CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.37° N · 121.82° W · GEOID 0601458

Alum Rock

Santa Clara County, California · part of the San Jose, CA metro

CaliforniaAlum Rock, CAAlum RockAlum Rock

The short answer

Alum Rock is home to 10,440 people. Median household income is $126,705 a year and median rent is $2,389 a month, 22.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $909,500, about 7.2x annual median household income.

What sets Alum Rock apart is how far household money goes. Money left after rent is $109,400, against $70,300 in its closest peers. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 0 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 655 California places we track.

18OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Alum Rock scores better than 18% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 369th of 654 in California.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%20
Economy 20%73
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%18
Education 10%33
Commute 10%33
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$2,389
75% above the median place
Median household income
$126,705
58% above the median place
Median home value
$909,500
185% above the median place
Unemployment
4.5%
9% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Alum Rock

  • Who lives here42% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 96% of the 2,199 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Alum Rock

Santa Clara County loses about 13.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in65,269
Moved out87,629
Net−22,360

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Alameda County, CA7,37311,226−3,853
San Mateo County, CA5,9635,845+118
San Francisco County, CA2,8133,924−1,111
San Joaquin County, CA1,5354,541−3,006
Contra Costa County, CA1,5403,245−1,705
San Diego County, CA1,6552,368−713

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$144K
Leavers$176K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Santa Clara County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
2.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Santa Clara County report $144,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $176,300, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$95,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,389 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,005 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $909,500.
Getting to work
28 minutes each way on average; 7.7% work from home; 2.3% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
New Cassel, NY matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
2.8%
52% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$176,301
151% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$144,228
104% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year12.8%52% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%26% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-13.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$144,228104% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$176,301151% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median home costs 7.2 years of the median household's income, more than in 94% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Alum Rock22.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$95,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.6%
11% above the median place
Home price to income
7.2x
89% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$109,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Alum Rock, $2,389 a month, and local prices for everything else (89.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Alum Rock, but easier on the budget

Places that match Alum Rock on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
New Cassel, NY7916.5% vs 22.6%$14,100Compare
North Bay Shore, NY6313.5% vs 22.6%$7,300Compare
Franklin Square, NY5817.6% vs 22.6%$2,900Compare
Baldwin, NY5515.6% vs 22.6%$7,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Alum Rock.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Alum Rock? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$909,500
185% above the median place
Median year built1
1953
1% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,005
61% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,38975% above
Rent to income122.6%11% above
Property tax rate10.7%27% below
Home price to income17.2x89% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure110.49% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$3,272103% above
HUD area median income4County figure$205,50092% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,03685% above
Median home value1$909,500185% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure-0.6%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure34.9%32% below
Homeownership170.2%6% above
Renters paying 30%+152.2%3% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,00561% above
Vacant homes18.6%21% above
Median year built119531% below
03

Work and pay

Compared with the 23 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Vincent, CA, Citrus, CA and San Fernando, CA), unemployment here is lower: 4.5% against a typical 6.6%.

Median household income1
$126,705
58% above the median place
Poverty rate1
6.2%
43% below the median place
Works from home1
7.7%
38% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Mean commute28 min +12%
Unemployment4.5% −9%
Income per person$39,114 −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$126,70558% above
Income per person1$39,1142% below
Unemployment14.5%9% below
Average annual pay6County figure$211,900221% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure7.5%103% above
Jobs6County figure1,119,582above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate16.2%43% below
Mean commute128 min12% above
Works from home17.7%38% below
Commutes by transit1County figure2.3%174% above
04

Who lives here

Households average 3.84 people, larger than than in 98% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Household size1
3.8
54% above the median place
High school or higher1
68.8%
25% below the median place
Born abroad1
41.9%
375% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.8% −4%
Bachelor's or higher24.7% −23%
Median age41.0 +5%
No health insurance6.1% −5%
All 8 people measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population110,4404028th largest
Median age141.05% above
Bachelor's or higher124.7%23% below
High school or higher168.8%25% below
Household size13.854% above
Born abroad141.9%375% above
No health insurance16.1%5% below
Homes with broadband188.8%4% below
05

Life in Alum Rock

The nearest National Park Service site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, about 33 miles away.

121 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k1.9 −80%
Grocery stores per 10k1.0 −55%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi9.2 44.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site 33 miles
  • San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park 45 miles
  • John Muir National Historic Site 46 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars25.3 +22%
Shops22.4 −26%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics24.2 +20%
Child care centers4.2 +83%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
33.4
8% above the median place
Public schools12
408
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
230,059
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure408above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure230,059above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure21.238% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure25.322% above
Shops per 10k8County figure22.426% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure24.220% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.283% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k91.980% below
Grocery stores per 10k91.055% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi99.2above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1033.48% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles108300% above
National Register listings11County figure121above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 99.8, 8% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Alum Rock. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk14
99.8
8% above the median place
Good air days15
91.5%
34% above the median place
Wildfire risk14
97.4
59% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureAlum RockAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure84°F4% below
January average low13County figure39°F56% above
Average temperature13County figure59°F7% above
Annual precipitation13County figure23.9 in45% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure99.88% above
Tornado risk14County figure55.831% below
Wildfire risk14County figure97.459% above
Heat wave risk14County figure98.69% above
Median air quality index15Metro figure399% below
Good air days15Metro figure91.5%34% above
08

Alum Rock in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Alum Rock does better than 20% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 39%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,389/mo (2024)$3,070/mo$2,520 to $3,740/mo+4.3%
Median household income$126,705 (2024)$161,500$136,500 to $191,000+4.1%
Median home value$909,500 (2024)$1,294,000$940,000 to $1,783,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 8.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Alum Rock

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
San Lorenzo, CA$2,163$112,660Compare
Lakewood, CA$2,347$119,177Compare
Ewa Beach, HI$2,522$124,323Compare
Napili-Honokowai, HI$2,220$105,565Compare
Napili-Honokowai, HIEwa Beach, HILakewood, CASan Lorenzo, CAAlum Rock, CAAlum RockLakewoodEwa BeachNapili-HonokowaiAlum RockLakewoodEwa BeachNapili-Honokowai

Places built like Alum Rock

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Alum Rock performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Alum Rock, CA22.6%7.0%/yrn/a
Vincent, CA24.7%3.2%/yrn/aCompare
Citrus, CA27.2%5.6%/yrn/aCompare
San Fernando, CA25.3%7.3%/yr-2.1%Compare
Avocado Heights, CA25.9%4.2%/yrn/aCompare
San Lorenzo, CA23.0%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
West Puente Valley, CA31.8%3.1%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Alum Rock a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 18 out of 100, better than 18% of the places we rate and 369th of 654 in California. 42% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 96% of the 2,199 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 63 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Alum Rock expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $909,500.

What salary do you need to live in Alum Rock?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $95,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Alum Rock?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are San Lorenzo, CA, Lakewood, CA, Ewa Beach, HI and Napili-Honokowai, HI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Alum Rock with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Alum Rock itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/alum-rock-california

Citytistics. “Alum Rock, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/alum-rock-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.