Menlo Park, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·Menlo Park

San Mateo County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 33,040

Shrinking
Menlo Park, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Menlo Park, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Menlo Park stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.2% in the last year. population shrinking 0.6% per year. rents up 5.2% in the last year.

Median home $2,867,595
1-year +5.2%
5-yr CAGR +3.6%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$2868k$1827k$2212k$2597k$2982k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
46/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$4,117/mo$3,043$3,704$4,364202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent120127100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 58.0
Rent

At a 58.0 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Menlo Park for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
76 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
57 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
37 · w16%
Rent YoY
80 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
50 · w10%
Long thesis

Menlo Park has held up across the cycle: home values at $2,867,595 with +3.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Menlo Park's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Menlo Park

Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California, with an estimated population of 33,040. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Menlo Park is $2,867,595 as of 2026-04, up 5.2% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Menlo Park average $4,117 per month, up 5.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Quiet strength: +5.2% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 5.2% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
●Premium territory: $2,867,595 median home is a high bar to clear — affordability constrains the buyer pool.

About Menlo Park (Wikipedia)

Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. Located at the eastern edge of the county, It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; and Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City to the west. It had 33,780 residents at the 2020 United States census. It is home to the corporate headquarters of Meta Platforms, and is where Google, Roblox Corporation, Round Table Pizza, and SRI International were founded. The train station holds the record as the oldest continually operating train station in California. It is one of the most educated cities in California and the United States; nearly 70% of residents over 25 have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for San Mateo County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. San Mateo County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Menlo Park

15 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Central Menlo Park$5,679,492+9.4%
2Felton Gables$4,528,837+5.4%
3Vintage Oaks$3,910,456+4.1%
4Allied Arts$3,801,694+8.6%
5University Heights$3,606,391+7.8%
6Menlo Oaks$3,463,744+10.1%
7The Willows$2,854,627+0.7%
8Downtown Menlo Park$2,811,175+6.0%
9Stanford Weekend Acres$2,798,453+5.7%
10Linfield Oaks$2,790,340+8.4%
11Sharon Heights$2,660,492+4.4%
12Lorelei Manor$2,466,785+3.2%
13Pine Forest$2,414,060+1.3%
14Fair Oaks$1,864,007+6.0%
15Belle Haven$1,264,150+1.3%

Cities like Menlo Park

Burlingame, CA64 · RisingMillbrae, CA68 · RisingManhattan Beach, CA63 · RisingCorte Madera, CA59 · Stable

Run the numbers for Menlo Park

ToolCan I afford Menlo Park?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Menlo Park rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Menlo Park to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolMenlo Park cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
258
~71% of year
Annual precip
22″ rain
8″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very high
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Menlo Park listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$91,500
California state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechEntertainmentAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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