $1,801,768
- Total cost of living annually: $154,559
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 27.992
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.498
Fremont
- Average household income: $213,704
- Average home value: $1,670,291
- Total cost of living annually: $145,420
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.608
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.156
Mountain View
- Average household income: $248,416
- Average home value: $2,469,719
- Total cost of living annually: $201,733
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.439
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.538
Palo Alto
- Average household income: $308,837
- Average home value: $3,781,549
- Total cost of living annually: $293,985
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 28.047
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.082
Burlingame
- Average household income: $237,106
- Average home value: $2,804,966
- Total cost of living annually: $226,626
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 26.507
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.118
Milpitas
- Average household income: $208,941
- Average home value: $1,618,276
- Total cost of living annually: $142,649
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 33.863
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 3.213
Campbell
- Average household income: $206,906
- Average home value: $2,040,342
- Total cost of living annually: $172,398
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 26.556
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 3.539
Discover more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center.
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: Using the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the 1,000 cities with the highest household mean income were identified. Total population, population ages 65 and up, total households, household median income and household mean income were sourced from the Survey. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for May 2025. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and national average expenditure costs for all households were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Using data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer, the number of property crimes and violent crimes reported were sourced for each location. The property crime rate per 1,000 residents and the violent crime rate per 1,000 residents were both calculated. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and any location with a livability index below 80 was removed for this study as it represents a location with a lower quality of life. The total average cost of living was scored and weighted at 1.00, the property crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the violent crime rate per 1,000 residents was scored and weighted at 1.00, the household mean income was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Aug. 4, 2025.
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