Top 10 Richest Cities In California (2022)

When you hear the wealthiest cities in California, how do you qualify the residents? With no exaggeration, residents of the richest cities in California are either top stars in the entertainment industry, or related to the Kardashians.

California is known as the Golden State not for a few reasons, but for numerous ones that would almost qualify it as the fifth largest if it was a country. The state boasts of a diverse economy with sandy coasts, beautiful beaches, a lively population, sunny weather, and natural wonders. California is the most visited state with lots of tourist attraction centers, and popular theme parks.

To qualify as a resident of any of the cities, you need to be a hard worker that earns as much as $200,000 in a year. Hence, the reduced rate of poverty and unemployment in the state. The richest cities in the state boast large green spaces, high-end shopping, resplendent swimming pools, and good food.

These cities are narrowed down by some factors such as median household income, unemployment rate, poverty rate, and where the richest people dwell. Some of them are rich in both dollars, and 5-star amenities.

Richest Cities In California

1. Artherton- $526,856 

Atherton holds the title of the wealthiest city in the United States. The city is located 20 minutes away from Silicon Valley. The median household income of Atherton is more than half a million. This city is known for its wealth and affluence, huge mansions can be found on the residential streets of Atherton with gates guarding every home and tall hedges.

Atherton has a total land area of 5.06 square miles and an estimated population of about 6914 residents as of the 2010 population census. The city has a 22-acre space with walking paths, playgrounds, gardens, and tennis courts. Menlo Park is a close town to Atherton with a collection of shops and nice restaurants. This park hosts event like horse shows, polo matches, and gala parties for horse riders and enthusiasts.

Atherton was named for Faxon Dean Atherton, a politician and a landowner who was also a native of San Mateo County. The city has dynamic network associations such as the Atherton Heritage Association, the Atherton Arts Committee, the Atherton Tree Committee, the Friends of the Atherton Community Library, the Holbrook-Palmer Park Foundation, the Atherton Dames, the Police Task Force, and the Atherton Civic Interest League. There are also property holders’ associations in different neighborhoods. The Menlo Circus Club is an exclusive hangout with tennis, swimming, stables, and a riding ring situated inside the town. Some of the notable people from this town are Mohammed Atalla who is a prominent Egyptian-American engineer, J.B Pritzker, CiCi Bellis, Doulas Engelbart, and Drew Fuller.

2. Los Altos Hills- $427,749

Los Altos Hills ranks as the second richest city in California (Santa Clara County). The city is located at the Santa Cruz Mountains’ Foothills. The Santa Cruz Mountains Foothills is a hub for nature lovers, therefore, contributing to the beauty of the Los Altos Hills.

Los Altos Hills started as an agricultural hub and a fruit orchard. The city now boasts as a part of the tech hub Silicon Valley. The tourist attraction sites in the city include Windy Hill Preserve, Los Altos Hills History Museum Site, San Andreas Fault Trail, Hidden Villa Farm, the Los Altos Farmers Market.

Los Altos Hills was incorporated on January 27, 1956. Besides, it has a land area of about 8.92 square miles. The average household income for this town is $427,749.

Los Altos is strictly a residential area and was upheld by the California court of appeal in 1973. The city has notable tech moguls, renowned authors, well-known actors, and community arts. Some of the notable people from Los Altos Hills are Sergey Brin, David Packard, Jerry Yang, Barry Bonds, Gordon Moore,  Sundar Pichai, and Becky Morgan.

3. Los Altos- $326,456

Los Altos is located in the northern silicon valley of the San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara County). Now classified as one of the affluent areas in California, the city was formerly an agricultural hub and lush apricot orchards.

In Spanish, the word ‘Los Altos’ means ‘the height’. According to the 2010 population census, the Los Altos population was calculated to be around 28,936. This city was incorporated effectively on December 1, 1962. Besides, it has a land area of about 6.47 square miles.

Although the city of Los Altos has witnessed a mild economic situation recently, the poverty rate of the city is 2.83% with a population of 30,527 people. It has an unemployment rate of 2.4%. Still, it is one of the richest cities in California. The economy of Los Altos is driven by the management of industries and manufacturing.

The city makes a nice educational hub with several esteemed private and public schools that can be found there. It boasts of a serene environment with well-maintained gardens and trees. Some of the notable people from Los Altos are Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, John Warnock, Andrew Grove, and William E. Moerner.

4. Piedmont- $311,922 

Piedmont is located in the Francisco Bay Area (Alameda County) and is surrounded by the city of Oakland. It is a big town with the highest paying industries contributing to its median household income of $311,922.

The city boasts of high properties, excellent schools, and decreased crime rate. Fiance, healthcare, education, and manufacturing contribute to the expensiveness of this city. Piedmont is named after the region of Piedmont in Italy. In the Italian language, Piedmont means foothill. Piedmont city was incorporated effectively in 1907. The average household income of Piedmont residents is $311,922.

According to the 2010 population census, Piedmont has an estimated population of 10,667 residents. The city has a total land area of 1.70 square miles.

5. Orinda- $283,978

Orinda is located in Contra Costa County around the East of Berkeley. With a median household income of $283,978, the city is ranked the fifth richest in California. In 2021, it was ranked the second friendliest by Forbes.

Orinda was incorporated effectively on July 1, 1985. The city has a land area of 12.87 square miles. According to the 2010 population census, Orinda has an estimated population of 17, 643. Orinda is a location with beautiful natural landscapes that draws the attention of hikers and naturalists. Besides, in 2012, Orinda was given the title of the most friendly town in America by Forbes.

6. Malibu- $271,666

Malibu is referred to as a gateway, and it is located up the Pacific Coast Highway (Los Angeles County). The rugged coastline, ocean views, Mediterranean climate, and nice beaches make it an attraction center for the wealthy and famous people.

Malibu is one of the most recognized and wealthiest cities in California. The extravagant beaches make it a go-to for surfers, anglers, and beach lovers. The biggest of the beaches Zuma beach has many causal restaurants and fine golden sand.

Malibu was incorporated effective on March 28, 1991, and is widely known for its stunning Mediterranean climate. Malibu is also known to be the residential area for a lot of movie stars, Hollywood, home for people in the entertainment industry and other affluent people. Malibu has a total land area of 19.83 square miles. The estimated population of Malibu residents as of the 2010 population census was 12,645. The average household income in Malibu is $275,675.

The Point Dume State Beach has cliffs, rocky coves, and hiking trails that make it a point of interest for hikers and divers. Other places of interest in Malibu include the Malibu Creek State Park, the Solstice Canyon, Escondido Falls, and Malibu Pier that has many pleasant shops and restaurants.

7. San Marino- $232,829

San Marino is a wealthy suburban city. The city is located southeast of Pasadena. San Marino is home to cultural areas and historic gardens. The name San Marino is derived from the early Republic of San Marino.

The entertainment and recreation industries highly contribute to the $232,829 median household income. Other contributing sectors are renting, technical services, retail trade, and scientific services.

8. Danville- $214,627

Danville is ranked the eighth richest city in California. The city has been in existence for over 130 years, thus, it is mostly referred to as a town and not a city. Danville is located at the center of San Ramon Valley.

The city has a median household income of $214,627. The sectors contributing to the median household income include retail trade, health, and manufacturing.

9. Pleasanton- $192,532

Pleasanton is located in the east of Oakland, and the west of Livermore. The city has numerous recreational centers and natural land. There are over 45 entertainment festivals meant for both children and adults.

The median household income of Pleasanton is $192,532 with industries and the health care sector contributing largely to it.

10. San Ramon- $186,911

San Ramon is located to the east side of Diablo Foothills and the west side of Oakland Hills. The city is one of the top ten safest cities in California. With 75,000 residents, the city’s economy is aided by retail trade, manufacturing, and gas extraction companies.

Overview Of California 

California is a rich and wealthy state in the US. Moreover, the state has quite a lot of affluent communities, towns, and cities under it. The richest cities in California have been listed above.

The agriculture industry in California is so vibrant that it records the highest output of any state. California is famous for many other things from being the pioneer in pop culture as the Centre of the hippie counterculture; the film industry as the seat of Hollywood and Disneyland and innovation as the seat of Silicon Valley, the world-leading technology hub. Its popular cities include Sacramento(capital), Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Palm spring, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, etc.

Calculating the top wealthiest cities in California involves considering many indices apart from personal income. What makes the city that is used in the analysis? A city is a place with a population of 5,000 people. To arrive at this rank, 427 of such places in California were compared with the 3 indices of the poverty level, median household income, and unemployment rate tallied from the census data of the American community survey from 2012-2016, and an average was calculated to get the rank list with the city with the lowest average score ranked the wealthiest. In California, City and town are used synonymously.

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Conclusion

California as a beautiful state in America has a very interesting and serene atmosphere, which is not just in one location or city but are around the state.

The Golden State has all the privacy, world-class education, luxury, safety, beauty, and opulence that makes it a choice for most wealthy people. Some of the richest cities in California listed above are the wealthiest in the United States.

California, a western U.S state in the pacific region, is noted for so many sterling records. The State is the most populous U.S state at 39.5million (2017 est.) and boasts of an economy of $1.75 trillion making it the largest economy in the US, and the 5th in the world, only behind countries; United States, China, Japan, and Germany. So, why the top 10 richest cities in California? it’s home to 4 out of the world’s ten largest companies by market capitalization. Its economy is multi-diverse from services, to export commerce to an agricultural economy.