About

Life in Los Gatos

If you're considering Los Gatos, understand upfront that you're looking at one of the Bay Area's pricier markets—median home values exceed $2 million and rents run around $3,247 monthly. The town's economy revolves heavily around tech, with Netflix's substantial presence anchoring the employment base, so your job prospects depend largely on that sector. The community skews older and wealthier, with a median age of 45.6 and three-quarters of residents holding college degrees, which shapes the overall character.

Los Gatos at a Glance

Population, income, housing and more

Median Age

44.7 yrs

Poverty Rate

4.2%

Foreign-Born

28.4%

Broadband Internet

95.4%

of households

Population Growth

-2.9%

recent change · Census Bureau

Median household income

Los Gatos$217,554
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Demographics28.4% foreign-born, most often from India

Who lives in Los Gatos: race and ethnicity, ages, households, languages and countries of origin

In Los Gatos, the largest foreign-born group is from India (14.1%), and 8.3% of residents speak Other Indo-European at home.

Under 18

23.3%

of residents

65 and Older

20.7%

of residents

Households with Kids

33.7%

anyone under 18

Living Alone

24.4%

of households

Married Couples

60.5%

of households

Avg Household Size

2.55

people

Race & Ethnicity

White62.1%
Asian20.6%
Hispanic or Latino10.6%
Two or more races4.4%
Black1.2%
Other0.6%

Hispanic or Latino of any race; other groups are non-Hispanic

Top countries of origin (foreign-born)

India14.1%
China13.1%
Iran10.6%
Taiwan5.9%
Ukraine5.9%
Japan4.6%
Russia3.4%
Mexico2.6%
Colombia2.3%
Vietnam2.1%

Languages Spoken at Home

English only67.7%
Other Indo-European8.3%
Chinese7.5%
Spanish4.8%
Russian/Slavic4.2%
Other Asian/Pacific4.0%
French/Haitian0.9%
Vietnamese0.7%

Cost of Livingrent 59% above CA average

Rent, home values, and income in Los Gatos

In Los Gatos, rent runs 59% above the CA average, and home values are 172% above the CA average.

Median rent (per month)

Los Gatos$3,247
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

Los Gatos$2,000,000+
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

Rent Burdened

39.4%

spending 30%+ of income on rent

Severely Rent Burdened

16.5%

spending 50%+

Cost of Living Index

110.4

metro area (BEA) · US avg = 100

Homeowners

64.9%

of occupied homes are owned

Typical Home Built

1972

median year built

Vacant Homes

7.4%

of housing units

Home Value Trend

$2,102,248
$2,597,611
202120222023202420252026

Latest: $2,597,611 (September 2026)

Jobs & Economyunemployment 0.9 pts below CA average

Unemployment in Los Gatos and typical pay across the metro area

Unemployment in Los Gatos is 0.9 percentage points lower than the CA average.

Unemployment rate

Los Gatos4.6%
California avg5.5%
US4.3%

City-level rate · BLS annual average

Unemployment Rate — 10 Year Trend

4.3%
3.6%
3%
2.7%
6.3%
4.6%
2.8%
3.8%
4.4%
4.6%
2016201720182019202020212022202320242025

City-level (BLS) · Annual averages

What Los Gatos Residents Do for Work · share of employed residents by industry

Professional & business services27.5%
Education & health care17.3%
Manufacturing16.4%
Retail7.1%
Finance & real estate6.6%
Information6.3%
Arts, hospitality & food service6.2%
Other services4.1%

City residents, wherever they work

Median Salary by Occupation · metro area

Management$206,650
Computer & Math$175,110
Healthcare$151,490
Business & Finance$120,970
Education$78,010
Office & Admin$59,850
Sales$54,760
Transportation$46,650

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area

Commute27.6 min avg

How Los Gatos residents get to work, and the nearest airports

In Los Gatos, most residents drive alone to work (57%), and 58% get there in under 30 minutes.

How People Get to Work

Drive alone57.1%
Carpool4.5%
Public transit1.4%
Walk2.3%
Work from home33.0%
Other1.8%

Commute Time Distribution

Under 15 min21.8%
15–29 min35.8%
30–44 min24.7%
45–59 min11.1%
60+ min6.5%

Nearest airports · with airline service

  • Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)

    Medium hub5.3M passengers boarded in 2025

    10 mi
  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

    Major hub26.3M passengers boarded in 2025

    35 mi

Straight-line distance. Size is the FAA’s hub category, based on passenger traffic: regional airports may have only a few flights a day.

Safetyviolent crime 70% below national average

Crime rates for 2025

Violent crime in Los Gatos runs 70% below the national average.

Violent Crime Rate

97.5

per 100,000 residents

Below average (329 national, 2025)

Property Crime Rate

1,278.9

per 100,000 residents

Below average (1,552 national, 2025)

Los Gatos Police Department

Natural DisastersStrong Wind most common — 10 events in 2025

Natural hazard risk, storms and earthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index

Very High

99.7 / 100

Compares expected losses from natural hazards, social vulnerability and community resilience against every US county (higher = more risk).

Earthquake · Very HighInland flooding · Very HighCoastal flooding · HighDrought · HighHeat wave · High

Santa Clara County, county-wide · FEMA NRI December 2025

In Santa Clara County, which includes Los Gatos, the most common type is strong wind, with 10 recorded events in 2025.

Most common events:

Strong WindFloodHigh WindHailWildfire

Storm events by year

YearEventsTop TypeProperty Damage
202510Flood$10
202417Flood$80
202315High Wind$40
202211Strong WindNone reported
202119Strong Wind$1,000
202024Strong WindNone reported
201945Strong WindNone reported
201825FloodNone reported

Property damage is the National Weather Service's estimate filed with each event. “None reported” means the events were logged with $0 damage; “Not estimated” means no estimate was filed. Storms covering several counties aren't counted here, since NOAA doesn't split their damage by county.

223 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5+ within 100 miles in the past year

Santa Clara County, county-wide

Los Gatos is about 2% of Santa Clara County’s population, so county-wide figures may differ from local conditions.

Air Quality47 median AQI — Good

Days by air quality category (2024)

Air quality in Santa Clara County, which includes Los Gatos, is typically good — 201 good-air days per year.

Median AQI

47

Good Days

201

per year

Moderate Days

161

per year

Unhealthy Days

0

per year

Santa Clara County, county-wide

Los Gatos is about 2% of Santa Clara County’s population, so county-wide figures may differ from local conditions.

Climate84°F summers, 40°F winters

30-year climate averages (1991–2020) — monthly temperatures and precipitation

Los Gatos has warm summers (avg high 84°F) and mild winters (avg low 40°F).

Spring (Mar–May)

71°/46°F

avg high / low

Summer (Jun–Aug)

84°/55°F

avg high / low

Fall (Sep–Nov)

74°/48°F

avg high / low

Winter (Dec–Feb)

59°/40°F

avg high / low

Annual Precipitation

22.2"

Annual Snowfall

0.0"

Hot Days/Year

27

days above 90°F

Freeze Days/Year

13

days below 32°F

Rainy Days/Year

56

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°5.5"Jan: 5.03" precipitationFeb: 4.90" precipitationMar: 3.43" precipitationApr: 1.37" precipitationMay: 0.53" precipitationJun: 0.15" precipitationJul: 0.00" precipitationAug: 0.03" precipitationSep: 0.05" precipitationOct: 0.76" precipitationNov: 1.97" precipitationDec: 3.97" precipitation40°JJan: high 59°F, low 40°FFFeb: high 62°F, low 41°FMMar: high 66°F, low 43°FAApr: high 70°F, low 45°FMMay: high 76°F, low 49°FJJun: high 82°F, low 53°F85°JJul: high 85°F, low 56°FAAug: high 85°F, low 56°FSSep: high 83°F, low 54°FOOct: high 76°F, low 49°FNNov: high 65°F, low 43°FDDec: high 58°F, low 40°F
Show month-by-month table ↓
MonthHighLowPrecip
Jan59°F40°F5.03"
Feb62°F41°F4.90"
Mar66°F43°F3.43"
Apr70°F45°F1.37"
May76°F49°F0.53"
Jun82°F53°F0.15"
Jul85°F56°F0.00"
Aug85°F56°F0.03"
Sep83°F54°F0.05"
Oct76°F49°F0.76"
Nov65°F43°F1.97"
Dec58°F40°F3.97"

Healthcare

Hospitals, ratings, and health insurance in Los Gatos

Uninsured

1.6%

of residents

No hospitals inside Los Gatos's limits — nearest hospitals · within 15 miles

Good Samaritan Hospital

Acute Care Hospitals · ER available · 1.5 mi away · San Jose

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Acute Care Hospitals · ER available · 6.1 mi away · San Jose

Kaiser Permanente Psychiatric Health Facility-sant

Psychiatric · ER available · 7.6 mi away · Santa Clara

Not rated

Adult Health · vs. the typical US place

Obesity22.8%US 36.8%
Diabetes9.2%US 12.6%
High blood pressure29.8%US 37.1%
Current smoking6.5%US 15.0%
No leisure-time physical activity16.5%US 26.6%
Depression20.4%US 23.0%
Asthma8.9%US 10.7%
Routine checkup in past year75.5%US 78.2%

Share of adults. Modeled estimates, not counted cases. “US” = the typical US place.

Medicare-certified hospitals only. Doesn’t include clinics, urgent care, or freestanding ERs.

Education21.0:1 student/teacher ratio

Schools and degree attainment in Los Gatos

Los Gatos's student/teacher ratio is 21.0:1 (higher than the national average of 16:1), and 75.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Public Schools

5

within city limits

Private Schools

6

within city limits

College Degree Rate

75.0%

adults 25+ with bachelor's or higher

Student/Teacher Ratio

21.0:1

National avg 16:1

Schools located within city limits (2023) — school-level metrics change slowly year to year

Colleges Near Los Gatos (within 15 miles)

San Jose State University

8.4 mi away

Public · 4-year · 27,601 students · in-state tuition $8,846 · 78% graduate · median earnings $83,493 (10 yrs after entry)

De Anza College

7.9 mi away

Public · 2-year · 15,264 students · in-state tuition $1,577 · 42% graduate · median earnings $62,175 (10 yrs after entry)

Evergreen Valley College

11.6 mi away

Public · 2-year · 7,688 students · in-state tuition $1,366 · 28% graduate · median earnings $55,874 (10 yrs after entry)

San Jose City College

6.1 mi away

Public · 2-year · 7,105 students · in-state tuition $1,366 · 23% graduate · median earnings $52,460 (10 yrs after entry)

Santa Clara University

8.2 mi away

Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,552 students · in-state tuition $63,513 · 89% graduate · median earnings $117,193 (10 yrs after entry)

West Valley College

3.7 mi away

Public · 2-year · 6,416 students · in-state tuition $0 · 25% graduate · median earnings $55,251 (10 yrs after entry)

Degree-granting colleges with 100+ students, placed by campus location (main campuses only — branch campuses are reported under their parent school)

Parks & Recreationclosest: Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, 41 mi

Nearby national parks, recreation areas and public libraries for Los Gatos

Los Gatos has 8 nearby national parks or recreation areas, closest being Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (41 mi away).

Nearby National Parks & Recreation Areas

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site

National Historic Site

41 mi away

Alcatraz Island

National Park Site

48 mi away

Presidio of San Francisco

National Park Site

48 mi away

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

National Historical Park

48 mi away

Fort Point National Historic Site

National Historic Site

49 mi away

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park

National Historical Park

52 mi away

John Muir National Historic Site

National Historic Site

53 mi away

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

National Recreation Area

56 mi away

Public Libraries in Los Gatos

Los Gatos Public Library

100 Villa Avenue, Los Gatos

Central library~54 hrs/week

Cities Near Los Gatos

The closest cities within 60 miles

Planning a move to Los Gatos?

Read our full moving guide — what it's really like to live here.

Moving to Los Gatos →

Los Gatos FAQ

Is Los Gatos, California affordable?⌄

Los Gatos's median rent is $3,247/month, which is significantly above the national average. The median household income is $217,554/year. Median home value is $2,000,000+.

Is Los Gatos, California safe?⌄

Los Gatos's violent crime rate was 98 per 100,000 residents in 2025, which is well below the national average — one of the safer cities in the country of 329/100k that year. Property crime rate is 1279 per 100,000. As with any city, crime rates vary by neighborhood.

What is the job market like in Los Gatos, California?⌄

Los Gatos has an unemployment rate of 4.6%, which is close to the national average of 4.3%.

What is the cost of living in Los Gatos, California?⌄

The cost of living in Los Gatos is primarily driven by housing. Median rent is $3,247/month and median household income is $217,554/year. The median home value is $2,000,000+. About 39% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

How is the commute in Los Gatos, California?⌄

The average commute in Los Gatos is 28 minutes, which is about average compared to the national average of 26 minutes.

Data from the US Census Bureau, BLS, FBI, NOAA, EPA, Zillow Research and other public sources. Where our data comes from