Best PlacesContra Costa County, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Contra Costa County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Contra Costa County ranks 278th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $140,996, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, long commutes, and taxes.
The best neighborhoods in Contra Costa County
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.
The best areas in Contra Costa County
The parts of Contra Costa County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Discovery Bay
More adults hold degrees, local pay stretches further, and crime runs lower.
Walnut Creek, San Ramon & Danville
Incomes run higher and health care is easier to reach.
El Cerrito, Orinda & Moraga
Schools score higher, though it is noisier.
Brentwood
More households have young kids, though commutes are longer.
Concord & Pleasant Hill
Scores close to Brentwood, except that disaster risk is higher here.
Martinez & Bay Point
Prices have run up less and homes cost less.
Pinole, Hercules & Rodeo
Biking is worse.
Richmond, San Pablo & El Sobrante
Streets are more walkable, though fewer residents vote.
Antioch, Pittsburg & Oakley
Tree cover is thinner and health outcomes score lower.
Contra Costa County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 4% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Contra Costa County's strengths and weaknesses
Contra Costa County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. High incomes is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. Few empty homes and big-city access follow.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Long commutes and taxes also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Contra Costa County ranks high
- Household income$140,996 median, better than 99% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 99% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of counties
- BikingBetter than 98% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 179 pleasant days a year, better than 98% of counties
Where Contra Costa County ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,942 a month, better than only 1% of counties
- Short commute35.3 minutes each way, better than only 3% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 6% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 7% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Contra Costa County
A household needs to earn about $250,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Contra Costa County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $140,996, 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 Contra Costa County's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Contra Costa County.
Who works in Contra Costa County, and how
Work in Contra Costa County centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties and less late-night activity than most counties. The coast is about 33 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Contra Costa County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Contra Costa County growing, and who is moving in?
Contra Costa County has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the San Francisco, CA metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Contra Costa County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Contra Costa County, month by month
Contra Costa County sees roughly 179 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs March through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 51° | 41° |
| April | 75° | 60° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 72° | 58° |
| October | 82° | 65° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Contra Costa County
San Francisco Bay Oakland International sits about 18 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.5 million passengers in 2025, with 64 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Contra Costa County
Schools across Contra Costa County average a B−, better than 68% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Lafayette ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Burton Valley ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Happy Valley ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- M. H. Stanley MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Foothill MiddleA · 63% proficient
- William Mendenhall MiddleA · 63% proficient
Top high schools
- Dougherty Valley HighA+ · 95% proficient
- California HighA+ · 90% proficient
- Campolindo HighA+ · 84% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Contra Costa County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Contra Costa County 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 Contra Costa County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Contra Costa County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 21% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Contra Costa County
Is Contra Costa County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Contra Costa County ranks 278th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on high incomes, few empty homes, and big-city access, and lowest on childcare costs and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Contra Costa County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $956,143. The overall cost of living runs about 29% above the national average. Set against a $140,996 median income, cost of living beats 94% of counties.
Is Contra Costa County safe?
Contra Costa County is safer than 31% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $434 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Contra Costa County?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 41. That works out to about 179 pleasant days a year, more than 98% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Contra Costa County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Discovery Bay, Walnut Creek, San Ramon & Danville, and El Cerrito, Orinda & Moraga. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Contra Costa County good for families?
Schools beat 68% of counties, crime safety beats 31%, and childcare runs $1,942 a month.
Is Contra Costa County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 91% of counties. About 21% of workers already work from home.
Compare Contra Costa County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Contra Costa County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Contra Costa County 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.
Contra Costa County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Contra Costa County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Contra Costa County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Contra Costa County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Contra Costa County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Contra Costa County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.