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Moving to
Alamo.
The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent, $250,000+ for household income and $2,000,000+ for home value; it doesn't publish exact figures above those.
Alamo is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Alamo
Alamo is an unincorporated community in California with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Alamo deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- High student-teacher ratio
How Alamo compares
Median household income
The Census tops out at $250,000+ for household income; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.
Median rent (per month)
The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.
Median home value
The Census tops out at $2,000,000+ for home value; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.
What it takes to move to Alamo
Based on Alamo's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$7,002
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $140,040 a year
- 57% of Alamo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$400,000
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $200,000
- Homes cost 8.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingCensus top category
$3,500+/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $3,500+ a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $2,000,000+. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $2,000,000+ · 57% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Contra Costa County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Contra Costa County (county-wide)
Safety
252 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Alamo doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 929/100k · Policed by Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 32% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 115% above US
78% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 24:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (2 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Alamo's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. It tends to suit remote workers (32% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Alamo
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