California · best for young professionals · #50 of 50 states

Best Cities for Young Professionals in California

California ranks #50 of 50 for young professionals, with a young professionals score of 24.3. Folsom is its best city for young professionals at 68.9.

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#1 city in CA for young professionals

Folsom68.9

Young Professionals score out of 100

California, all states: #50 of 50
Population: 83,916

Open Folsom →

Unemployment

5.5%

BLS LAUS

Median income

$100,149

Census ACS

Pop. growth

-0.02%

Census estimates

Cost of living

110.7

BEA RPP · 100 = avg

Livability

32/100

Dining, arts, nightlife

What Young Professionals Should Know About California

California ranks #50 out of 50 for young professionals, suggesting some tradeoffs for career-focused relocators. The state's economy scores 42/100, though with 5.5% unemployment and a median household income of $100,149. Population decline of -0.02% may signal shrinking opportunity, though it can also mean less competition for roles.

For young professionals, the equation comes down to earning potential versus cost of living. A cost-of-living index of 110.7 means higher expenses, so salary negotiations need to account for the premium. Growth metrics are moderate, so career advancement may depend more on specific industries than broad market expansion.

Beyond the paycheck, livability matters. California's livability score of 32/100 is modest, which may matter to young professionals who value nightlife, dining, and cultural events. Transportation is car-dependent in most areas (score: 46/100), which is worth factoring into housing location decisions.

All 188 Cities Ranked for Young Professionals

# City	Grade	Young Professionals score	Overall	Economy	Growth	Walkability	Population
1Folsom	A+	68.9	68.0	80	82	57	83,916
2Palo Alto	A+	66.5	70.9	86	48	76	67,237
3Sunnyvale	A+	66.1	69.3	88	50	72	154,236
4Santa Clara	A+	65.1	68.1	87	50	71	130,256
5Mountain View	A	65.1	65.1	88	44	74	83,732
6Dublin	A	64.8	66.5	82	58	75	70,803
7El Dorado Hills	A	64.3	64.2	100	—	38	51,026
8Cupertino	A+	63.8	68.3	84	42	66	58,566
9Roseville	A	63.7	63.6	71	64	62	155,955
10San Francisco	A	63.5	64.1	81	47	79	830,235
11Castro Valley	B+	63.4	62.1	94	—	56	65,001
12Rocklin	A	62.7	64.8	72	58	56	73,327
13San Mateo	A+	62.0	67.1	87	47	56	103,105
14Encinitas	A	61.6	65.1	87	38	55	61,480
15Fremont	A	61.1	64.2	83	39	65	228,295
16Irvine	A	61.1	63.4	78	44	65	311,690
17Pleasanton	A	60.5	65.2	83	33	76	76,960
18Newport Beach	A	60.4	64.8	87	34	65	83,845
19Milpitas	B	60.4	58.6	82	37	70	78,578
20Elk Grove	A	60.2	63.3	71	51	56	179,155
21Laguna Niguel	A	60.0	64.1	81	43	56	64,139
22Placentia	B+	59.8	60.3	70	61	68	52,826
23Redwood City	A	59.5	64.0	87	39	53	82,447
24Livermore	A	59.2	63.2	85	35	67	85,522
25Lake Forest	B+	59.2	61.9	79	38	63	86,281
26San Ramon	A	59.1	64.5	82	41	52	85,993
27South San Francisco	B+	58.9	62.8	81	49	51	64,305
28Rancho Cordova	B	58.8	57.8	53	69	64	81,849
29Aliso Viejo	A	58.5	63.6	83	33	51	51,113
30Petaluma	B+	58.4	61.4	69	45	75	59,247
31San Jose	B+	58.4	59.7	81	42	67	990,138
32Redondo Beach	B+	58.0	60.7	79	28	70	69,291
33Alameda	B+	58.0	59.9	75	33	76	77,238
34Berkeley	B	57.9	57.1	64	49	78	120,257
35Yorba Linda	B+	57.4	62.9	86	34	45	67,170
36Mission Viejo	B+	57.4	62.2	78	33	61	92,151
37Daly City	B+	57.4	62.0	75	44	51	101,964
38Beaumont	B	57.4	56.9	61	60	61	56,266
39Orange	B+	57.3	59.4	70	41	69	138,266
40Thousand Oaks	B+	57.2	62.3	77	29	60	125,205
41Eastvale	B+	57.2	60.5	85	38	54	70,633
42Carlsbad	B+	57.1	61.2	80	31	52	114,373
43Lincoln	B	57.1	56.8	66	61	46	52,956
44San Clemente	B+	56.9	62.1	81	33	52	63,273
45Huntington Beach	B+	56.5	60.0	72	35	71	195,240
46Simi Valley	B+	56.5	59.9	71	36	61	125,634
47San Rafael	B	56.2	58.0	73	35	62	60,433
48West Sacramento	B	56.1	57.0	54	46	67	54,927
49Walnut Creek	B+	56.0	59.1	74	35	55	70,088
50Temecula	B	56.0	56.6	68	54	49	111,167
51Costa Mesa	B	55.8	58.2	70	41	70	110,330
52Davis	B	55.8	57.6	57	36	72	66,978
53San Diego	B	55.4	57.0	64	43	61	1,389,526
54Gilroy	B	55.4	56.0	72	51	64	59,004
55Fountain Valley	B+	55.1	59.0	67	34	74	56,258
56Clovis	B	55.1	57.0	58	42	55	124,725
57Tustin	B	54.7	57.3	69	35	63	78,981
58Redlands	B	54.7	56.4	63	40	56	73,375
59Union City	B	54.6	57.5	75	33	65	67,464
60Novato	B+	54.4	59.6	67	35	61	52,546
61San Buenaventura (Ventura)	B	54.4	56.8	63	41	68	109,857
62Rancho Cucamonga	B	54.4	55.8	66	45	58	175,411
63Santa Rosa	B	54.3	58.0	60	47	52	177,090
64Arcadia	B	54.3	57.8	64	33	64	55,170
65Torrance	B	54.1	56.3	65	30	72	142,130
66Santa Ana	B	54.0	55.8	60	44	71	312,534
67Brentwood	B	53.6	57.3	77	44	49	65,208
68Fontana	C+	53.6	55.5	59	46	57	214,169
69Hacienda Heights	C+	53.6	54.1	65	—	65	54,291
70Chino	C+	53.6	53.3	62	56	51	92,652
71Murrieta	B	53.5	55.9	64	46	52	112,064
72Santa Cruz	C+	53.5	55.6	66	26	70	61,607
73Tracy	B	53.4	57.1	66	52	47	96,966
74Woodland	B	53.4	57.1	43	35	74	61,854
75Buena Park	B	53.4	55.9	67	36	70	82,871
76Santa Barbara	C+	53.4	55.4	70	38	52	87,779
77Vacaville	B	53.3	56.9	63	36	66	102,596
78Chino Hills	B	53.2	57.0	74	38	38	77,927
79La Habra	C+	53.2	55.6	63	36	72	61,970
80Yucaipa	C	53.1	50.5	55	43	53	54,421
81Santa Monica	C+	53.0	54.3	60	30	81	91,169
82Covina	C+	52.8	55.5	55	38	74	49,888
83Pasadena	C+	52.5	53.5	58	32	72	136,969
84Chula Vista	C+	52.4	54.7	62	34	63	276,375
85Carmichael	C	52.3	52.0	44	—	62	76,948
86Vista	C+	52.2	55.7	59	33	61	99,114
87Upland	C+	52.2	54.5	64	37	55	79,257
88Sacramento	C+	52.2	52.6	52	40	67	528,706
89Glendora	B	52.1	55.9	62	29	67	50,926
90La Mesa	C	52.1	51.3	59	31	66	60,797
91Garden Grove	C+	52.0	55.6	58	37	70	170,964
92Camarillo	B	51.8	56.2	68	28	43	70,186
93Corona	C+	51.8	53.3	65	40	55	159,670
94Concord	C+	51.8	52.7	65	37	62	124,035
95Hayward	C+	51.4	53.4	65	38	65	158,801
96Fullerton	C+	51.3	53.8	63	33	67	140,968
97Manteca	C+	51.2	53.5	52	60	46	89,043
98Oceanside	C+	51.2	53.2	59	37	57	172,242
99Lake Elsinore	C	51.1	51.9	58	51	48	72,461
100Citrus Heights	C+	51.0	54.3	50	34	58	86,995
101South Whittier	C	51.0	50.4	57	—	62	55,650
102Lakewood	C+	50.9	54.9	65	31	53	79,850
103Ontario	C	50.8	52.4	54	45	57	180,547
104Menifee	C	50.8	51.8	53	53	47	110,305
105Santa Clarita	B	50.7	55.8	66	33	40	230,221
106Napa	C+	50.7	53.5	64	34	45	78,239
107Alhambra	C+	50.5	54.7	51	32	70	81,022
108San Leandro	C+	50.5	52.8	60	32	69	87,826
109Monterey Park	C+	50.5	52.8	50	30	74	59,132
110San Marcos	C	50.5	51.9	67	35	51	94,882
111Palm Desert	C	50.3	51.3	41	40	53	51,990
112Redding	C	50.3	50.2	44	42	54	93,409
113Diamond Bar	C+	50.2	54.1	61	30	53	53,355
114Santee	D	50.2	48.8	66	28	53	59,332
115Escondido	C+	50.1	53.2	58	28	62	149,668
116Arden-Arcade	C	49.9	50.0	37	—	68	94,994
117Oxnard	C	49.8	51.5	53	34	72	200,928
118Turlock	C+	49.7	53.1	44	34	68	72,502
119Anaheim	C	49.7	52.0	60	36	66	344,521
120West Covina	C+	49.6	54.1	57	28	64	107,037
121Oakland	D	49.6	46.3	59	40	71	439,418
122Westminster	C	49.3	52.4	52	35	74	89,860
123Carson	C	49.3	52.3	58	30	63	92,871
124Glendale	C	49.3	51.7	49	31	65	190,748
125Fairfield	C	49.3	51.1	58	38	56	120,785
126Norwalk	C+	49.2	53.2	55	26	67	99,789
127Chico	D	49.1	48.5	42	48	41	102,188
128Rialto	D	49.0	48.5	49	46	62	104,143
129Jurupa Valley	C	48.8	52.4	57	33	52	107,011
130Hanford	C	48.8	50.8	28	42	61	59,754
131Riverside	C	48.7	49.0	54	37	62	319,069
132Cathedral City	C	48.6	50.9	43	33	56	52,267
133Downey	C	48.4	51.7	53	30	67	110,939
134Burbank	C	48.4	50.7	45	27	69	104,546
135Visalia	C	48.4	50.5	43	35	43	143,939
136Lodi	C	48.3	50.3	44	37	52	67,607
137Highland	D	48.1	48.4	45	46	54	56,675
138Bakersfield	D	48.0	47.4	40	39	58	411,986
139Richmond	D	48.0	47.2	56	36	69	115,505
140Pittsburg	C	47.8	50.1	56	44	47	76,257
141Indio	C	47.8	49.0	41	35	52	91,950
142Whittier	C	47.6	51.2	53	30	64	86,165
143Baldwin Park	C	47.4	50.6	46	31	66	70,138
144Perris	D	47.4	48.8	48	43	56	80,511
145Rosemead	C	47.2	49.8	46	34	66	50,013
146Santa Maria	D	46.9	47.8	41	36	69	110,462
147National City	D	46.9	47.4	41	31	74	58,893
148Moreno Valley	C	46.8	49.1	50	36	56	211,666
149El Monte	D	46.8	48.7	42	38	65	106,109
150Los Angeles	D	46.6	47.4	45	34	71	3,857,263
151Colton	D	46.4	48.2	42	31	56	53,772
152Montebello	C	46.1	49.5	47	38	47	61,045
153Gardena	D	46.0	48.0	48	30	66	59,422
154Pico Rivera	D	46.0	47.9	48	28	61	60,272
155Long Beach	D	45.9	45.8	49	34	55	455,548
156Pomona	D	45.3	46.0	44	36	64	147,943
157Modesto	D	45.2	47.1	39	29	68	219,215
158Vallejo	D	45.2	45.3	51	33	63	124,268
159El Cajon	D	45.2	44.0	43	26	66	104,449
160South Gate	D	45.1	46.4	45	31	66	91,483
161Fresno	D	44.9	45.5	35	33	62	545,970
162Tulare	D	44.8	46.3	32	44	38	70,945
163Bellflower	D	44.7	47.8	45	26	67	76,819
164San Jacinto	D	44.7	46.4	41	37	58	55,180
165Paramount	D	44.4	47.1	43	27	69	52,050
166East Los Angeles	F	44.1	40.9	29	—	70	111,647
167Hawthorne	D	43.1	43.2	44	27	65	85,191
168Lynwood	D	43.1	43.2	41	33	66	64,578
169Yuba City	D	42.9	48.5	24	24	63	69,471
170Huntington Park	D	42.8	43.2	39	27	68	53,108
171Antioch	D	42.5	43.8	53	41	41	116,477
172Hemet	F	42.0	42.3	26	37	60	91,326
173Stockton	D	41.8	42.6	35	30	65	322,326
174Florence-Graham	F	41.7	37.9	26	—	71	60,690
175San Bernardino	F	41.6	41.2	38	33	60	222,724
176Hesperia	D	41.4	43.3	37	36	45	100,775
177Merced	F	41.4	42.1	22	32	66	91,953
178Madera	D	41.3	43.6	21	24	67	67,831
179Inglewood	F	41.1	41.3	39	24	68	104,569
180Lancaster	F	40.7	40.6	36	37	36	169,169
181Apple Valley	F	40.3	41.4	34	29	45	75,473
182Victorville	F	40.0	38.6	34	33	53	137,627
183Compton	F	39.9	39.2	40	25	68	92,698
184Salinas	D	39.6	44.7	27	17	68	161,761
185Palmdale	F	39.2	41.3	39	27	37	164,634
186Watsonville	D	38.8	44.9	19	15	76	51,712
187Porterville	F	36.0	41.8	11	15	38	63,157
188Delano	D	35.3	43.4	14	6	39	51,679

City young professionals scores use each city's own data, with the category weights rescaled over the categories the city has; outdoor access has no city-level measure and is left out.

Compare: States with Similar Young Professionals Rankings

Also See: California for Other Lifestyles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is California a good state for young professionals?

California ranks #50 out of 50 for young professionals with a persona-weighted score of 24.3/100. Its strongest relevant category is Health (78/100) and its weakest is Growth (6/100).

What is the best city for young professionals in California?

Folsom ranks #1 in California for young professionals with a score of 68.9/100, followed by Palo Alto and Sunnyvale.

What factors are most important for young professionals in California?

Rankings weighted toward job market strength, economic growth, affordable living, transportation, and vibrant community life — the factors that attract ambitious young professionals.

# City

Grade

Young Professionals score

Overall

Economy

Growth

Walkability

Population

1Folsom

A+

68.9

68.0

83,916

2Palo Alto

A+

66.5

70.9

67,237

3Sunnyvale

A+

66.1

69.3

154,236

4Santa Clara

A+

65.1

68.1

130,256

5Mountain View

65.1

83,732

6Dublin

64.8

66.5

70,803

7El Dorado Hills

64.3

64.2

100

—

51,026

8Cupertino

A+

63.8

68.3

58,566

9Roseville

63.7

63.6

155,955

10San Francisco

63.5

64.1

830,235

11Castro Valley

B+

63.4

62.1

—

65,001

12Rocklin

62.7

64.8

73,327

13San Mateo

A+

62.0

67.1

103,105

14Encinitas

61.6

65.1

61,480

15Fremont

61.1

64.2

228,295

16Irvine

61.1

63.4

311,690

17Pleasanton

60.5

65.2

76,960

18Newport Beach

60.4

64.8

83,845

19Milpitas

60.4

58.6

78,578

20Elk Grove

60.2

63.3

179,155

21Laguna Niguel

60.0

64.1

64,139

22Placentia

B+

59.8

60.3

52,826

23Redwood City

59.5

64.0

82,447

24Livermore

59.2

63.2

85,522

25Lake Forest

B+

59.2

61.9

86,281

26San Ramon

59.1

64.5

85,993

27South San Francisco

B+

58.9

62.8

64,305

28Rancho Cordova

58.8

57.8

81,849

29Aliso Viejo

58.5

63.6

51,113

30Petaluma

B+

58.4

61.4

59,247

31San Jose

B+

58.4

59.7

990,138

32Redondo Beach

B+

58.0

60.7

69,291

33Alameda

B+

58.0

59.9

77,238

34Berkeley

57.9

57.1

120,257

35Yorba Linda

B+

57.4

62.9

67,170

36Mission Viejo

B+

57.4

62.2

92,151

37Daly City

B+

57.4

62.0

101,964

38Beaumont

57.4

56.9

56,266

39Orange

B+

57.3

59.4

138,266

40Thousand Oaks

B+

57.2

62.3

125,205

41Eastvale

B+

57.2

60.5

70,633

42Carlsbad

B+

57.1

61.2

114,373

43Lincoln

57.1

56.8

52,956

44San Clemente

B+

56.9

62.1

63,273

45Huntington Beach

B+

56.5

60.0

195,240

46Simi Valley

B+

56.5

59.9

125,634

47San Rafael

56.2

58.0

60,433

48West Sacramento

56.1

57.0

54,927

49Walnut Creek

B+

56.0

59.1

70,088

50Temecula

56.0

56.6

111,167

51Costa Mesa

55.8

58.2

110,330

52Davis

55.8

57.6

66,978

53San Diego

55.4

57.0

1,389,526

54Gilroy

55.4

56.0

59,004

55Fountain Valley

B+

55.1

59.0

56,258

56Clovis

55.1

57.0

124,725

57Tustin

54.7

57.3

78,981

58Redlands

54.7

56.4

73,375

59Union City

54.6

57.5

67,464

60Novato

B+

54.4

59.6

52,546

61San Buenaventura (Ventura)

54.4

56.8

109,857

62Rancho Cucamonga

54.4

55.8

175,411

63Santa Rosa

54.3

58.0

177,090

64Arcadia

54.3

57.8

55,170

65Torrance

54.1

56.3

142,130

66Santa Ana

54.0

55.8

312,534

67Brentwood

53.6

57.3

65,208

68Fontana

C+

53.6

55.5

214,169

69Hacienda Heights

C+

53.6

54.1

—

54,291

70Chino

C+

53.6

53.3

92,652

71Murrieta

53.5

55.9

112,064

72Santa Cruz

C+

53.5

55.6

61,607

73Tracy

53.4

57.1

96,966

74Woodland

53.4

57.1

61,854

75Buena Park

53.4

55.9

82,871

76Santa Barbara

C+

53.4

55.4

87,779

77Vacaville

53.3

56.9

102,596

78Chino Hills

53.2

57.0

77,927

79La Habra

C+

53.2

55.6

61,970

80Yucaipa

53.1

50.5

54,421

81Santa Monica

C+

53.0

54.3

91,169

82Covina

C+

52.8

55.5

49,888

83Pasadena

C+

52.5

53.5

136,969

84Chula Vista

C+

52.4

54.7

276,375

85Carmichael

52.3

52.0

—

76,948

86Vista

C+

52.2

55.7

99,114

87Upland

C+

52.2

54.5

79,257

88Sacramento

C+

52.2

52.6

528,706

89Glendora

52.1

55.9

50,926

90La Mesa

52.1

51.3

60,797

91Garden Grove

C+

52.0

55.6

170,964

92Camarillo

51.8

56.2

70,186

93Corona

C+

51.8

53.3

159,670

94Concord

C+

51.8

52.7

124,035

95Hayward

C+

51.4

53.4

158,801

96Fullerton

C+

51.3

53.8

140,968

97Manteca

C+

51.2

53.5

89,043

98Oceanside

C+

51.2

53.2

172,242

99Lake Elsinore

51.1

51.9

72,461

100Citrus Heights

C+

51.0

54.3

86,995

101South Whittier

51.0

50.4

—

55,650

102Lakewood

C+

50.9

54.9

79,850

103Ontario

50.8

52.4

180,547

104Menifee

50.8

51.8

110,305

105Santa Clarita

50.7

55.8

230,221

106Napa

C+

50.7

53.5

78,239

107Alhambra

C+

50.5

54.7

81,022

108San Leandro

C+

50.5

52.8

87,826

109Monterey Park

C+

50.5

52.8

59,132

110San Marcos

50.5

51.9

94,882

111Palm Desert

50.3

51.3

51,990

112Redding

50.3

50.2

93,409

113Diamond Bar

C+

50.2

54.1

53,355

114Santee

50.2

48.8

59,332

115Escondido

C+

50.1

53.2

149,668

116Arden-Arcade

49.9

50.0

—

94,994

117Oxnard

49.8

51.5

200,928

118Turlock

C+

49.7

53.1

72,502

119Anaheim

49.7

52.0

344,521

120West Covina

C+

49.6

54.1

107,037

121Oakland

49.6

46.3

439,418

122Westminster

49.3

52.4

89,860

123Carson

49.3

52.3

92,871

124Glendale

49.3

51.7

190,748

125Fairfield

49.3

51.1

120,785

126Norwalk

C+

49.2

53.2

99,789

127Chico

49.1

48.5

102,188

128Rialto

49.0

48.5

104,143

129Jurupa Valley

48.8

52.4

107,011

130Hanford

48.8

50.8

59,754

131Riverside

48.7

49.0

319,069

132Cathedral City

48.6

50.9

52,267

133Downey

48.4

51.7

110,939

134Burbank

48.4

50.7

104,546

135Visalia

48.4

50.5

143,939

136Lodi

48.3

50.3

67,607

137Highland

48.1

48.4

56,675

138Bakersfield

48.0

47.4

411,986

139Richmond

48.0

47.2

115,505

140Pittsburg

47.8

50.1

76,257

141Indio

47.8

49.0

91,950

142Whittier

47.6

51.2

86,165

143Baldwin Park

47.4

50.6

70,138

144Perris

47.4

48.8

80,511

145Rosemead

47.2

49.8

50,013

146Santa Maria

46.9

47.8

110,462

147National City

46.9

47.4

58,893

148Moreno Valley

46.8

49.1

211,666

149El Monte

46.8

48.7

106,109

150Los Angeles

46.6

47.4

3,857,263

151Colton

46.4

48.2

53,772

152Montebello

46.1

49.5

61,045

153Gardena

46.0

48.0

59,422

154Pico Rivera

46.0

47.9

60,272

155Long Beach

45.9

45.8

455,548

156Pomona

45.3

46.0

147,943

157Modesto

45.2

47.1

219,215

158Vallejo

45.2

45.3

124,268

159El Cajon

45.2

44.0

104,449

160South Gate

45.1

46.4

91,483

161Fresno

44.9

45.5

545,970

162Tulare

44.8

46.3

70,945

163Bellflower

44.7

47.8

76,819

164San Jacinto

44.7

46.4

55,180

165Paramount

44.4

47.1

52,050

166East Los Angeles

44.1

40.9

—

111,647

167Hawthorne

43.1

43.2

85,191

168Lynwood

43.1

43.2

64,578

169Yuba City

42.9

48.5

69,471

170Huntington Park

42.8

43.2

53,108

171Antioch

42.5

43.8

116,477

172Hemet

42.0

42.3

91,326

173Stockton

41.8

42.6

322,326

174Florence-Graham

41.7

37.9

—

60,690

175San Bernardino

41.6

41.2

222,724

176Hesperia

41.4

43.3

100,775

177Merced

41.4

42.1

91,953

178Madera

41.3

43.6

67,831

179Inglewood

41.1

41.3

104,569

180Lancaster

40.7

40.6

169,169

181Apple Valley

40.3

41.4

75,473

182Victorville

40.0

38.6

137,627

183Compton

39.9

39.2

92,698

184Salinas

39.6

44.7

161,761

185Palmdale

39.2

41.3

164,634

186Watsonville

38.8

44.9

51,712

187Porterville

36.0

41.8

63,157

188Delano

35.3

43.4

51,679