Best PlacesNorth Valley, San Jose, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Valley, 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.
North Valley, San Jose ranks 1,575th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in North 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.
North Valley, San Jose's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Valley, San Jose ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 209 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Household income$136,960 median, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where North Valley, San Jose ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$2,106 a month, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Valley, San Jose
A household needs to earn about $273,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Valley, San Jose home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $136,960, 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 Valley, San Jose's effective rate of 0.81%, 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 North Valley, San Jose
North Valley, San Jose'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 North Valley, San Jose.
Who works in North Valley, San Jose, and how
Work in North Valley, San Jose centers on manufacturing and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in North Valley, San Jose
The coast is about 31 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across North Valley, San Jose, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Valley, San Jose, month by month
North Valley, San Jose sees roughly 209 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 Valley, 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 North Valley, San Jose
Schools across North Valley, San Jose average a B, better than 77% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Walter L. Bachrodt ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
- Selma Olinder ElementaryD · 18% proficient
- Anne Darling ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Morrill MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
- Muwekma Ohlone MiddleD− · 18% proficient
- Ace Empower AcademyD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- Evergreen Valley HighA · 80% proficient
- Middle College HighA · 75% proficient
- Independence HighA · 70% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Valley, San Jose school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North 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 North Valley, San Jose against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Valley, San Jose suits
Common questions about living in North Valley, San Jose
Is North Valley, San Jose a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Valley, San Jose ranks 1,575th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, the weather, and high incomes, 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 Valley, San Jose expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,044,725. The overall cost of living runs about 53% above the national average. Set against a $136,960 median income, cost of living beats 59% of neighborhoods.
Is North Valley, San Jose safe?
Yes, North Valley, San Jose is safer than 92% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $240 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Valley, San Jose?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 209 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of neighborhoods.
Is North Valley, San Jose good for families?
Schools beat 77% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 92%, and childcare runs $2,106 a month.
Compare North Valley, San Jose with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Valley, San Jose. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North 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.
North Valley, San Jose detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Valley, San Jose: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Valley, San Jose: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Valley, San Jose: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Valley, San Jose: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North 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.