City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Walnut Creek, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Walnut Creek - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

69,790
Residents
$135,665
Median income
$1,031,100
Median home
$2,912
Median rent (state)

Walnut Creek - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Walnut Creek places in the 91st percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

91st
percentile, household income
97th
percentile, home value
97th
percentile, median rent
14th
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: Walnut Creek, CA

69,790 people live in Walnut Creek, California - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Walnut Creek brings in $135,665 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 4.2%. Walnut Creek's housing stock carries a median value of $1,031,100, and the median resident age is 46.1 years. About 69.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 55.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 24 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 94% from five years earlier. Walnut Creek's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3178.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).

California carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,912 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in Walnut Creek report an average commute of 23.2 minutes, with 49.9% driving alone and 28.7% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 99.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

69,790 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

$135,665 /yr

Poverty 4.2%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does Walnut Creek compare to other US cities?

Here's how Walnut Creek stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 91% higher than other cities
Home value 97% pricier than other cities
Median rent 97% pricier than other cities
Safety 14% safer than other cities

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

Zoom in to just California and the picture shifts: Walnut Creek ranks #378 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Walnut Creek's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

91stIncome percentile
14thSafety percentile

91st percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Walnut Creek's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Walnut Creek'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. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 36 Avg. percentile National median
Walnut Creek'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 Walnut Creek's home value compares nationally

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

$1,031,100 3rd percentile more affordable than 3% of 15,600 US cities

$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. Walnut Creek $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

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Walnut Creek, CA Walnut Creek, CA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Walnut Creek, CA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Walnut Creek, CA median $135,665/yr, 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%
Walnut Creek, CA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Walnut Creek, CA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 69.4%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 4.2%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.6%

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

Population
69,790
Median Income
$135,665
Median Home Value
$1,031,100
Median Age
46.1
Poverty Rate
4.2%
Labor force participation
55.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
69.4%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
3178.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
280.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2897.9
per 100,000 residents

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
16
Public schools in this city

Population Change

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

See the fastest-growing cities →
69,000 residents69,500 residents70,000 residents70,500 residents 202020212022202320242025 70,223 residents 70,012 residents ▼ -0.3%
Walnut Creek's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

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

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
24
housing units authorized
Single-Family
24
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 379
2020 210
2021 83
2022 51
2023 15
2024 24

Permit volume decreased 94% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
23.2 minutes
Drive Alone
49.9%
Carpool
7.7%
Public Transit
8.9%
Walk
2.9%
Work from Home
28.7%
Other
1.9%

Based on 32,498 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month

Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Walnut Creek sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,912/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
99.5 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Redondo Beach
69,814 people
Tulare
69,984 people
Yuba City
69,545 people
Eastvale
70,179 people
Camarillo
70,244 people
Dublin
70,542 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Walnut Creek's 69,790 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Lakewood, NJ
69,884 people
West Des Moines, IA
69,893 people
St. Cloud, MN
69,926 people
Passaic, NJ
69,651 people
Guaynabo zona urbana, PR
70,087 people
Canton, OH
70,105 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Walnut Creek's $135,665 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Kohler, WI
$135,688 median income
Sykesville, MD
$135,692 median income
Hamilton Square, NJ
$135,694 median income
Manorville, NY
$135,695 median income
Pike Creek, DE
$135,703 median income
Wainscott, NY
$135,625 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Walnut Creek, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Walnut Creek, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 65.0% 16.7% 12.2% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 11.8% White 65.0% Black or African American 2.4% Asian 16.7% American Indian 0.6% Native Hawaiian 0.3% Some other race 2.8% Two or more races 12.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Walnut Creek compares to nearby California cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Walnut Creek (this city) 69,790 $135,665
Redondo Beach 69,814 $144,588
Tulare 69,984 $69,517
Yuba City 69,545 $72,322
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Walnut Creek, CA?

What is the population of Walnut Creek, CA? +

Walnut Creek, CA counts 69,790 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Walnut Creek, CA? +

Walnut Creek households earn a median of $135,665 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Walnut Creek? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Walnut Creek; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.

Is Walnut Creek, CA safe? +

Walnut Creek has a total crime rate of 3178.4 per 100,000 residents, which is above the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Walnut Creek, CA? +

Walnut Creek's median home value sits at $1,031,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

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

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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.