The 10 Best Hayward Suburbs To Live In For 2024


The best Hayward suburbs are Los Altos Hills and Los Altos for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

While big cities like Hayward offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.

With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Hayward. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Hayward without actually having to be in the city.

Of course, not all suburbs of Hayward are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Hayward area.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


What’s the best suburb of Hayward? Los Altos Hills ranks as the best suburb of Hayward for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Los Altos Hills, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Hayward ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.

Feel free to check out some more reading about California:

The 10 Best Hayward Suburbs To Live For 2024

Los Altos Hills, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 8,441
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.0%
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Los Altos Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Hayward area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Los Altos Hills.”

Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 5th highest in the Hayward region. And only 2.78% are out of work. Homes average more than $5,525,121 each.

Los Altos, CA

Source: Wikipedia User User:Kelly | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 31,133
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Los Altos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Los Altos is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Hayward for 2024.

It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 1.33% of residents lack insurance, good for 12th best.

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,124
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Here in Atherton, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Hayward metro area.

The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.

But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Atherton.

Piedmont, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Sam Pullara | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 11,161
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Piedmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Piedmont ranks as the 4th best suburb of Hayward for 2024.

You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Piedmont and the schools are some of the best around.

5. Belvedere, CA

Belvedere, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Brocken Inaglory | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,327
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.9%
More on Belvedere: Crime | Real Estate

Coming in as the fifth best is Belvedere.

Belvedere gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Hayward area, where houses sell for an average of $4,544,020. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Monte Sereno, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Jack_Tramiel.jpg: Alex Handy from Oakland, Nmibia Cropped and brightened by Ubcule | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,444
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
Poverty Rate: 0.6%
More on Monte Sereno: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Monte Sereno is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.

Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 0.91%.

According to online reports, Monte Sereno is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Hayward area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Cupertino, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 59,763
Median Income: $223,667
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Cupertino: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Cupertino.

Cupertino schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.

And, it’s only 21.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Orinda, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Andwhatsnext at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 19,477
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on Orinda: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Orinda is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.

A solid 0.63% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.

Portola Valley, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,397
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Portola Valley: Data | Real Estate

Is ‘Everything Better In Portola Valley?’

Almost.

It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.

Saratoga, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 30,771
Median Income: $237,730
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Saratoga: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Saratoga.

This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Hayward for 2024

Figuring out the best suburbs around Hayward was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.

We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:

  • Low unemployment rate
  • High median household incomes
  • Population density (lots of things to do)
  • High home values
  • A lot of college-educated people
  • Low poverty
  • High rate of insured families

We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Hayward.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 66 suburbs to evaluate around Hayward.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 66 in each category, where 1 was the “best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.

Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Hayward.” We’re lookin’ at you, Los Altos Hills.

This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.

We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Hayward suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Hayward ‘Burbs of 2024

We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.

The best suburbs of Hayward are .

So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Hayward but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.

For more California reading, check out:

Table: Best Hayward Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Average Home Price
1 Los Altos Hills, CA 8,441 $250,001 $5,525,121
2 Los Altos, CA 31,133 $250,001 $4,060,663
3 Atherton, CA 7,124 $250,001 $7,732,900
4 Piedmont, CA 11,161 $250,001 $2,521,288
5 Belvedere, CA 2,327 $250,001 $4,544,020
6 Monte Sereno, CA 3,444 $250,001 $3,980,200
7 Cupertino, CA 59,763 $223,667 $2,701,204
8 Orinda, CA 19,477 $250,001 $2,000,722
9 Portola Valley, CA 4,397 $250,001 $3,841,103
10 Saratoga, CA 30,771 $237,730 $3,602,379
11 San Carlos, CA 30,490 $219,413 $2,206,123
12 Hillsborough, CA 11,258 $250,001 $5,101,758
13 Palo Alto, CA 67,901 $214,118 $3,220,174
14 Danville, CA 43,449 $209,518 $1,861,576
15 Woodside, CA 5,256 $250,001 $3,633,237
16 Los Gatos, CA 33,093 $198,117 $2,554,492
17 Dublin, CA 71,068 $191,039 $1,293,624
18 Tiburon, CA 9,115 $200,886 $2,963,608
19 Mountain View, CA 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861
20 Mountain View, CA 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861
21 Mountain View, CA 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861
22 Mountain View, CA 82,132 $174,156 $1,845,861
23 San Ramon, CA 86,119 $190,829 $1,550,726
24 Menlo Park, CA 33,324 $198,273 $2,574,718
25 Pleasanton, CA 78,691 $181,639 $1,582,884
26 Burlingame, CA 30,995 $165,940 $2,516,360
27 Lafayette, CA 25,310 $219,250 $1,924,093
28 Sunnyvale, CA 154,573 $174,506 $1,875,596
29 Clayton, CA 11,070 $164,899 $1,066,247
30 Moraga, CA 16,859 $193,707 $1,737,291
31 Campbell, CA 43,464 $141,794 $1,652,630
32 Belmont, CA 27,820 $185,944 $2,118,293
33 Albany, CA 20,027 $124,469 $1,208,704
34 Sausalito, CA 7,233 $163,170 $1,538,563
35 Millbrae, CA 22,825 $146,649 $1,927,421
36 Livermore, CA 87,154 $152,590 $1,087,248
37 Fremont, CA 228,795 $169,023 $1,413,076
38 Pacifica, CA 38,048 $151,849 $1,246,502
39 Milpitas, CA 79,092 $166,769 $1,346,828
40 Santa Clara, CA 128,058 $165,352 $1,524,900
41 Half Moon Bay, CA 11,633 $148,702 $1,510,034
42 South San Francisco, CA 65,596 $127,062 $1,191,225
43 Walnut Creek, CA 69,809 $129,971 $1,086,764
44 San Mateo, CA 104,165 $149,152 $1,510,087
45 Pleasant Hill, CA 34,504 $137,685 $996,672
46 San Bruno, CA 43,218 $131,669 $1,253,713
47 Hercules, CA 26,041 $125,880 $800,088
48 Newark, CA 47,470 $159,465 $1,189,585
49 Martinez, CA 37,093 $124,669 $774,783
50 Alameda, CA 77,565 $129,917 $1,192,032
51 Berkeley, CA 121,385 $104,716 $1,400,497
52 El Cerrito, CA 25,869 $120,414 $1,162,177
53 Brentwood, CA 64,443 $134,689 $803,477
54 Emeryville, CA 12,840 $114,345 $532,929
55 San Jose, CA 1,001,176 $136,010 $1,330,692
56 Daly City, CA 103,648 $114,910 $1,122,306
57 Pinole, CA 18,946 $113,630 $742,842
58 Brisbane, CA 4,756 $137,583 $1,134,881
59 San Leandro, CA 89,723 $97,141 $830,087
60 East Palo Alto, CA 29,520 $103,248 $942,015
61 Concord, CA 125,007 $107,789 $754,708
62 Oakland, CA 437,825 $94,389 $790,956
63 San Pablo, CA 31,907 $72,552 $586,874
64 Antioch, CA 115,016 $90,709 $607,514
65 Pittsburg, CA 76,419 $98,408 $575,383
66 Richmond, CA 115,619 $86,618 $633,759
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.