City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Portola Valley, CA

Portola Valley's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

4,329
Residents
$250,000+
Median income
$2,000,000+
Median home
$2,053
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Portola Valley.

Place dossier plate

Sheet CA-PORTOLA-VALLEY-CA · Portola Valley, CA 4,329 pop · income 99th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-TOP · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-TOP · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 4,329
  • INC-TOP $250,001
  • COL-ABOVE 110.7
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 99th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Emerald Lake Hi…
  • HOME-TOP $2,000,001
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Emerald Lake Hills, CA (+ $0 income $)

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 Portola Valley

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Portola Valley on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Portola Valley on ACS population and median household income . 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: 4,329.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $250,000+. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Portola Valley - the verdict

Nationally, Portola Valley sits in the 99th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

99th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Portola Valley, CA

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 4,329 residents in Portola Valley, a small town within California. Median household income in Portola Valley is reported as $250,000+ under the Census ACS top-code, meaning $250,000 or more rather than an exact figure, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. ACS top-codes median home value at $2,000,000 or more, so Portola Valley is published at that ceiling ($2,000,000+) rather than as an exact figure, and the median resident age is 58.0 years. About 82.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 38.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 17 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 70% from five years earlier.

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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in Portola Valley report an average commute of 13.5 minutes, with 39.5% driving alone and 51.1% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Portola Valley'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 population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Portola Valley, city-specific coverage includes 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, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Population change

Is Portola Valley 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 -153 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 17 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Portola Valley?

Within California, the closest population matches are Ford (4,310 residents, $45,976 income); Bonsall (4,308 residents, $110,316 income); Coarsegold (4,301 residents, $82,574 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Pantops, VA (4,328 residents); Kimberly, AL (4,327 residents); Middleville, MI (4,327 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Portola Valley?

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.

Working from home is the largest reported mode at 51.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 13.5 minutes.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 4

What does the education layer cover for Portola Valley?

The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 82.8% 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 matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.

See how the family ranking is built →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

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.

Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Portola Valley?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.0%, 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.

Household income
$250,000+
Home value
$2,000,000+
Value / income
8.0×

City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

4,329 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$250,000+

Top-coded income · poverty 0.0% (Very low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

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). Portola Valley's income is shown as $250,000+ - a bound shared with other high-income places, not an exact annual figure. Home value is shown as $2,000,000+ for the same reason.

City profile score · Portola Valley, CA

77/100

4 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+
$250,000+

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate A+
0.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share A+
82.8%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

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.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Portola Valley profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living. Household incomePoverty rateBachelor's+ shareCost of living 77 B+
Portola Valley profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $250,000+
  • Poverty rate: 100/100 (A+) · 0.0%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 82.8%
  • Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index

How does Portola Valley compare to other US cities?

Where Portola Valley sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 99% higher than other cities
Home value 99% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Portola Valley 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 Portola Valley near the bottom of California's cities

Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Portola Valley ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Portola Valley only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#1 of 1,338
98th 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
#1,194 of 1,450
0th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#25 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.

99thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

99th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Portola Valley's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$2,000,000+ 1st percentile more affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. Portola Valley $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Portola Valley's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.0×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,011 of 15,516
More affordable than 3% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,013 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 8.0×, Portola Valley sits in the pressured band: national rank #15,011 of 15,516 and #11,013 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). 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

$250,000+ Portola Valley, CA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Portola Valley, CA Portola Valley, CA's median household income ($250,000+) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Portola Valley, CA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Portola Valley, CA median $250,000+, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Portola Valley, 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 Portola Valley, CA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 82.8%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 38.9%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
4,329
Median Income
$250,000+
Median Home Value
$2,000,000+
Median Age
58.0
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
38.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
82.8%

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
4,200 residents4,300 residents4,400 residents4,500 residents 202020212022202320242025 4,445 residents 4,292 residents ▼ -3.4%
Portola Valley's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 4,445 residents
2021 4,293 residents
2022 4,240 residents
2023 4,240 residents
2024 4,273 residents
2025 4,292 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
17
housing units authorized
Single-Family
11
detached homes
Multifamily
6
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 10
2020 7
2021 15
2022 10
2023 21
2024 17

Permit volume increased 70% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
13.5 minutes
Drive Alone
39.5%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.6%
Work from Home
51.1%
Other
6.8%

Based on 1,398 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 Portola Valley. 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 Portola Valley 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 Portola Valley sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Portola Valley 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Portola Valley (this city) 4,329 $250,000+
Ford 4,310 $45,976
Bonsall 4,308 $110,316
Coarsegold 4,301 $82,574
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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