Population
Sunnyvale
153,455
Palo Alto
67,231
Median Income
Sunnyvale
$181,862
Palo Alto
$220,408
Home Value
Sunnyvale
$1,816,600
Palo Alto
$2,000,001
Rent
Sunnyvale
$3,065
Palo Alto
$3,328
Crime Rate
Sunnyvale
2.45
Palo Alto
2.12
Cost of Living
Sunnyvale
270.7
Palo Alto
286.4
Avg Temp
Sunnyvale
N/A
Palo Alto
N/A
Unemployment
Sunnyvale
4.1%
Palo Alto
3.7%
How Similar Are Sunnyvale & Palo Alto?
Palo Alto is Sunnyvale's #8 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Sunnyvale
153,455
Palo Alto
67,231
Sunnyvale (153,455) is about 2.3x larger than Palo Alto (67,231).
Violent Crime
Sunnyvale
2.45
Palo Alto
2.12
Sunnyvale has a 14% higher violent crime than Palo Alto.
Property Crime
Sunnyvale
19.09
Palo Alto
30.33
Palo Alto has a 37% higher property crime than Sunnyvale.
Political Leaning
Sunnyvale
28.1%
Palo Alto
28.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Sunnyvale
4.1%
Palo Alto
3.7%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Sunnyvale
$181,862
Palo Alto
$220,408
Palo Alto has a 17% higher median income than Sunnyvale.
Home Values
Sunnyvale
$1,816,600
Palo Alto
$2,000,001
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Sunnyvale
50.7%
Palo Alto
59.0%
Palo Alto has a 14% higher education than Sunnyvale.
Demographics
Sunnyvale
30.4%
Palo Alto
48.4%
Palo Alto has a 37% higher demographics than Sunnyvale.
Cost of Living
Sunnyvale
270.7
Palo Alto
286.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Sunnyvale and Palo Alto share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Sunnyvale
0
Palo Alto
Palo Alto leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Sunnyvale leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSunnyvale scores 171.2 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 194.8 in Palo Alto. Sunnyvale scores 156.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 175.9 in Palo Alto. Sunnyvale scores 189.0 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 200.0 in Palo Alto.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSunnyvale has a vacancy rate of 4.9% compared to 10.5% in Palo Alto. Palo Alto has a single-family homes of 61.7% compared to 46.5% in Sunnyvale. Palo Alto has a owner-occupied of 54.2% compared to 43.8% in Sunnyvale.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Palo Alto leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSunnyvale: 90,686 vs Palo Alto: 34,161 for labor force. Palo Alto has a per capita income of $121,565 vs $95,752 in Sunnyvale (21% higher). Palo Alto has a work from home of 33.3% compared to 27.0% in Sunnyvale.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Palo Alto leads
Source: FBI UCRSunnyvale has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.02 in Palo Alto. Sunnyvale has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 13.17 compared to 26.23 in Palo Alto. Sunnyvale has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 19.09 compared to 30.33 in Palo Alto.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Palo Alto leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPalo Alto has a bachelor's degree or higher of 59.0% compared to 50.7% in Sunnyvale. Palo Alto has a high school diploma or higher of 62.7% compared to 57.5% in Sunnyvale.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSunnyvale has a population of 153,455, about 2.3x the size of Palo Alto (67,231). Sunnyvale skews younger with a median age of 35.1 vs 42.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Sunnyvale
Palo Alto
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSunnyvale: 5 vs Palo Alto: 4 for with emergency services. Palo Alto: 4.5 vs Sunnyvale: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Palo Alto leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalo Alto has a bicycle of 6.9% compared to 1.5% in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale has a public transit of 4.3% compared to 3.1% in Palo Alto. Palo Alto has a work from home of 33.3% compared to 27.0% in Sunnyvale.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Sunnyvale, CA
Compare Sunnyvale against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.