Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Danville vs Lafayette

10 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+21% in Danville) and typical home built (20 yrs in Lafayette).

×
Danville, CAHomes around $1.82MCalifornia · 43,401 people
×
Lafayette, CAHomes around $1.88MCalifornia · 25,285 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

DanvilleHomes around $1.82M
Housing$1.82M typical home139% above the CA typical home Schools#204 for schools in CAof 574 towns HealthHealthier than 97%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Danville →
LafayetteHomes around $1.88M
Housing$1.88M typical home147% above the CA typical home Schools#22 for schools in CAof 574 towns HealthHealthier than 98%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lafayette →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Rent+21%
Rent runs higher in Danville
Danville $3,501Lafayette $2,892
Typical home built20 yrs
Lafayette’s homes are older
Danville 1980Lafayette 1960
Home values+19%
Homes cost more in Lafayette
Lafayette $2,000,001Danville $1,681,700
Jobs per worker+53%
Lafayette is more of a job hub
Lafayette 0.92Danville 0.60
Homeowners+8.4 pts renters
Lafayette has more renters
Danville 85.5%Lafayette 77.1%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Lafayette places higher on 11 of 22 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
A−DanvilleSafer than 81% of U.S. towns BLafayetteSafer than 61% of U.S. towns
Schools
ADanvilleBetter than 90% of districts in the state A+LafayetteBetter than 97% of districts in the state
Health
A+DanvilleHealthier than 97% of U.S. towns A+LafayetteHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns
8Danville
11Lafayette

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #179#3 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #204#22 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #203#410 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #655#506 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #412#547 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #448#332 SafestSafety · 411 towns #7#55 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #238#152

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Danville’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $190 more a month in Lafayette

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Danville$10,470/mo
Typical home $1.82M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Lafayette$10,660/mo
Typical home $1.88M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $2,892/mo · Housing →

The difference: $190 a month, about $2,300 a year, between Lafayette and Danville.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
DanvilleLafayette
Snow a year1″0″
January low42°F—
July high83°F—
Growing season (days)282d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd96th
Outdoors & history
DanvilleLafayette
Trails39 mi28 mi
Conserved land10.6%16%
Settled19821848
National Register places3—
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here—11
Community
DanvilleLafayette
Library hours a week56 hrs56 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

10 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DanvilleLafayetteDanvilleLafayette
Danville ↔ Lafayette9.8 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

DanvilleLafayette
People
Population 43,401Highest 25,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +6.3%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 45.4±1.7Lowest 20% above CA 45.7±1.4Highest 21% above CA
Lafayette and Danville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.4%±2Lowest CA: 22% 25.7%±2.6Highest CA: 22%
Lafayette and Danville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.9%±1.6Lowest CA: 15.7% 21.3%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7%
Lafayette and Danville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 73.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 79%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.6%±1.1Highest CA: 7.6% 3.8%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Danville and Lafayette are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $232,216±$14kHighest 134% above CA $228,250±$25kLowest 130% above CA
Danville and Lafayette are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,681,700±$36kLowest 129% above CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501Highest 72% above CA $2,892±$302Lowest 42% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 95% above CA $10,000+ at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.6%±7Highest CA: 55.3% 35.5%±9.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 3.8%Highest CA: 12% 2.9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.5%Highest CA: 55.9% 77.1%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA 1960Lowest 16 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 13% above CA 29 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 37.3%±2.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 42.9%±4.8Highest CA: 17.2%
Lafayette and Danville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.8%Lowest 7.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.60Lowest 0.92Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (10%)San Francisco (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LafayetteFew work in Danville
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.6%Lowest 16%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 38.7 miHighest 27.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.2 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 71.3Highest 51.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #204 of 574 in CA#22 of 574 in CA
School district San Ramon Valley UnifiedAcalanes Union High · Lafayette Elementary
High school in town Monte Vista HighAcalanes High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.0Highest 19.5Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Danville neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Danville can answer.

Lafayette neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lafayette’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Danville and Lafayette

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Danville

+ Compare
Alamo14,488 people · $2M homes
D
+ Compare
Diablo1,232 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
Blackhawk10,137 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
San Ramon85,993 people · $1.51M homes

Towns like Danville

+ Compare
Rancho Palos Verdes40,864 people · $1.61M homes
+ Compare
La Cañada Flintridge19,935 people · $2M homes
S
+ Compare
Saratoga30,319 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
Los Altos30,698 people · $2M homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Danville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in