Best PlacesAlmaden Valley, San Jose, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Almaden Valley, San Jose, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Almaden Valley, San Jose ranks 58th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Almaden Valley, San Jose
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Almaden Valley, San Jose's strengths and weaknesses
Where Almaden Valley, San Jose ranks high
- Household income$219,554 median, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 226 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Almaden Valley, San Jose ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,106 a month, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Short commute31.9 minutes each way, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Almaden Valley, San Jose
A household needs to earn about $452,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Almaden Valley, San Jose home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $219,554, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Almaden Valley, San Jose's effective rate of 0.71%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Almaden Valley, San Jose
Almaden Valley, San Jose runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Almaden Valley, San Jose.
Who works in Almaden Valley, San Jose, and how
Work in Almaden Valley, San Jose centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 30%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Almaden Valley, San Jose
Almaden Valley, San Jose has more parkland per resident than 72% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 28 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Almaden Valley, San Jose and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Almaden Valley, San Jose, month by month
Almaden Valley, San Jose sees roughly 226 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs February through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 54° | 44° |
| April | 71° | 62° | 50° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 60° |
| October | 78° | 68° | 54° |
Flying in and out of Almaden Valley, San Jose
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International sits about 10 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.3 million passengers in 2025, with 67 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Almaden Valley, San Jose
Schools across Almaden Valley, San Jose average an A, better than 96% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Williams ElementaryA+ · 86% proficient
- Blossom Hill ElementaryA+ · 81% proficient
- Graystone ElementaryA+ · 79% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bret Harte MiddleA+ · 77% proficient
- Raymond J. Fisher MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Castillero MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Leigh HighA · 78% proficient
- Los Gatos HighA · 78% proficient
- Middle College HighA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Almaden Valley, San Jose school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Almaden Valley, San Jose measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Almaden Valley, San Jose against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Almaden Valley, San Jose suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of neighborhoods and 30% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 91% of neighborhoods, health care access beats 88%, and it is quieter than 86%.
Common questions about living in Almaden Valley, San Jose
Is Almaden Valley, San Jose a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Almaden Valley, San Jose ranks 58th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on high incomes, low crime, and good schools, and lowest on childcare costs and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Almaden Valley, San Jose expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,749,095. The overall cost of living runs about 76% above the national average. Set against a $219,554 median income, cost of living beats 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Almaden Valley, San Jose safe?
Yes, Almaden Valley, San Jose is safer than 98% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $185 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Almaden Valley, San Jose?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 44. That works out to about 226 pleasant days a year, more than 91% of neighborhoods.
Is Almaden Valley, San Jose good for families?
Schools beat 96% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $2,106 a month.
Compare Almaden Valley, San Jose with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Almaden Valley, San Jose. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Almaden Valley, San Jose represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Almaden Valley, San Jose detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Almaden Valley, San Jose: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Almaden Valley, San Jose: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Almaden Valley, San Jose: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Almaden Valley, San Jose: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Almaden Valley, San Jose detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.