
Palos Verdes Estates is the wealthiest suburb of California, according to a new analysis by personal finance site GOBankingRates.
GOBankingRates used 2023 U.S. Census data to rank the wealthiest suburb in each of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, analyzing household mean income, one-year income growth, average home value as of June 2025, and its year-over-year change.
Here's what else to know about Palos Verdes Estates and the other richest suburbs in the country and California :
What to know about Palos Verdes Estates, California's wealthiest suburb
On the Palos Verdes Peninsula just south of Los Angeles., Palos Verdes Estates, with a population of around 12,000, has a household mean income of $367,178, marking a 3.96% increase from the previous year, one of the highest jumps in California. As of June 2025, the average home value is $2,777,130, with a slight -0.16% dip over the past year.
The GOBankingRates study ranked Palos Verdes Estates as the second-wealthiest suburb in the nation and first in California.
Where are the other rich suburbs in California?
According to the 2025 GOBankingRates study, California has the wealthiest suburbs in the United States, with 17 suburbs among the top 50 nationwide.
The study used several other data points to determine the rank of the wealthiest suburbs, not just average household income. With that in mind, here’s a list of California’s wealthiest suburbs broken out by median household income.
Los Altos (San Jose metro) – $403,512
Alamo (Oakland metro) – $403,334
Orinda (Oakland metro) – $369,073
Palos Verdes Estates (Los Angeles metro) – $367,178
Saratoga (San Jose metro) – $344,319
Menlo Park (San Jose metro) – $339,415
San Carlos (San Francisco metro) – $335,300
Lafayette (Oakland metro) – $319,744
Los Gatos (San Jose metro) – $317,745
La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles metro) – $316,810
Coto de Caza (Irvine metro) – $312,324
Mill Valley (San Francisco metro) – $309,000+ (approx.)
Palo Alto (San Jose metro) – $301,226
Villa Park (Orange County metro) – $298,000+ (approx.)
Fair Oaks (Sacramento metro) – $290,000+ (approx.)
Woodbridge (Stockton metro) – $285,000+ (approx.)
Rolling Hills (Los Angeles metro) – $280,000+ (approx.)
What are the 10 richest suburbs in the US?
In a separate July 2025 study, GOBankingRates ranked the overall richest suburbs in the country. All but two of them were in New York, Texas, or California.
Here are the top 10:
Scarsdale, New York: suburb of New York City, household mean income of $601,193 in 2023
Rye, New York: suburb of New York City, household mean income of $421,259 in 2023
West University Place, Texas: suburb of Houston, household mean income of $409,677 in 2023
Los Altos, California: suburb of San Jose, household mean income of $403,512 in 2023
Alamo, California: suburb of Oakland, household mean income of $403,334 in 2023
University Park, Texas: suburb of Dallas, household mean income of $389,868 in 2023
Southlake, Texas: suburb of Forth Worth, household mean income of $382,520 in 2023
Hinsdale, Illinois: suburb of Chicago, household mean income of $376,366 in 2023
Orinda, California: suburb of Oakland, household mean income of $369,073 in 2023
Wellesley, Massachusetts: suburb of Boston, household mean income of $368,179 in 2023
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palos Verdes Estates Tops California Wealth List in 2025
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