Sunnyvale, California population is 156,577 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #175 nationally and #37 in California. Cost of living runs 10% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $225,779/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
156,577
+1,155 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 110.4
+10% vs US
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$225,779/yr
+182% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$186,170
+140% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$1,801,800
+494% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$3,483/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
80°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
50%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Sunnyvale?
156,577 people live in Sunnyvale as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #175 largest U.S. city.
Source detail
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 0.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 155,607 → 2025: 156,577 (+0.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
155,607
April 1, 2020
2020
155,240
July 1, 2020
2021
152,475
July 1, 2021
2022
152,308
July 1, 2022
2023
153,473
July 1, 2023
2024
155,422
July 1, 2024
2025
156,577
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 9.0% from 2010 to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Sunnyvale is the #175 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #37 in California.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
155,607
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+970
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+0.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+1,155
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.7%
within V2025 only
Density
7,098
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
22.1
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#175
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#37
of 483 in California
What is the median household income in Sunnyvale?
Median household income is 140% above the U.S. median ($186,170 vs $77,719); 5.8% live in poverty — 6.7 points below the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$186,170
US
Sunnyvale: $186,170 — 140% above the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Sunnyvale
$186,170
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Sunnyvale from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
186,170+139.5% vs US
±5,402
Per capita income
101,185+133.7% vs US
±3,312
Population in poverty
5.8%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 494% above the U.S. median ($1,801,800 vs $303,400); median rent is 125% above ($3,039 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 9.7×, making it 2.5× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$1,801,800
US
Sunnyvale: $1,801,800 — 494% above the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$3,483/mo
US
Sunnyvale: $3,483/mo — 223% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Sunnyvale. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
3.4%
Sunnyvale (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
88,684
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
29.2%+108.7% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Sunnyvale sits in Santa Clara County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Santa Clara County
7.1%
$166,984
4.1%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Sunnyvale's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Professional and technical services (54)
160,179
$5,598 / wk
#2
Health care and social assistance (62)
151,414
$1,669 / wk
#3
Manufacturing (31-33)
122,683
$6,090 / wk
#4
Information (51)
92,985
$9,397 / wk
#5
Accommodation and food services (72)
83,084
$754 / wk
What workers earn in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Software Developers is the largest tracked occupation in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro (87,350 jobs, median $213,110/yr).
▸ Show all 12 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
49,610
$37,640
$18.09
Fast Food and Counter Workers
23,060
$44,570
$21.43
Computer and Information Systems Managers
19,070
$291,660
$140.22
Computer Occupations, All Other
16,680
$184,430
$88.67
Cashiers
16,530
$42,960
$20.65
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
15,780
$43,870
$21.09
Software Developers · benchmark
87,350
$213,110
$102.46
Registered Nurses · benchmark
22,930
$216,740
$104.20
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
18,340
$44,220
$21.26
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
17,230
$163,860
$78.78
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
7,810
$102,860
—
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
All items run 10.4% above the U.S. average (RPP 110.4); rents run 111.9% above (RPP 211.9) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 110.4
US
Sunnyvale's cost of living runs 10.4% above the U.S. average (RPP 110.4 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 110.4
+10.4% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$3,483/mo
FY2026 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
12.30%
9 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$18,815/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$8,495/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in California · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
50.2% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) is the most-spoken language at home other than English (16.1% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Sunnyvale's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
6 districts serve Sunnyvale, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Sunnyvale?
Hottest month: August (80°F avg high). Coldest: December (41°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 16.3 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Sunnyvale from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 99.7/100 — Very High nationally; top hazard: Earthquake (99.9).
Natural-hazard exposure for Sunnyvale from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Santa Clara County
99.7
Very High
Earthquake 99.9 Very High · Riverine Flooding 99.8 Very High · Landslide 99.7 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Sunnyvale?
18 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 50% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Sunnyvale from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
18 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
14
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
50.3%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
50.3%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
72,309
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Sunnyvale?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 369 violent and 2,881 property offenses in the Sunnyvale jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 244.5 per 100,000, below the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Sunnyvale — an FBI jurisdiction population of 150,893, versus the Census place population of 156,577. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
369
244.5
359.1
Property crime
2,881
1,909.3
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
1
Rape
41
Robbery
87
Aggravated assault
240
Burglary
463
Larceny-theft
1,988
Motor vehicle theft
430
Arson (12-month reporters only)
33
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
219.2
2,456.7
148,739
2023
248.0
1,920.7
152,031
2024
244.5
1,909.3
150,893
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Sunnyvale · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Sunnyvale sits at state rank #37 among 483 cities in California. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Lakewood, CO · #174 · 156,927 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Springfield, MA · #176 · 154,702 residents.
Quick travel facts for Sunnyvale
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport(SJC) ·
6 mi 9 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
May, Jun, Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Sunnyvale.
How many people live in Sunnyvale, CA?
Sunnyvale has 156,577 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #175 largest city in the United States and #37 in California. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Sunnyvale growing or shrinking?
Sunnyvale has grown 0.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 970 residents, including a 0.7% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Sunnyvale's population in the 2020 census?
Sunnyvale covers 22.1 square miles of land, with a population density of about 7,098 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Sunnyvale?
$186,170, about 140% above the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID0677000
Last build2026-07-02
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Sunnyvale is 0677000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
