Best PlacesWest San Jose, San Jose, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West 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.
West San Jose, San Jose ranks 484th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. The coast is about 27 minutes away. Its strengths are high incomes and population health. The cost shows up in childcare costs, cell coverage, and disaster risk.
The best neighborhoods in West 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.
West San Jose, San Jose's strengths and weaknesses
West San Jose, San Jose ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. High incomes, population health, and low crime carry most of that.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Cell coverage and disaster risk also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where West San Jose, San Jose ranks high
- Household income$173,960 median, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 196 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where West San Jose, San Jose ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,106 a month, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West San Jose, San Jose
A household needs to earn about $424,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West San Jose, San Jose home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $173,960, 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 West San Jose, San Jose's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 West San Jose, San Jose
West San Jose, San Jose's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West San Jose, San Jose.
Who works in West San Jose, San Jose, and how
Work in West 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 69%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in West San Jose, San Jose
West San Jose, San Jose has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 27 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of West San Jose, San Jose and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West San Jose, San Jose, month by month
West San Jose, San Jose sees roughly 196 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 West San Jose, San Jose
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International sits about 5 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 West San Jose, San Jose
Schools across West San Jose, San Jose average a B, better than 84% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Murdock-portal ElementaryA+ · 86% proficient
- Blue Hills ElementaryA+ · 83% proficient
- Christa Mcauliffe ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- Joaquin Miller MiddleA+ · 88% proficient
- Redwood MiddleA+ · 83% proficient
- Warren E. Hyde MiddleA+ · 74% proficient
Top high schools
- Lynbrook HighA+ · 98% proficient
- Cupertino HighA+ · 98% proficient
- Middle College HighA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West San Jose, San Jose school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West 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 West San Jose, San Jose against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who West San Jose, San Jose suits
Retirees
The weather beats 87% of neighborhoods and health care access beats 68%.
Common questions about living in West San Jose, San Jose
Is West San Jose, San Jose a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West San Jose, San Jose ranks 484th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on high incomes, population health, and low crime, 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 West San Jose, San Jose expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,646,951. The overall cost of living runs about 80% above the national average. Set against a $173,960 median income, cost of living beats 70% of neighborhoods.
Is West San Jose, San Jose safe?
Yes, West San Jose, San Jose is safer than 93% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $236 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West San Jose, San Jose?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 196 pleasant days a year, more than 87% of neighborhoods.
Is West San Jose, San Jose good for families?
Schools beat 84% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 93%, and childcare runs $2,106 a month.
Is West San Jose, San Jose good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 70% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 59% of neighborhoods. About 24% of workers already work from home.
Compare West San Jose, San Jose with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West San Jose, San Jose. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West 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.
West San Jose, San Jose detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West San Jose, San Jose: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West San Jose, San Jose: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West San Jose, San Jose: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West San Jose, San Jose: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West 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.