Santa Clara County · California · West · 67k residents
Palo Alto, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Palo Alto: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,064/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare Palo Alto side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$4,064/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
82.3%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Palo Alto's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
51/100
Steady
Ranks Palo Alto's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $2,000,001 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,760/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,501/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $4,064/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 82.3% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 45.4/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $213,110 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $216,740 |
| Wage: General manager | $163,860 |
| Wage: Customer service | $60,480 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $44,970 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $70,730 |
| Wage: Electrician | $91,030 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $44,220 |
| Cost of living index | 228 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $231,101 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 67k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 79°F |
| January low | 39°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | +2.6% |
| Home price MoM | -0.3% |
| Rent YoY | +7.3% |
| Rent MoM | +0.9% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +0.3% |
| Building permits YoY | -2.7% |
| Ocean coast | 18 mi |
| Big lake | 80 mi |
| Mountains | 29 mi |
| Major airport | 13 mi |
| Ski resort | 142 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Redwood City, CA · 82k
- Mountain View, CA · 84k
- Sunnyvale, CA · 154k
- Cupertino, CA · 59k
- Union City, CA · 67k
Similar size
- Yorba Linda, CA · 67k
- Davis, CA · 67k
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- Madera, CA · 68k
- Brentwood, CA · 65k
Real listings in Palo Alto
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Palo Alto a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,064/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Palo Alto, CA?
- Palo Alto indexes at 228 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,501/mo and a acs median home value of $2,000,001.
- How much does a house cost in Palo Alto?
- The acs median home value in Palo Alto is $2,000,001 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Palo Alto?
- A two-bedroom in Palo Alto rents for about $3,501/mo.