What is the #1 best cities for families in california?

#	City	Population	Family Score
1	Santa Monica	91,535	90.30
2	Emeryville	12,756	88.30
3	San Francisco	836,321	87.60
4	West Hollywood	35,090	87.10
5	Berkeley	120,223	86.80
6	Malibu	10,516	86.50
7	Culver City	39,993	86.50
8	Santa Barbara	88,024	85.70
9	Oakland	438,072	85.10
10	Santa Cruz	60,953	84.60
11	Costa Mesa	110,538	83.30
12	El Segundo	16,863	83.00
13	Beverly Hills	31,955	81.70
14	Hermosa Beach	19,248	81.00
15	San Rafael	60,604	80.60
16	Signal Hill	11,563	79.70
17	Colma	1,441	79.40
18	Brisbane	4,718	77.40
19	Pasadena	136,462	77.10
20	Los Angeles	3,857,897	76.50
21	Campbell	42,848	76.40
22	Redwood City	82,423	75.90
23	Nevada City	3,168	75.50
24	El Cerrito	25,781	75.30
25	Pismo Beach	8,024	74.00
26	Long Beach	458,491	73.40
27	San Jose	990,054	73.10
28	Monterey	29,772	72.90
29	Bishop	3,793	72.80
30	Richmond	115,396	72.60
31	Big Bear Lake	5,038	72.20
32	South Lake Tahoe	21,319	71.60
33	Newport Beach	84,304	71.40
34	Irwindale	1,352	70.50
35	Seal Beach	24,868	70.30
36	San Luis Obispo	48,039	70.10
37	Redondo Beach	69,814	69.80
38	Palm Springs	44,998	69.80
39	Walnut Creek	69,790	69.80
40	Sacramento	524,802	69.70
41	San Diego	1,385,061	69.70
42	Sebastopol	7,466	69.40
43	San Leandro	88,531	69.40
44	Hawthorne	85,933	69.10
45	Alameda	76,876	69.10
46	Chico	102,032	69.10
47	Mammoth Lakes	7,233	69.00
48	Sonora	4,965	68.90
49	East Palo Alto	29,143	68.40
50	Burbank	105,165	68.30
51	Eureka	26,302	68.20
52	Sunnyvale	153,455	67.70
53	Fort Bragg	7,001	67.50
54	La Mesa	60,835	67.30
55	Concord	124,260	67.10
56	San Mateo	103,555	67.10
57	Claremont	36,553	67.00
58	Vallejo	124,637	66.70
59	Menlo Park	32,775	66.70
60	Burlingame	30,526	66.60
61	Crescent City	6,180	66.30
62	Laguna Beach	22,777	66.20
63	Imperial Beach	25,897	66.10
64	San Buenaventura (Ventura)	109,900	65.80
65	Truckee	16,942	65.30
66	Sausalito	7,171	65.20
67	Lakeport	5,085	64.50
68	Gardena	59,765	64.30
69	Sierra Madre	11,020	64.20
70	Morro Bay	10,717	64.20
71	Inglewood	105,575	64.10
72	Torrance	143,499	64.10
73	Mount Shasta	3,208	64.00
74	Ukiah	16,419	63.80
75	Capitola	9,813	63.80
76	Anderson	11,282	63.50
77	Grass Valley	14,126	63.30
78	Santa Clara	129,239	63.20
79	Healdsburg	11,274	63.20
80	Red Bluff	14,592	63.20
81	Redding	93,268	63.10
82	Coronado	18,558	63.10
83	San Bruno	42,612	62.90
84	Pinole	18,835	62.90
85	South Pasadena	26,297	62.80
86	Dunsmuir	1,519	62.80
87	Palo Alto	67,231	62.70
88	Anaheim	344,553	62.60
89	Del Mar	3,921	62.60
90	Fullerton	141,278	62.40
91	Ridgecrest	28,138	62.30
92	Willows	6,239	62.30
93	Santa Rosa	177,216	62.20
94	Encinitas	61,585	62.00
95	Arcata	18,578	62.00
96	Yreka	7,832	61.90
97	Seaside	31,964	61.70
98	Martinez	36,926	61.70
99	Carmel-by-the-Sea	3,186	61.70
100	Oceanside	172,542	61.40
101	Indian Wells	4,830	61.40
102	Yucca Valley	21,744	61.20
103	Cotati	7,533	61.10
104	Hayward	159,201	61.10
105	Petaluma	59,321	61.10
106	Dana Point	32,883	61.00
107	Marysville	12,703	60.90
108	Goleta	32,693	60.80
109	Monrovia	37,553	60.80
110	Sonoma	10,726	60.70
111	Napa	78,816	60.50
112	Del Rey Oaks	1,556	60.50
113	South San Francisco	64,487	60.50
114	Clearlake	16,604	60.20
115	Barstow	25,198	60.20
116	Tehachapi	12,366	60.10
117	Pleasant Hill	34,335	60.10
118	Susanville	14,992	59.80
119	Santa Fe Springs	19,310	59.80
120	Oroville	19,855	59.60
121	Antioch	115,759	59.60
122	Alturas	2,703	59.50
123	Glendale	192,270	59.50
124	Placerville	10,730	59.50
125	Huntington Beach	196,010	59.30
126	Scotts Valley	12,138	59.20
127	Novato	52,689	59.00
128	Davis	66,801	58.90
129	Pacific Grove	15,003	58.70
130	Auburn	13,758	58.70
131	Kensington	5,292	58.60
132	Citrus Heights	87,036	58.60
133	Escondido	149,913	58.50
134	Solana Beach	12,841	58.40
135	Jackson	5,061	58.20
136	Fresno	543,615	58.10
137	Ojai	7,576	58.00
138	Mill Valley	14,064	57.90
139	Port Hueneme	21,691	57.80
140	Stockton	320,470	57.80
141	Calistoga	5,159	57.80
142	Rohnert Park	44,461	57.70
143	Lawndale	31,113	57.60
144	Marina	22,324	57.50
145	Manhattan Beach	34,584	57.20
146	Lancaster	170,013	57.20
147	Belmont	27,505	57.20
148	Chowchilla	18,876	57.10
149	Needles	4,882	57.00
150	Rancho Mirage	17,375	57.00
151	Lomita	20,409	56.70
152	Daly City	102,560	56.70
153	Los Alamitos	11,784	56.70
154	St. Helena	5,378	56.50
155	Palm Desert	51,551	56.40
156	Whittier	85,925	56.20
157	Carlsbad	114,500	56.10
158	Stanton	38,639	55.80
159	Albany	19,768	55.60
160	Modesto	218,614	55.50
161	Lemon Grove	27,489	55.30
162	Carpinteria	13,100	55.20
163	Montague	1,486	55.20
164	Los Gatos	32,773	55.10
165	San Clemente	63,510	55.00
166	National City	55,960	55.00
167	Bellflower	77,396	54.90
168	Fairfield	119,985	54.80
169	Union City	68,141	54.70
170	Calabasas	22,869	54.60
171	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)	31,399	54.50
172	Laguna Hills	30,921	54.50
173	Milpitas	78,216	54.50
174	Commerce	12,072	54.40
175	Livermore	85,870	54.30
176	Newark	47,145	54.30
177	Irvine	308,160	54.30
178	Rio Vista	10,002	54.00
179	Riverside	316,241	53.80
180	Grover Beach	12,687	53.70
181	Pacifica	37,527	53.70
182	Ferndale	1,525	53.50
183	Rancho Cordova	80,656	53.40
184	Redlands	72,985	53.20
185	Lakewood	80,510	53.20
186	Suisun City	29,205	53.10
187	San Bernardino	221,774	52.90
188	Avalon	3,373	52.80
189	Pomona	148,391	52.70
190	Turlock	72,400	52.70
191	Arroyo Grande	18,412	52.60
192	Mountain View	2,072	52.60
193	Lompoc	43,819	52.50
194	Desert Hot Springs	32,786	52.50
195	Gilroy	58,561	52.50
196	Benicia	26,861	52.50
197	Loma Linda	25,021	52.40
198	Foster City	32,964	52.20
199	Solvang	6,034	52.20
200	Westlake Village	7,829	52.20
201	Montebello	61,376	52.20
202	Merced	89,766	52.10
203	Pittsburg	75,868	52.00
204	California City	14,821	51.80
205	Aliso Viejo	51,320	51.80
206	San Pablo	31,771	51.60
207	Placentia	52,384	51.00
208	Laguna Niguel	64,023	51.00
209	San Dimas	34,099	50.90
210	Covina	50,143	50.90
211	Vacaville	102,085	50.70
212	Cloverdale	8,933	50.20
213	Vista	98,646	50.10
214	Angels	3,721	50.10
215	Westminster	90,147	50.00
216	Upland	78,940	49.90
217	Compton	93,525	49.90
218	Roseville	152,438	49.80
219	Oxnard	201,014	49.70
220	Colusa	6,439	49.60
221	El Cajon	104,909	49.60
222	Belvedere	2,415	49.60
223	Folsom	82,140	49.30
224	Ione	5,306	49.10
225	Banning	30,680	49.10
226	Salinas	161,993	49.00
227	Taft	7,228	48.90
228	Thousand Oaks	125,676	48.80
229	Brea	47,337	48.80
230	Hercules	26,245	48.70
231	Hawaiian Gardens	13,816	48.60
232	Alhambra	81,483	48.50
233	La Habra Heights	5,546	48.30
234	Yuba City	69,545	48.20
235	Fowler	6,930	48.10
236	Arcadia	55,550	48.10
237	Santa Maria	109,880	48.10
238	Fountain Valley	56,358	48.00
239	Tustin	79,035	48.00
240	Downey	111,793	47.80
241	La Verne	30,804	47.80
242	Cathedral City	52,047	47.70
243	Windsor	26,179	47.50
244	Camarillo	70,244	47.50
245	West Sacramento	54,496	47.40
246	Rancho Cucamonga	174,693	47.20
247	La Habra	62,233	47.10
248	Artesia	16,044	47.00
249	Santee	59,485	46.90
250	Dos Palos	5,757	46.90
251	Hemet	90,646	46.90
252	Fortuna	12,413	46.70
253	Cupertino	58,886	46.60
254	Fremont	228,518	46.60
255	Bakersfield	408,366	46.60
256	Cerritos	48,340	46.50
257	Atwater	32,013	46.50
258	Tiburon	9,035	46.40
259	Chula Vista	275,030	46.30
260	Sutter Creek	2,687	46.30
261	Cypress	49,531	46.30
262	Lake Forest	85,846	46.20
263	Agoura Hills	19,881	46.10
264	Santa Ana	311,639	45.80
265	Rio Dell	3,371	45.80
266	Victorville	135,983	45.70
267	Duarte	21,921	45.70
268	San Juan Capistrano	34,998	45.70
269	Azusa	49,318	45.60
270	Dublin	70,542	45.60
271	Orinda	19,472	45.50
272	La Quinta	38,299	45.40
273	San Marcos	94,078	45.30
274	Simi Valley	125,769	45.20
275	Oakdale	23,155	45.10
276	Escalon	7,429	45.00
277	Monterey Park	59,639	44.80
278	Coalinga	17,352	44.80
279	Atascadero	29,735	44.80
280	Carson	93,523	44.80
281	Morgan Hill	45,152	44.70
282	Grand Terrace	13,069	44.60
283	Rocklin	72,340	44.60
284	Corning	8,168	44.50
285	Pleasanton	77,500	44.50
286	Hanford	59,389	44.50
287	Twentynine Palms	28,738	44.50
288	Stallion Springs	2,215	44.10
289	La Palma	15,375	44.10
290	Dixon	19,158	44.10
291	Paradise	6,793	44.00
292	Apple Valley	75,478	43.90
293	Watsonville	51,968	43.90
294	Palos Verdes Estates	13,047	43.60
295	Montclair	37,809	43.60
296	Tracy	95,358	43.40
297	Huntington Park	53,658	43.30
298	Lynwood	65,291	43.10
299	Ross	2,626	43.10
300	Moraga	16,790	43.00
301	Orange	138,723	42.90
302	Palmdale	165,487	42.80
303	Rialto	103,866	42.70
304	Selma	24,586	42.60
305	Rancho Palos Verdes	41,259	42.50
306	Brentwood	64,609	42.50
307	Williams	5,569	42.30
308	Pico Rivera	60,821	42.10
309	Lafayette	25,277	42.00
310	Manteca	86,521	41.80
311	Willits	4,945	41.70
312	Yucaipa	54,348	41.60
313	Rolling Hills Estates	8,158	41.60
314	Indio	90,669	41.60
315	Visalia	142,649	41.30
316	Blythe	17,824	41.10
317	Clayton	10,962	41.00
318	San Gabriel	38,764	41.00
319	Lemoore	27,023	41.00
320	Hesperia	100,141	40.90
321	Danville	43,426	40.90
322	Broadmoor	4,467	40.80
323	Atherton	7,021	40.70
324	Highland	56,690	40.60
325	San Ramon	85,734	40.40
326	Norwalk	100,713	39.90
327	Rancho Santa Margarita	47,257	39.80
328	Garden Grove	170,603	39.80
329	Paramount	52,546	39.80
330	Glendora	51,350	39.70
331	South Gate	91,836	39.70
332	Santa Clarita	229,021	39.70
333	Mission Viejo	92,415	39.70
334	Lodi	67,008	39.60
335	Colton	53,798	39.60
336	Gridley	7,372	39.60
337	Chino	91,775	39.50
338	Weed	2,765	39.50
339	Hollister	43,003	39.40
340	Bell	32,830	39.40
341	West Covina	107,436	39.20
342	Los Altos	30,736	38.90
343	El Monte	107,066	38.50
344	Poway	48,515	38.50
345	Santa Paula	31,202	38.30
346	Cudahy	22,325	38.30
347	Woodland	61,256	38.10
348	Monte Sereno	3,459	38.10
349	Saratoga	30,335	37.80
350	Temple City	35,749	37.70
351	Winters	7,453	37.70
352	Hidden Hills	2,079	37.60
353	Lincoln	51,629	37.40
354	Murrieta	111,621	37.40
355	Galt	25,665	37.40
356	Maywood	24,593	37.30
357	Hughson	7,541	37.30
358	Rosemead	50,340	37.20
359	Hillsborough	11,122	37.10
360	Canyon Lake	11,107	37.10
361	Clovis	122,719	36.90
362	Adelanto	38,010	36.70
363	Yorba Linda	67,407	36.70
364	Calimesa	10,680	36.50
365	Orland	8,252	36.50
366	Ceres	48,918	36.50
367	Tulare	69,984	36.50
368	Greenfield	4,399	36.50
369	Los Altos Hills	8,367	36.30
370	Piedmont	11,012	36.20
371	Corona	158,839	36.20
372	Corcoran	22,626	36.00
373	Rolling Hills	1,511	35.90
374	Buena Park	83,052	35.60
375	Ontario	178,347	35.20
376	La Mirada	46,945	34.90
377	Gustine	6,118	34.70
378	Baldwin Park	70,720	34.60
379	Huron	6,425	34.50
380	South El Monte	19,413	34.30
381	La Puente	37,404	34.00
382	Elk Grove	177,221	34.00
383	La Cañada Flintridge	20,094	34.00
384	Temecula	110,404	33.70
385	San Marino	12,279	33.70
386	Mendota	12,554	33.70
387	Villa Park	5,776	33.60
388	Beaumont	54,817	33.50
389	Avenal	13,441	33.40
390	Moorpark	35,957	33.30
391	Chino Hills	78,024	33.30
392	Sanger	26,515	33.00
393	Parlier	14,545	32.70
394	Fillmore	16,665	32.60
395	Walnut	27,857	32.50
396	Reedley	25,446	32.40
397	Kerman	16,492	32.30
398	Arvin	19,478	32.30
399	Menifee	107,020	32.20
400	Westmorland	1,734	32.10
401	San Fernando	23,716	32.00
402	Diamond Bar	53,750	31.30
403	Exeter	10,280	31.20
404	Kingsburg	12,589	31.00
405	Gonzales	8,526	31.00
406	Bear Valley Springs	5,787	31.00
407	Oakley	44,311	30.90
408	Norco	25,211	30.90
409	Ripon	16,117	30.90
410	Los Banos	46,776	30.70
411	Dinuba	25,201	30.30
412	Bell Gardens	38,661	30.00
413	Porterville	62,765	30.00
414	Brawley	26,934	29.10
415	Madera	67,133	29.10
416	El Centro	44,186	28.80
417	Moreno Valley	210,378	28.70
418	Fontana	211,921	28.50
419	Perris	79,349	28.40
420	San Jacinto	54,756	27.70
421	Coachella	42,594	27.70
422	Lake Elsinore	71,516	27.40
423	Biggs	2,254	27.20
424	Soledad	24,476	27.00
425	Farmersville	10,336	26.40
426	Patterson	24,306	26.40
427	Riverbank	24,881	26.10
428	Woodlake	7,651	25.60
429	Livingston	14,450	25.20
430	Lindsay	12,572	25.00
431	Wheatland	3,790	24.90
432	McFarland	14,138	24.50
433	King City	13,512	22.60
434	Wildomar	36,953	21.90
435	Delano	50,835	21.40
436	Imperial	20,943	21.20
437	Calexico	38,476	20.10
438	Shafter	20,618	19.40
439	Waterford	9,177	18.20
440	Wasco	26,222	18.20
441	Orange Cove	9,607	17.90
442	Fairfax	1,654	17.60
443	Firebaugh	8,301	15.50
444	Guadalupe	8,422	15.20
445	Holtville	5,606	14.00
446	Newman	12,299	11.30
447	Calipatria	6,549	9.20

Methodology

Cities in California are ranked by family score. Only cities with populations above 1,000 are included. Data sourced from Multiple Sources. Last updated 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the #1 best cities for families in california?: Santa Monica ranks #1 with 90.30 (family score).
What are the top 5 best cities for families in california?: 1. Santa Monica (90.30), 2. Emeryville (88.30), 3. San Francisco (87.60), 4. West Hollywood (87.10), 5. Berkeley (86.80)
How many cities in California are ranked?: This ranking includes 447 cities in California with available data.

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