Cupertino Lands Near Top Livability Rankings

Cupertino ranked No. 3 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 list of California’s best places to live, tied on score with the top three cities. (usnews.com) (cupertino.gov) U.S. News gave Folsom, Palo Alto, and Cupertino each a 6.1 overall score, but listed Cupertino third behind the other two cities. The ranking covers 161 California places. (usnews.com) (cupertino.gov) The same U.S. News list puts Cupertino’s median home value at $2,526,599, median monthly rent at $3,295, and median household income at $238,532. Population is listed at 59,484, with an average commute of 23 minutes. (usnews.com) That combination helps explain the result: Cupertino scores as highly livable even while remaining one of the state’s most expensive housing markets. The city said the ranking reflects quality of life, a strong job market, and excellent schools. (cupertino.gov) (usnews.com) Other rankings point in the same direction, though with different methods. Niche places Cupertino No. 39 among California’s best suburbs to live in and No. 126 among suburbs with the best public schools in the state. (niche.com) The affordability gap has widened in recent months. Redfin said Cupertino’s median sale price reached $3,359,000 in March 2026, up 16.2% from a year earlier, with homes selling in about nine days. (redfin.com) U.S. News uses a broader livability formula than a simple cost ranking, weighing value, desirability, job market strength, and quality of life. In Cupertino, that means schools and income can offset housing costs that would drag down a cheaper city less dependent on the Bay Area tech economy. (usnews.com) The result is a familiar Silicon Valley tradeoff: Cupertino keeps landing near the top of livability lists, and the price of getting in keeps rising with it. (usnews.com) (redfin.com)