Mountain View vs San Jose
A side-by-side comparison of Mountain View and San Jose: population, income, housing, and more.
Mountain View and San Jose are places in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.
San Jose has the higher population (990,054 vs 82,363 in Mountain View). Mountain View has the higher median household income ($179,917 vs $141,565 in San Jose). Mountain View has the higher median home value ($1,927,400 vs $1,187,800 in San Jose).
Population, income & housing
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 82,363 | 990,054 |
| Median age | 35.3 yrs | 38.1 yrs |
| Median household income | $179,917 | $141,565 |
| Median home value | $1,927,400 | $1,187,800 |
| Median gross rent | $2,975 | $2,617 |
| Housing units | 38,770 | 343,058 |
| Homeownership rate | 38.8% | 55.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 74.3% | 46.5% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 4.7% |
Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 81,656 → 82,363 (+0.9%) | 1,027,690 → 990,054 (-3.7%) |
| Median household income | $139,720 → $179,917 (+28.8%) | $109,593 → $141,565 (+29.2%) |
| Median home value | $1,413,500 → $1,927,400 (+36.4%) | $864,600 → $1,187,800 (+37.4%) |
| Median gross rent | $2,456 → $2,975 (+21.1%) | $2,107 → $2,617 (+24.2%) |
Mountain View
81,65682,363
$139,720$179,917
$1,413,500$1,927,400
$2,456$2,975
San Jose
1,027,690990,054
$109,593$141,565
$864,600$1,187,800
$2,107$2,617
Age & race/ethnicity
Age distribution (share)
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| 5 to 17 | 14.3% | 15.8% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 22.4% | 15.3% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.0% | 14.6% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 13.8% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.1% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.6% | 8.2% |
| 75 and over | 5.1% | 5.9% |
Race & ethnicity (share)
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 39.3% | 23.2% |
| Black or African American | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 34.4% | 38.4% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Some other race | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 5.7% | 3.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 18.0% | 31.0% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
Share of adults 25+
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 5.3% | 14.5% |
| High school graduate | 8.1% | 16.4% |
| Some college or associate's | 12.3% | 22.6% |
| Bachelor's degree | 29.7% | 26.2% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 44.6% | 20.3% |
Commute to work
How workers get to work (share)
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 52.8% | 64.6% |
| Carpooled | 5.7% | 10.5% |
| Public transit | 4.1% | 2.8% |
| Walked | 3.1% | 1.8% |
| Bicycle | 4.9% | 0.5% |
| Worked from home | 27.9% | 18.5% |
| Other means | 1.4% | 1.3% |
Housing
Units in structure (share)
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 27.1% | 51.3% |
| 1-unit, attached | 13.9% | 11.2% |
| 2 to 4 units | 7.2% | 6.4% |
| 5 to 19 units | 16.8% | 9.0% |
| 20 or more units | 31.8% | 18.6% |
| Mobile home & other | 3.2% | 3.5% |
Poverty & households
| Mountain View | San Jose | |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 5.5% | 7.8% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.98 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 24 | 28 |
| Median year structure built | 1974 | 1975 |
Full profiles
2Related rankings
21- Largest by population — cities in California
- Most densely populated — cities in California
- Highest median household income — cities in California
- Highest median home value — cities in California
- Most affordable home values — cities in California
- Highest median gross rent — cities in California
- Cheapest median gross rent — cities in California
- Oldest by median age — cities in California
- Youngest by median age — cities in California
- Most college-educated — cities in California
- Highest poverty rate — cities in California
- Lowest poverty rate — cities in California
- Highest homeownership rate — cities in California
- Lowest homeownership rate — cities in California
- Longest commutes — cities in California
- Shortest commutes — cities in California
- Largest households — cities in California
- Newest housing — cities in California
- Oldest housing — cities in California
- Fastest-growing (2019–2023) — cities in California
- Fastest-shrinking (2019–2023) — cities in California