SAN FRANCISCO, CA — California's notoriously expensive home prices put a Silicon Valley's enclave for the ultra rich in the top spot for most expensive zip codes in the United States this year, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
The AI tech boom is being credited for driving up home prices in the city of Atherton, with the zip code 94027, according to Bloomberg.
With a population of just under 7,200 residents, Atherton has already had five property sales totaling at least $30 million so far this year, according to Bloomberg.
Per PropertyShark data, the median home price in Atherton reached $9.93 million, a 20 percent increase in just the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to Bloomberg. Atherton's previous median home value was $8.33 million in 2025.
Atherton has edged out Florida's Fisher Island to become the most expensive zip code in the country. Fisher Island's median home sale price this year is $8.3 million. Last year the zip code recorded a median home price of $9.5 million.
According to Bloomberg, the most expensive zip codes in 2026, based on median home prices, include:
In addition to its ultra-wealthy residents, Atherton is known for local zoning laws that require a minimum of one acre per single-family home in new subdivisions. The city also bans commercial zoning; there are no grocery stores, restaurants, or gas stations within city limits.
"Atherton's luxury market hasn't simply gotten more expensive," Dana Carmel, a luxury real estate agent, told Bloomberg. "The market has migrated into entirely different price categories."
"[Many ultra-high-net-worth individuals] have deep business, family, and social ties to Silicon Valley, so those connections tend to outweigh their overall decision-making on where to own a home," Carmel told Bloomberg.
Newport Beach, with ultra-wealthy neighborhoods such as Newport Coast and Corona del Mar, has long attracted the elite of Southern California's sports and entertainment industries alongside developers and financiers.
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