These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In California

Top 10 Most Successful Cities in California (2026)

Success can be defined in many ways. Is it measured by the money in your bank account, the thrill of delivering a compelling presentation, or even a clever bar joke? Or is it a more profound concept—something subjective, immeasurable, and difficult to articulate?

Here at Zippia, we prefer to quantify success through measurable metrics. Utilizing data analysis, we’ve identified the 10 most successful cities in California as of 2026. Here’s our list:

Disagree with our selection? Stick around; there’s a methodology behind our rankings.

For more insights on California, check out:

How We Determined the Most Successful Cities in California

When considering success, financial prosperity often comes to mind. However, we believe that true success encompasses more than just wealth. To identify the most successful cities, we analyzed various criteria from the most recent data sources.

1. Palos Verdes Estates

Palos Verdes Estates, California

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 13,568 Median Income: $171,328
Poverty Level: 3.4%
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%

2. Orinda

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 18,390 Median Income: $166,866
Poverty Level: 1.4%
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%

3. Mill Valley

Population: 14,178 Median Income: $132,192
Poverty Level: 2.7%
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

4. Woodside

Population: 5,427 Median Income: $206,528
Poverty Level: 4.0%
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

5. La Canada Flintridge

Population: 20,477 Median Income: $151,786
Poverty Level: 2.0%
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%

6. Los Altos

Population: 29,762 Median Income: $157,500
Poverty Level: 2.8%
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%

7. Rolling Hills Estates

Rolling Hills Estates, California

Population: 8,184 Median Income: $136,477
Poverty Level: 4.1%
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

8. Manhattan Beach

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 35,534 Median Income: $142,071
Poverty Level: 3.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%

9. Hillsborough

Population: 11,148 Median Income: $250,001
Poverty Level: 3.5%
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%

10. Saratoga

Population: 30,627 Median Income: $167,917
Poverty Level: 3.2%
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%

Measuring Success

If you’re questioning the validity of our criteria for measuring success, you’re not alone. It’s true that quantifying a city’s or its residents’ success can be complex.

However, we believe our analytical approach provides valuable insights. Congratulations to Palos Verdes Estates and the other top cities for their achievements. For those not included in our list, there’s always next year!

Detailed List of the Most Successful Cities in California

Rank	City	Median Income	Poverty Rate	Unemployment Rate
1	Palos Verdes Estates	$171,328	3.4%	2.1%
2	Orinda	$166,866	1.4%	4.9%
3	Mill Valley	$132,192	2.7%	4.1%
4	Woodside	$206,528	4.0%	3.4%
5	La Canada Flintridge	$151,786	2.0%	5.7%
6	Los Altos	$157,500	2.8%	5.5%
7	Rolling Hills Estates	$136,477	4.1%	3.7%
8	Manhattan Beach	$142,071	3.6%	5.1%
9	Hillsborough	$250,001	3.5%	5.8%
10	Saratoga	$167,917	3.2%	6.3%
11	Los Altos Hills	$224,271	5.4%	4.8%
12	Corte Madera	$113,279	3.8%	4.5%
13	La Habra Heights	$111,250	3.9%	3.4%
14	Rancho Palos Verdes	$120,697	4.3%	4.7%
15	Rancho Santa Margarita	$104,952	2.8%	5.0%
16	Dublin	$114,699	3.5%	5.3%
17	Danville	$140,616	3.6%	6.4%
18	San Ramon	$129,062	3.6%	6.0%
19	Los Gatos	$122,860	4.6%	5.6%
20	Atherton	$250,001	4.7%	6.7%
21	Foster City	$114,651	3.5%	6.6%
22	Piedmont	$212,222	7.3%	4.6%
23	Palo Alto	$126,771	5.4%	5.7%
24	Pleasanton	$123,608	3.8%	7.1%
25	Hermosa Beach	$105,029	5.4%	4.8%
26	Tiburon	$130,661	3.9%	7.2%
27	Lafayette	$138,073	6.3%	5.9%
28	San Carlos	$125,747	4.3%	7.5%
29	Cupertino	$134,872	4.2%	7.9%
30	Yorba Linda	$115,994	2.8%	8.0%
31	Hercules	$100,267	6.2%	5.7%
32	Half Moon Bay	$103,239	1.8%	7.7%
33	Menlo Park	$115,650	7.1%	5.9%
34	Redondo Beach	$103,064	5.3%	6.9%
35	Aliso Viejo	$102,325	4.7%	7.4%
36	Moraga	$132,651	4.7%	8.1%
37	Scotts Valley	$102,927	4.9%	7.3%
38	Millbrae	$91,846	4.8%	6.8%
39	Belmont	$106,287	5.6%	7.2%
40	Villa Park	$150,864	1.6%	8.9%
41	Pacifica	$96,875	5.5%	6.6%
42	Livermore	$99,683	5.8%	6.7%
43	San Marino	$119,300	8.5%	5.6%
44	Loomis	$82,813	3.1%	7.1%
45	Burlingame	$90,890	6.9%	5.0%
46	Poway	$96,315	5.8%	6.8%
47	Cerritos	$91,487	3.9%	7.5%
48	Coronado	$90,876	6.8%	5.7%
49	Lake Forest	$92,781	6.8%	6.4%
50	Campbell	$91,269	7.0%	6.1%
51	Folsom	$100,163	4.3%	8.1%
52	Fremont	$103,591	6.0%	7.6%
53	Sierra Madre	$90,780	7.7%	5.1%
54	Calabasas	$117,176	8.2%	6.9%
55	Clayton	$131,136	3.5%	9.3%
56	Cypress	$83,819	6.6%	5.7%
57	Mission Viejo	$98,157	5.2%	7.7%
58	Westlake Village	$115,550	4.9%	8.6%
59	Walnut	$100,934	6.5%	7.5%
60	Agoura Hills	$107,268	5.0%	8.3%
61	El Segundo	$84,004	7.2%	6.3%
62	Mountain View	$100,028	7.6%	7.2%
63	Moorpark	$99,353	6.5%	7.6%
64	Laguna Beach	$97,881	7.6%	7.1%
65	Camarillo	$87,120	5.0%	7.7%
66	Newport Beach	$107,991	8.8%	7.2%
67	Redwood City	$81,955	7.3%	6.6%
68	Newark	$86,521	6.7%	7.4%
69	San Mateo	$90,087	7.3%	7.4%
70	Walnut Creek	$80,399	6.5%	7.1%
71	Sausalito	$111,702	5.7%	9.0%
72	Diamond Bar	$90,901	6.3%	8.0%
73	Laguna Niguel	$98,957	6.7%	8.1%
74	Fairfax	$93,354	10.1%	5.1%
75	Benicia	$89,094	5.8%	8.1%
76	Laguna Hills	$91,460	5.5%	8.5%
77	Sunnyvale	$103,257	8.1%	7.8%
78	Simi Valley	$89,595	6.0%	8.2%
79	San Bruno	$81,420	5.7%	7.8%
80	San Anselmo	$100,681	7.8%	8.0%
81	Windsor	$81,442	4.3%	8.7%
82	San Clemente	$91,749	8.8%	7.5%
83	Martinez	$85,736	6.1%	8.5%
84	Milpitas	$99,072	6.8%	8.7%
85	Santa Clara	$93,840	9.1%	7.6%
86	Arcadia	$80,147	9.2%	6.3%
87	Brentwood	$88,697	6.0%	8.8%
88	Larkspur	$82,568	4.5%	9.1%
89	South San Francisco	$78,101	6.3%	7.9%
90	South Pasadena	$80,479	8.5%	7.3%
91	La Mirada	$81,178	6.4%	8.4%
92	Torrance	$78,286	6.5%	8.1%
93	Fountain Valley	$82,532	7.1%	8.3%
94	Goleta	$75,766	9.3%	6.0%
95	Los Alamitos	$82,258	7.4%	8.2%
96	Solana Beach	$90,579	7.0%	9.1%
97	Encinitas	$92,564	9.8%	7.7%
98	Sonoma	$66,951	5.7%	7.7%
99	Eastvale	$109,783	4.6%	11.5%
100	Novato	$76,609	8.7%	7.4%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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