Best PlacesNorth San Jose, San Jose, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North San Jose, 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.
North San Jose, San Jose ranks 449th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in North 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.
North San Jose, San Jose's strengths and weaknesses
Where North San Jose, San Jose ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Household income$181,470 median, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
Where North San Jose, San Jose ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$2,106 a month, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North San Jose, San Jose
A household needs to earn about $212,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North San Jose, San Jose home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $181,470, 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 North San Jose, San Jose's effective rate of 0.73%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North San Jose, San Jose
North San Jose, San Jose runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North San Jose, San Jose.
Who works in North San Jose, San Jose, and how
Work in North San Jose, San Jose centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in North San Jose, San Jose
North San Jose, San Jose has more restaurants and bars per resident than 74% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 32 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of North San Jose, San Jose and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North San Jose, San Jose, month by month
North San Jose, San Jose sees roughly 200 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 North San Jose, San Jose
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International sits about 2 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 North San Jose, San Jose
Schools across North San Jose, San Jose average a B+, better than 82% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Merritt Trace ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
- Walter L. Bachrodt ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Herbert Hoover MiddleC− · 29% proficient
- Muwekma Ohlone MiddleD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Evergreen Valley HighA · 80% proficient
- Middle College HighA · 75% proficient
- Milpitas HighA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North San Jose, San Jose school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North 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 North San Jose, San Jose against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North San Jose, San Jose suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of neighborhoods and 28% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 87% of neighborhoods and health care access beats 55%.
Common questions about living in North San Jose, San Jose
Is North San Jose, San Jose a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North San Jose, San Jose ranks 449th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, high incomes, and a stable housing market, 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 North San Jose, San Jose expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $819,892. The overall cost of living runs about 62% above the national average. Set against a $181,470 median income, cost of living beats 84% of neighborhoods.
Is North San Jose, San Jose safe?
Yes, North San Jose, San Jose is safer than 89% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $284 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North San Jose, San Jose?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 200 pleasant days a year, more than 87% of neighborhoods.
Is North San Jose, San Jose good for families?
Schools beat 82% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 89%, and childcare runs $2,106 a month.
Compare North San Jose, San Jose with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North San Jose, San Jose. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North 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.
North San Jose, San Jose detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North San Jose, San Jose: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North San Jose, San Jose: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North San Jose, San Jose: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North San Jose, San Jose: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North 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.