The 10 Snobbiest Places In California For 2024


The Snobbiest places in California are Los Altos Hills and Atherton for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

There are all types when it comes to being a snob in California. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobsas in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).

How can we tell which California cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.

We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in California. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.

After analyzing 411 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of California.

The Californian in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Snobbiest Cities In California Map

Don’t freak out.

What’s the snobbiest place in California? The snobbiest place in California is Los Altos Hills based on the data. If we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.

The most laid back? That would be Calipatria.

We’re not so full of ourselves as to make this ranking up from nowhere. So here’s a look at the top ten and more on how we did it. And if you’re curious, California is the 8th snobbiest in the United States.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Snobbiest Places In California For 2024

Los Altos Hills, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 8,441
% Highly Educated: 87.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $5,525,121
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10
Population: 7,124
% Highly Educated: 86.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $7,732,900
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Los Altos, CA

Source: Wikipedia User User:Kelly | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 31,133
% Highly Educated: 87.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $4,060,663
More on Los Altos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Hillsborough, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Sanfranman59 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 11,258
% Highly Educated: 83.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $5,101,758
More on Hillsborough: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Saratoga, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 30,771
% Highly Educated: 80.0%
Median Income: $237,730
Median Home Price: $3,602,379
More on Saratoga: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Piedmont, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Sam Pullara | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10
Population: 11,161
% Highly Educated: 85.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $2,521,288
More on Piedmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Woodside, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Users Jawed, Jawed on en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10
Population: 5,256
% Highly Educated: 76.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $3,633,237
More on Woodside: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Palo Alto, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10
Population: 67,901
% Highly Educated: 83.0%
Median Income: $214,118
Median Home Price: $3,220,174
More on Palo Alto: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cupertino, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 59,763
% Highly Educated: 83.0%
Median Income: $223,667
Median Home Price: $2,701,204
More on Cupertino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC SA 1.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 13,219
% Highly Educated: 79.0%
Median Income: $224,766
Median Home Price: $2,717,769
More on Palos Verdes Estates: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Golden State

Do you think wed just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.

We gathered up all of the places in California with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 411 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, its not a word. English snob.):

  • Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
  • Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
  • Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)

Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.

Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:

  • Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)

From there, we ranked each of our 411 places in each category with scores from one to 411. We then averaged each places ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in California. So lets all flip a table in honor of Los Altos Hills (with our pinkies up, of course.)

Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, lets remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.

And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.

There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse

When it comes to snobbery, these places in California are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The snobbiest cities in California are Los Altos Hills, Atherton, Los Altos, Hillsborough, Saratoga, Piedmont, Woodside, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Palos Verdes Estates.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the most laid back places in California, according to science:

  1. Calipatria
  2. Huron
  3. Mcfarland

For more California reading, check out:

Table: The Snobbiest Cities In California For 2024

Rank City Population Median Income Average Home Prices Adult Highly Educated
1 Los Altos Hills, CA 8,441 $250,001 $5,525,121 87.0%
2 Atherton, CA 7,124 $250,001 $7,732,900 86.0%
3 Los Altos, CA 31,133 $250,001 $4,060,663 87.0%
4 Hillsborough, CA 11,258 $250,001 $5,101,758 83.0%
5 Saratoga, CA 30,771 $237,730 $3,602,379 80.0%
6 Piedmont, CA 11,161 $250,001 $2,521,288 85.0%
7 Woodside, CA 5,256 $250,001 $3,633,237 76.0%
8 Palo Alto, CA 67,901 $214,118 $3,220,174 83.0%
9 Cupertino, CA 59,763 $223,667 $2,701,204 83.0%
10 Palos Verdes Estates, CA 13,219 $224,766 $2,717,769 79.0%
11 Orinda, CA 19,477 $250,001 $2,000,722 86.0%
12 Tiburon, CA 9,115 $200,886 $2,963,608 77.0%
13 Manhattan Beach, CA 35,123 $187,217 $2,990,671 78.0%
14 San Marino, CA 12,442 $174,253 $2,524,471 81.0%
15 Los Gatos, CA 33,093 $198,117 $2,554,492 75.0%
16 Menlo Park, CA 33,324 $198,273 $2,574,718 73.0%
17 Mill Valley, CA 14,199 $202,986 $2,043,408 76.0%
18 Lafayette, CA 25,310 $219,250 $1,924,093 76.0%
19 Malibu, CA 10,698 $186,905 $3,392,502 71.0%
20 Moraga, CA 16,859 $193,707 $1,737,291 80.0%
21 Corte Madera, CA 10,155 $210,560 $1,760,932 76.0%
22 Danville, CA 43,449 $209,518 $1,861,576 73.0%
23 San Carlos, CA 30,490 $219,413 $2,206,123 66.0%
24 Rolling Hills Estates, CA 8,214 $179,917 $1,986,586 74.0%
25 Hermosa Beach, CA 19,551 $149,500 $2,169,343 78.0%
26 Mountain View, CA 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861 73.0%
27 Belmont, CA 27,820 $185,944 $2,118,293 68.0%
28 Newport Beach, CA 85,159 $149,471 $3,132,424 68.0%
29 Sunnyvale, CA 154,573 $174,506 $1,875,596 68.0%
30 San Ramon, CA 86,119 $190,829 $1,550,726 70.0%
31 Burlingame, CA 30,995 $165,940 $2,516,360 65.0%
32 Larkspur, CA 12,969 $147,772 $2,123,779 71.0%
33 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 41,805 $166,747 $1,836,118 69.0%
34 Sausalito, CA 7,233 $163,170 $1,538,563 76.0%
35 San Anselmo, CA 12,761 $165,366 $1,659,899 70.0%
36 Pleasanton, CA 78,691 $181,639 $1,582,884 68.0%
37 Calabasas, CA 23,106 $154,079 $1,667,987 70.0%
38 Solana Beach, CA 12,946 $137,647 $2,030,109 70.0%
39 Laguna Beach, CA 22,943 $141,875 $2,817,490 64.0%
40 Dublin, CA 71,068 $191,039 $1,293,624 69.0%
41 Villa Park, CA 5,814 $189,306 $2,030,498 52.0%
42 Encinitas, CA 61,942 $142,506 $1,808,679 65.0%
43 Santa Clara, CA 128,058 $165,352 $1,524,900 64.0%
44 Fremont, CA 228,795 $169,023 $1,413,076 62.0%
45 South Pasadena, CA 26,583 $127,882 $1,650,214 72.0%
46 Beverly Hills, CA 32,406 $116,771 $3,641,358 65.0%
47 El Segundo, CA 17,081 $142,596 $1,606,335 62.0%
48 Coronado, CA 18,871 $125,558 $2,474,258 64.0%
49 Campbell, CA 43,464 $141,794 $1,652,630 59.0%
50 San Mateo, CA 104,165 $149,152 $1,510,087 58.0%
51 Milpitas, CA 79,092 $166,769 $1,346,828 56.0%
52 La Habra Heights, CA 5,599 $179,990 $1,294,550 56.0%
53 St. Helena, CA 5,426 $135,781 $1,750,362 58.0%
54 Agoura Hills, CA 20,088 $157,930 $1,186,593 67.0%
55 Millbrae, CA 22,825 $146,649 $1,927,421 50.0%
56 Redondo Beach, CA 70,620 $134,033 $1,379,761 65.0%
57 Half Moon Bay, CA 11,633 $148,702 $1,510,034 55.0%
58 Carlsbad, CA 114,745 $134,139 $1,449,918 60.0%
59 Albany, CA 20,027 $124,469 $1,208,704 76.0%
60 Sierra Madre, CA 11,151 $128,056 $1,347,845 65.0%
61 Irvine, CA 304,527 $122,948 $1,331,528 70.0%
62 San Francisco, CA 851,036 $136,689 $1,254,436 59.0%
63 Yorba Linda, CA 68,035 $148,325 $1,245,181 56.0%
64 Laguna Niguel, CA 64,259 $135,822 $1,312,612 56.0%
65 Fairfax, CA 7,567 $126,034 $1,234,232 68.0%
66 Walnut Creek, CA 69,809 $129,971 $1,086,764 70.0%
67 Clayton, CA 11,070 $164,899 $1,066,247 57.0%
68 San Clemente, CA 64,232 $134,730 $1,564,490 50.0%
69 Scotts Valley, CA 12,239 $136,867 $1,261,441 54.0%
70 Santa Monica, CA 92,168 $106,797 $1,685,607 67.0%
71 Alameda, CA 77,565 $129,917 $1,192,032 60.0%
72 Berkeley, CA 121,385 $104,716 $1,400,497 73.0%
73 Dana Point, CA 33,025 $119,632 $1,541,691 55.0%
74 Morgan Hill, CA 45,291 $152,199 $1,310,579 46.0%
75 Pacifica, CA 38,048 $151,849 $1,246,502 48.0%
76 El Cerrito, CA 25,869 $120,414 $1,162,177 66.0%
77 Poway, CA 48,737 $135,605 $1,140,886 54.0%
78 Walnut, CA 28,212 $130,444 $1,093,688 56.0%
79 San Jose, CA 1,001,176 $136,010 $1,330,692 46.0%
80 Pleasant Hill, CA 34,504 $137,685 $996,672 56.0%
81 Mission Viejo, CA 93,233 $136,570 $1,077,063 52.0%
82 Livermore, CA 87,154 $152,590 $1,087,248 48.0%
83 Newark, CA 47,470 $159,465 $1,189,585 44.0%
84 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 47,702 $150,146 $938,523 50.0%
85 San Rafael, CA 60,891 $113,839 $1,346,362 50.0%
86 Arcadia, CA 56,181 $108,214 $1,326,864 55.0%
87 Pacific Grove, CA 15,098 $102,553 $1,365,557 58.0%
88 Santa Cruz, CA 61,367 $105,491 $1,318,776 57.0%
89 Cerritos, CA 49,016 $124,460 $1,003,485 56.0%
90 San Bruno, CA 43,218 $131,669 $1,253,713 44.0%
91 Aliso Viejo, CA 51,896 $131,708 $915,734 56.0%
92 Goleta, CA 32,640 $113,889 $1,308,615 49.0%
93 Laguna Hills, CA 31,170 $122,902 $1,076,942 52.0%
94 Lake Forest, CA 85,583 $128,358 $1,056,345 49.0%
95 Santa Barbara, CA 88,640 $98,346 $1,766,791 51.0%
96 Torrance, CA 145,454 $109,554 $1,140,607 52.0%
97 Claremont, CA 36,891 $115,091 $926,202 58.0%
98 Pismo Beach, CA 8,050 $109,196 $1,237,660 49.0%
99 Thousand Oaks, CA 126,532 $125,399 $1,001,691 49.0%
100 Huntington Beach, CA 197,481 $114,747 $1,206,669 47.0%
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

19 thoughts on “The 10 Snobbiest Places In California For 2024

  1. Jeez, Orinda is waaay snobbier than Lafayette. I should know, I’m from there. Orinda is home of the leaf blower ban and the “Stop the Housing Element Team”. We may have even invented the acronym NIMBY. Our roads are the worst in the Bay Area, just to keep casual drivers out. We’re too cheap to have many private schools or theaters – we just use Lafayette’s, Berkeley’s, Oakland’s and San Francisco’s.

    1. Of course Orinda is snobbier than Lafayette. They totally screwed the pooch by limiting their survey to cities with populations of 10,000 and up. They missed ALL the truly snobby places.

    1. Haha Mark, I hope you realize how ironic your comment is. If you read the article, you’d see that the author wasn’t trying to insult anybody (and if they did, it was in good humor).

      I thought this was an interesting piece. Obviously the title and the wording of the article was tailored as clickbait but really it was just a study on affluence, education, and culture. It’s nothing scientific and it probably took the author an hour or two of research, but it was an amusing and informative read nonetheless.

  2. Clearly you haven’t actually spent any time in the cities you are reviewing. One of my very first experiences as a new mother in Mill Valley involved a total stranger offering to run into the grocery store for me to pick up milk & eggs so I wouldn’t have to struggle with taking in my newborn and toddler. I was overwhelmed by the kindness of another mother who didn’t even know me. I have had other similar experiences over the years and our local public schools are fantastic (no need for private). You can’t judge the kindness of someone’s heart by the cost of their house. Shame on you.

  3. Stanford University is in the town of Stanford, not Palo Alto. Yes, it is right next door and it has a lot of influence on Palo Alto, but it has never been a part of that city.

  4. I live in Palo Alto, and I never doubted that we ranked high on snobbery. After all, not only do we have a community theater company and a community orchestra, but we have a community opera company as well.
    I don’t know where Palo Alto stands with this metric or how much it is weighted, but I take objection to your inclusion of private school density as a criterion. Firstly, the number of private schools in a city relative to that city’s population is not necessarily the best measure of how many eligible students in a city attend private school, as private schools may vary in size and often do not restrict enrollment to the residents of their host city. Secondly, while private school enrollment (if that were the metric used, which it isn’t) is an understandable measure to be associated with snobbery, given that in most parts of the country elites seek out private schools for the usually superior quality of education they provide, Palo Alto may be an exception that proves the rule. In Palo Alto, the quality of our public schools rivals that of many nearby private schools. Therefore, many Palo Alto parents proudly send their children to public school, deeming private school unnecessarily expensive for its relative value. Does this fact make us more or less snobby?

  5. FWIW, the Stanford University campus is not actually located in Palo Alto. It is located in unincorporated Santa Clara County, adjacent to Palo Alto.

    The Stanford Industrial Park, Stanford Shopping Center, and the Stanford Medical Center are within the Palo Alto city limits, but the academic campus, including the medical school, and student and faculty housing are not.

  6. Lived in Los Gatos for 15 years, and yes it’s a desired community but because of the exceptional school system level, the photo is the high school which is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen and I’ve lived all over the states, with the best teaching staff in the country, and its facilities are like a university…I grew up in Ann Arbor, Mi. Which is a university town and gorgeous. I now live and have for 28 years on Catalina island, in Avalon which is the most mellow in the state, and beautiful… Location, location.

  7. How “snobby” can little San Carlos actually be?
    We don’t even have a high school anymore…they tore it down!!

  8. I’ve worked in Palo Alto and San Carlos & live near Los Gatos. I like shopping there, the good stores are closer together than in San Jose and I’ve found it friendly. More so than San Carlos. Palo Alto isn’t a place I’d ever want to live. I watched pregnant women freaking out about getting their kid into the right daycare so they’d get into the right private school in order to get into the right college…their lives didn’t seem pleasant at all.
    But I’m weird. I’ve always preferred happiness to bragging rights.

  9. I’m a little late to the party, but shouldn’t snobbery show in human behavior rather than how financially privileged the people are? Seems like actual incidents should tell the tale. I was expecting LA to rank on here becuse of all the times I’ve come across people from LA sneering at the towns and counties around them or referring to everything in the area as LA despite how many different cities there are. Also I’m kinda sick of them being LA and the rest of us being “the Southland.”

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