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Compare towns

Milpitas vs Alameda

29 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+14.1 pts in Milpitas) and household income (+30% in Milpitas).

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Milpitas, CAHomes around $1.39MCalifornia · 78,578 people
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Alameda, CAHometown of 79 notable peopleCalifornia · 77,238 people
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.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,330 more a month in Milpitas

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.

Milpitas$8,060/mo
Typical home $1.39M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $3,120/mo · Housing →
Alameda$6,730/mo
Typical home $1.14M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $2,474/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,330 a month, about $16,000 a year, between Milpitas and Alameda.

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.

Report cards

Milpitas places higher on 12 of 21 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.

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
MilpitasAlameda
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F—
July high82°F—
Growing season (days)362d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)96th96th
Outdoors & history
MilpitasAlameda
Conserved land10.4%3.1%
Settled18521853
National Register places213
Archive photos—22
Famous people born here—79
Community
MilpitasAlameda
Library hours a week68 hrs54 hrs
Colleges in town11
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

29 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MilpitasAlamedaMilpitasAlameda
Milpitas ↔ Alameda29 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.

MilpitasAlameda
People
Population 78,578Highest 77,238Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +20.2%Highest CA: +6.1% +6.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 36.8±0.7Lowest about the CA average 41±0.9Highest 8% above CA
Kids under 18 20.3%±1.2Lowest CA: 22% 22%±1.4Highest CA: 22%
Alameda and Milpitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.9%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 17.9%±1.1Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 58.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 61.5%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.7%±0.8Highest CA: 7.6% 6.3%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Milpitas and Alameda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $178,798±$11kHighest 80% above CA $137,697±$5kLowest 39% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,251,700±$39kHighest 70% above CA $1,235,700±$42kLowest 68% above CA
Milpitas and Alameda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,120±$150Highest 53% above CA $2,474±$62Lowest 22% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,582Lowest 67% above CA $9,949Highest 94% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36%±4.3Lowest CA: 55.3% 44.8%±4.3Highest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 5.9%Lowest CA: 12% 7.2%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.4%Highest CA: 55.9% 50.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1987Highest 11 yrs newer than CA 1965Lowest 11 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 10% below CA 32 minHighest 10% above CA
Work from home 25.2%±2.3Lowest CA: 17.2% 32.7%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 9.6%Lowest 12.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.10Highest 0.86Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Jose (26%)San Francisco (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AlamedaFew work in Milpitas
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.4%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 22.8 miHighest 14.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 29Lowest 32Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 98.6Highest 67.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #45 of 574 in CA—
School district Milpitas UnifiedThe Academy of Alameda District · Alameda Community Learning Center District
High school in town Milpitas HighAlameda High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.5Lowest 23.6Highest
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.

Milpitas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Milpitas’s Town Square.

Alameda neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alameda’s Town Square.

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Bordering Milpitas

Towns like Milpitas

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.

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