DUBLIN, CA — Dublin was named the best place to live in California by U.S. News and World Report for 2026-27, beating out 160 other cities based on factors like commute time, local job market, home values, and median household income.
The Tri-Valley was well-represented in the upper echelons of the list. U.S. News assigned Dublin a composite score of 6.2, while San Ramon scored 5.8 and was ranked 7th overall. Pleasanton scored a 5.7, and was ranked 11th. Livermore scored a 5.5 and was ranked 26th. Danville was not included in the rankings.
U.S. News determined its rankings using data from a number of private and government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve and Bureau of Economic Analysis, and other state and local sources. It divided data into four categories: the Value Index, which measures housing affordability and cost of living; the Quality of Life Index, which measures the quality of education, health care, the environment, infrastructure, and the economy; the Desirability Index, which measures crime, weather, culture, leisure, and commute times; and the Job Market Index, which measures unemployment rate and median household income.
See here to learn more about the survey methodology.
According to U.S. News, Dublin has a median home value of $1,283,390 (the national average is $359,870), an average commuting time of 31.2 minutes (9 minutes more than the national average), a median household income of $211,868 (the national average is $83,181), and an unemployment rate of 3.4%, which is lower than the national average of 4.5 percent.
San Ramon, which ranked 7th, has a median home value of $1,380,229, an average commute of 29.8 minutes (7.5 more than the national average), a median household income of $204,458, and an unemployment rate of 4.4%.
Pleasanton, which ranked 11th, had a median home value of $1,466,146, an average commute of 28.3 minutes, a median household income of $191,470, and unemployment rate of 4.9%, which is higher than the national average.
In June 2025, the U.S. Social Progress Map ranked San Ramon and Pleasanton as having the first and second highest quality of life respectively in the U.S., based on factors like safety, health, education, and access to opportunity.
The top 10 cities were:
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