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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-CUPERTINO-CA · Cupertino, CA 58,886 pop · income 99th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Cupertino
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Cupertino on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Burlington · lowest
54,941
Burlington · lowest
54,941 median HH income
23.6% of the leader · rank #1
Cranbury · near
230,703
Cranbury · near
230,703 median HH income
99.2% of the leader · rank #2
Franklin Lakes · near
230,987
Franklin Lakes · near
230,987 median HH income
99.3% of the leader · rank #3
Bernardsville · near
231,006
Bernardsville · near
231,006 median HH income
99.3% of the leader · rank #4
Cupertino · this city
231,139
Cupertino · this city
231,139 median HH income
99.4% of the leader · rank #5
Roslyn Harbor · near
231,250
Roslyn Harbor · near
231,250 median HH income
99.5% of the leader · rank #6
New Albany · highest
232,524
New Albany · highest
232,524 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Cupertino on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 58,886.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Cupertino - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Cupertino lands in the 99th percentile for household income and the 41st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
99th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
41st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Cupertino, CA
58,886 people live in Cupertino, California - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $231,139 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.2%. ACS top-codes median home value at $2,000,000 or more, so Cupertino is published at that ceiling ($2,000,000+) rather than as an exact figure, and the median resident age is 41.3 years. Educational attainment runs 83.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 60.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 94 residential building permits were authorized in Cupertino (Rapid Growth), up 38% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Cupertino reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1678.0 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Cupertino's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to reported crime to schools and households to comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Cupertino, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Cupertino?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Cupertino?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1678.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 26% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the education layer cover for Cupertino?
The NCES join finds 13 public schools within the city match. 83.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Cupertino?
Within California, the closest population matches are Gilroy (58,561 residents, $131,554 income); Petaluma (59,321 residents, $109,823 income); Hanford (59,389 residents, $73,544 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Grand Forks, ND (58,882 residents); Wylie, TX (58,991 residents); Taylorsville, UT (59,010 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Cupertino growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -1,650 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 94 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.8%
2025 estimate
58,333
2020 estimate
59,983
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the journey to work look like in Cupertino?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
1.1%
Work from home
28.3%
Drive alone
62.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 28,087 workers age 16+.
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
Note: Census ACS censors the tails of median household income ($250,000+ / under $2,500) and median home value ($2,000,000+ / under $10,000).
Home value is shown as $2,000,000+ for the same reason.
B
City profile score · Cupertino, CA
70/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A+
$231,139
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
83.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B+
3.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B-
112 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Cupertino profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $231,139
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 83.1%
Poverty rate: 77/100 (B+) · 3.2%
Violent crime: 68/100 (B-) · 112 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Cupertino sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Cupertino's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Cupertino highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Cupertino, CA (this city): home $2,000,000+, crime 1,678/100k
Grand Forks, ND : home $243,300, crime 2,641/100k
Wylie, TX : home $350,100, crime 926/100k
Casper, WY : home $250,700, crime 2,401/100k
Medford, MA : home $715,500, crime 1,379/100k
Burlington, NC : home $188,700, crime 4,037/100k
Gilroy, CA : home $975,800, crime 2,625/100k
Petaluma, CA : home $834,900, crime 1,445/100k
Hanford, CA : home $323,600, crime 1,636/100k
Santee, CA : home $653,400, crime 826/100k
Monterey Park, CA : home $818,300, crime 2,385/100k
Gardena, CA : home $667,600, crime 3,755/100k
How does Cupertino compare to other US cities?
Where Cupertino sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income99% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety41% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Cupertino ranks #179 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cupertino against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Cupertino near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cupertino ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cupertino only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#44 of 1,338
97th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#1 of 1,343
95th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#1,021 of 1,450
29th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#23 of 1,458
98th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
99th percentile nationally for median household income · 41st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Cupertino's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Cupertino's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Cupertino's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$2,000,000+1st percentilemore affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Cupertino's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,191 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#707 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 8.7×, Cupertino sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,191 of 15,516 and #707 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$231,139Cupertino, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Cupertino, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Cupertino, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)83.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
58,886
Median Income
$231,139
Median Home Value
$2,000,000+
Median Age
41.3
Poverty Rate
3.2%
Labor force participation
60.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
83.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1678.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
111.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1566.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
13
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Cupertino's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
59,983 residents
2021
58,393 residents
2022
57,750 residents
2023
57,777 residents
2024
58,210 residents
2025
58,333 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
94
housing units authorized
Single-Family
88
detached homes
Multifamily
6
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
68
68
0
$34.8M
2020
49
47
2
$22.2M
2021
67
45
22
$24.2M
2022
102
90
12
$41.1M
2023
120
114
6
$47.9M
2024
94
88
6
$36.3M
Permit volume increased 38% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
62.1%
Carpool
4.0%
Public Transit
1.1%
Walk
2.8%
Work from Home
28.3%
Other
1.7%
Based on 28,087 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Cupertino. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Cupertino is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Cupertino sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Cupertino compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.