Best PlacesDowntown San Jose, San Jose, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown San Jose, San Jose, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown San Jose, San Jose ranks 1,824th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown San Jose, 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.
Downtown San Jose, San Jose's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown San Jose, San Jose ranks high
- BikingBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 201 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown San Jose, San Jose ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$2,106 a month, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown San Jose, San Jose
A household needs to earn about $270,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown San Jose, San Jose home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $122,519, 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 Downtown San Jose, San Jose's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 Downtown San Jose, San Jose
Downtown San Jose, San Jose runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown San Jose, San Jose.
Who works in Downtown San Jose, San Jose, and how
Work in Downtown San Jose, San Jose centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Downtown San Jose, San Jose
Downtown San Jose, San Jose has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 76% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 29 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown San Jose, San Jose and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown San Jose, San Jose, month by month
Downtown San Jose, San Jose sees roughly 201 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs March through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 52° | 42° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 84° | 69° | 58° |
| October | 80° | 65° | 53° |
Flying in and out of Downtown San Jose, San Jose
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International sits about 3 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 Downtown San Jose, San Jose
Schools across Downtown San Jose, San Jose average a C+, better than 59% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Willow Glen ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
- Merritt Trace ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
- Walter L. Bachrodt ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Willow Glen MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
- Herbert Hoover MiddleC− · 29% proficient
- Sunrise MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Evergreen Valley HighA · 80% proficient
- Middle College HighA · 75% proficient
- San Jose HighC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown San Jose, San Jose school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown San Jose, 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 Downtown San Jose, San Jose against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Downtown San Jose, San Jose suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Downtown San Jose, San Jose
Is Downtown San Jose, San Jose a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown San Jose, San Jose ranks 1,824th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, fast internet, and the weather, and lowest on disaster risk and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown San Jose, San Jose expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,037,436. The overall cost of living runs about 48% above the national average. Set against a $122,519 median income, cost of living beats 54% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown San Jose, San Jose safe?
Yes, Downtown San Jose, San Jose is safer than 68% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $471 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Downtown San Jose, San Jose?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 201 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown San Jose, San Jose good for families?
Schools beat 59% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 68%, and childcare runs $2,106 a month.
Compare Downtown San Jose, San Jose with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown San Jose, San Jose. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown San Jose, 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.
Downtown San Jose, San Jose detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown San Jose, San Jose: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown San Jose, San Jose: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown San Jose, San Jose: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown San Jose, San Jose: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown San Jose, 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.