For cities combining affluence with safety, the San Francisco Bay Area stands unrivaled on the West Coast. But the Puget Sound region, anchored by Seattle, finishes a strong second.
According to a newly released ranking from GOBankingRates, cities and other locales surrounding San Francisco and San Jose dominate the list, claiming 15 of the top 25 spots. Other California regions failed to place any cities among the top 25.
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The Puget Sound region makes a strong showing of its own, placing nine cities on the list — including the top two. Only one location in Oregon – an affluent Portland suburb – made the cut.
GBR’s rankings are based on data from the U.S. Census, Zillow, the Federal Reserve, Sperling’s Best Places, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI, and AreaVibes. The analysis factors in rates for property crimes and violent crimes, along with household mean incomes, average home values and other factors.
Here’s a full rundown of the best West Coast blends of safety and wealth, starting with No. 25 and counting down.
25. Morgan Hill, California
- Average household income: $199,024
- Average home value: $1,408,718
- Total cost of living annually: $128,900
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.980
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.482
Morgan Hill is located about 20 miles south of San Jose in Santa Clara County. Morgan Hill’s violent crime rate stacks up well against many other U.S. cities, but it’s the second highest among cities in this list.
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24. Bellevue, Washington
- Average household income: $224,401
- Average home value: $1,782,685
- Total cost of living annually: $150,439
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 34.373
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.507
Bellevue sits east of Seattle, directly across Lake Washington. With more than 150,000 residents, Bellevue is the most populous city in the top 25. Its property crime rate is the second highest among cities in this list.
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23. Menlo Park, California
- Average household income: $339,415
- Average home value: $2,941,856
- Total cost of living annually: $235,615
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.609
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.497
You’ll find Menlo Park just south of San Francisco Bay, in the eastern part of San Mateo County. It’s relatively safe compared to many other cities, but on this list it has the highest rate of violent crime.
22. Livermore, California
- Average household income: $193,500
- Average home value: $1,191,837
- Total cost of living annually: $111,880
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.349
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.297
Part of the San Francisco Bay Area, Livermore is a city in Alameda County. Its rate of violent crime is the third highest among cities in the top 25.
21. Belmont, California
- Average household income: $258,184
- Average home value: $2,354,466
- Total cost of living annually: $195,182
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.849
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 2.110
You’ll find Belmont about halfway between San Jose and San Francisco. The average cost of living in Belmont comes in just shy of $200,000 a year on average.
20. Issaquah, Washington
- Average household income: $211,653
- Average home value: $1,401,389
- Total cost of living annually: $124,155
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 37.688
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.078
Issaquah is a city of about 40,000 residents located roughly 15 miles east of Seattle. Its AreaVibes livability score of 88 is tied with two other cities for tops in this list. On the not-so-great side, it has the highest property crime rate in the top 25.
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19. Lake Forest Park, Washington
- Average household income: $190,473
- Average home value: $1,090,911
- Total cost of living annually: $102,542
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 21.029
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.310
Lake Forest Park sits just northeast of Seattle. Lake Forest Park boasts a strong household mean income ($190,000+), but that’s actually the lowest figure among these cities.
18. Kirkland, Washington
- Average household income: $209,655
- Average home value: $1,481,940
- Total cost of living annually: $129,601
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 20.618
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.110
Kirkland is located just east of Seattle on the shores of Lake Washington. With about 92,000 residents, Kirkland is the second most populous city in the top 25.
17. Newcastle, Washington
- Average household income: $239,714
- Average home value: $1,502,094
- Total cost of living annually: $131,061
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 25.890
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.017
You’ll find Newcastle southeast of Seattle, in between Bellevue and Renton. The total cost of living in Newcastle is just under $11,000 a month on average.
16. Redmond, Washington
- Average household income: $207,599
- Average home value: $1,579,032
- Total cost of living annually: $136,000
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 30.116
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.261
Home to the headquarters for Microsoft, Redmond is located about 15 miles east of Seattle. AreaVibes gives Redmond a livability score of 88, tied for No. 1 among cities in the top 25.
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15. Pleasanton, California
- Average household income: $238,593
- Average home value: $1,719,032
- Total cost of living annually: $149,197
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.857
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.223
Pleasonton is a city in Alameda County, roughly 40 miles east of San Francisco. AreaVibes gives Pleasanton a livability score of 84. Like all of the cities in this list, Pleasanton isn’t a cheap place to live — the average monthly cost of living sits around $12,400.
14. Los Gatos, California
- Average household income: $317,745
- Average home value: $2,748,787
- Total cost of living annually: $222,586
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.083
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.411
Los Gatos sits just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The average cost of a single-family home here is sixth highest among cities in this list.
13. Saratoga, California
- Average household income: $344,319
- Average home value: $4,091,202
- Total cost of living annually: $316,331
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.157
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.612
Saratoga sits next to Los Gatos, also southwest of San Jose. Single-family homes in Saratoga are valued at over $4 million on average — the third-highest figure in the top 25. Saratoga’s livability score from AreaVibes (81) isn’t horrible, but it is the lowest score among cities in this list. Saratoga does top the list with the lowest rate of property crime.
12. Dublin, California
- Average household income: $237,655
- Average home value: $1,474,748
- Total cost of living annually: $132,533
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 16.956
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.490
Dublin sits in between roughly 30 miles north of San Jose in Alameda County. Dublin has an AreaVibes livability score of 85, and monthly average living costs around $11,000.
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11. Los Altos, California
- Average household income: $403,512
- Average home value: $4,503,419
- Total cost of living annually: $344,681
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.376
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.901
Los Altos sits in the western edge of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara County. It has the third-highest household mean income among the cities in this list. Average single-family home values — a cool $4.5 million — top the list.
10. Kensington, California
- Average household income: $258,725
- Average home value: $1,487,688
- Total cost of living annually: $133,769
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 20.327
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.598
Kensington is an unincorporated community found in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The total cost of living in Kensington averages $134,000 a year.
9. Clyde Hill, Washington
- Average household income: $496,524
- Average home value: $4,278,034
- Total cost of living annually: $325,153
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.506
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.952
Clyde Hill is an affluent community next to Bellevue and just east of Seattle. With only about 3,100 residents, Clyde Hill is the second-smallest city in the top 25. Its household mean income — nearly half a million dollars — tops the list.
8. Cupertino, California
- Average household income: $295,739
- Average home value: $3,251,193
- Total cost of living annually: $256,938
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.196
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.040
Cupertino, home city of Apple Inc., sits just west of San Jose in California’s Silicon Valley. Living in Cupertino costs a staggering $21,000 each month on average — and that’s only the sixth-highest figure in the top 25.
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7. Lake Oswego, Oregon
- Average household income: $207,312
- Average home value: $975,920
- Total cost of living annually: $93,987
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 13.382
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.553
You’ll find Lake Oswego — Oregon’s lone entry in the top 25 — seven miles south of downtown Portland. The average value of a single-family home here comes in around $975,000 — actually the lowest figure among the cities in the list.
6. San Ramon, California
- Average household income: $235,524
- Average home value: $1,739,127
- Total cost of living annually: $151,253
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 9.390
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.413
San Ramon is located in Contra Costa County, roughly 35 miles east of San Francisco. San Ramon boasts a solid AreaVibes livability score of 87 and a property crime rate less than 10.
5. Ross, California
- Household mean income: $443,802
- Single family home average value: $3,688,053
- Total cost of living annually: $287,093
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 13.164
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.316
Ross is a small town located just north of San Francisco. Ross has only about 2,600 residents and is the least populous city in the top 25. It places second on the list with its $440,000 average income.
4. Lafayette, California
- Average household income: $319,744
- Average home value: $1,945,074
- Total cost of living annually: $165,358
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.459
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.804
This California city is located in Contra Costa County in the East Bay. Lafayette’s household mean income is the sixth highest among cities in GBR’s top 25.
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3. Mill Valley, California
- Average household income: $308,154
- Average home value: $2,111,866
- Total cost of living annually: $176,163
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 7.983
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.503
Mill Valley sits in Marin County, about 14 miles north of San Francisco. Among cities in this list, Mill Valley has the third-lowest rate of violent crime.
2. Snoqualmie, Washington
- Average household income: $245,628
- Average home value: $1,202,635
- Total cost of living annually: $110,755
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 13.137
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.149
Known for the Snoqualmie Falls waterfall, Snoqualmie is about 30 miles east of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Snoqualmie is tied with two other cities for the highest AreaVibes livability score — a solid 88. Its violent crime rate is the lowest on the list.
1. Sammamish, Washington
- Average household income: $280,644
- Average home value: $1,757,741
- Total cost of living annually: $149,693
- Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.486
- Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.246
Sammamish, which became its own city in 1999, is located on a plateau about 20 miles east of Seattle. Among cities in the top 25, Sammamish boasts the second-lowest rates for both property crimes and violent crimes.
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: GOBankingRates conducted a comprehensive study to identify the safest and richest cities in the United States by analyzing the top 1,000 cities with the highest average household income, based on data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. For each city, key demographic and economic indicators were compiled, including total population, senior population, household counts, median and mean household income. Housing costs were estimated using Zillow’s May 2025 Home Value Index, assuming a 10% down payment and the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from the Federal Reserve. Cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces, and average household expenditures were calculated using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Crime data, including property and violent crime rates per 1,000 residents, was obtained from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. Cities with a livability index below 80, as reported by AreaVibes, were excluded to ensure a baseline quality of life. Each city was scored across five equally weighted categories: total cost of living, property crime rate, violent crime rate, average household income and livability index. Final scores were summed and ranked to determine the safest and richest cities. East Coast cities were then separated and ranked. All data is current as of Aug. 4, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 25 Safest and Richest West Coast Cities To Live in 2025
