Los Altos

Los Altos’ Demographics

Housing Types in Los Altos

Jobs & Housing in Los Altos

Jobs: 11,745
Employed Residents per Household:  1.13
Jobs per Employed Resident: 0.83
Jobs-Housing Balance Ratio: 0.99
Source: ACS 2023 5 year estimates

Note: Jobs-Housing Balance is a measurement used by planners that assumes that a balanced community is one where people can both live and work. This ratio compares the number of jobs in a community to the number of housing units.

Jobs-Housing Fit: 24.7 low wage jobs per low-cost rental unit
Source: Jobs from LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics 2022; households from U.S. Census, ACS 2023 5 year estimates B25056, B25061

Note: Jobs-Housing Fit measures the mismatch between wages and housing affordability as the ratio of low-wage jobs (less than $3,333/month) to the number of low-cost rental units (less than $1,500/month). In Los Altos, there are more than 24 low-wage workers competing for each affordable home.

Note: Current standards measure housing cost in relation to gross household income: households spending more than 30 percent of their income, including utilities, are generally considered to be overpaying or “cost burdened.” Severe cost burden occurs when households pay 50 percent or more of their gross income for housing. The impact of high housing costs falls disproportionately on extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households, especially renters. While some higher-income households may choose to spend greater portions of their income for housing, the cost burden for lower-income households reflects choices limited by a lack of a sufficient supply of housing affordable to these households.

Homelessness in Los Altos

2022 Unhoused people: 65 people, all unsheltered (-14% from 2019)

2019 Unhoused people: 76 people, all unsheltered (+1,166% from 2017)
Source: 2019 and 2022 Homeless Point In Time Count

Overcrowding in Los Altos

Total Rental Homes: 2,061
Overcrowded Rental Homes: 53
Severely Overcrowded Rental Homes: 41
Percent of Rental Homes, Overcrowded: 4.56%
Source: ACS 2023 5 year estimates

• The U.S. Census defines an overcrowded unit as one occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens). Units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded.

Note: Overcrowding increases health and safety concerns and stresses the condition of the housing stock and infrastructure. Overcrowding is strongly related to household size (particularly for large and very-large households) and the availability of suitably sized housing. Overcrowding impacts both owners and renters; however, renters are generally more significantly impacted. 

2023-2031 Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) 

Every eight years, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process is used to assign each city and county in California their “fair share” of the region’s housing need, by income level. These homes are intended to address the housing shortage, meeting the needs of existing residents and accommodating projected growth in the region. 

The RHNA process is critical because state law requires each city and county to make a specific, actionable, and measurable plan, called a Housing Element, that complies with state law and addresses housing needs. It must identify enough sites to hold the RHNA, by income level, and create programs that remove barriers to housing production and protect residents vulnerable to displacement. Local jurisdictions must also take significant steps to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH), addressing racial and economic segregation and disparities in access to resources, and meeting the unique housing needs of residents in protected groups. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is responsible for certifying Housing Element compliance with state law.

In the past, many cities and counties have fallen far short of their RHNA targets, as the Bay Area’s housing crisis continues to grow. In this planning cycle, new laws give HCD additional tools to provide technical assistance and hold jurisdictions accountable to their plans. Each spring, jurisdictions are required to complete an Annual Progress Report on the Housing Element, including the number of homes permitted by income level, program actions taken, and outcomes achieved. The table below shows Los Altos’ target in the sixth cycle and progress to date in permitting new homes.

Permitting progress as of December 2023. Source: HCD 2023 Housing Element Implementation and APR Data Dashboard.

2014-2022 Regional Housing Needs Allocation

The table below shows Los Altos’ final progress toward meeting the 2014-2022 RHNA.

Permitting progress as of December 2022. Source: HCD 5th Cycle Housing Element Implementation and APR Data Dashboard.

Current Affordable Housing Stock

SOURCE: Units reported in the Housing Element Annual Performance Report that received building permits through 2023 were added to the unit counts in the previously reported 2018 Base Year table.  This methodology necessarily means that any ELI units, if any, are included in the VLI category since that is how HCD has required production data to be reported.  The RHNA data on new units relies on self-reporting by jurisdiction and can include units for which building permits were issued that never got built.  The percentage of the total housing stock in the community is based the California Department of Finance’s Table E-5.

See more information on our affordable housing assets page.

Jobs & Housing Development Pipeline

As of January 2022, Los Altos has 0.37 jobs in the development pipeline for every 1 housing unit in the development pipeline.

Pipeline as of January 2022. Information reported from City of Los Altos.  The employment projections are derived by applying square-footage-per-employee factors to building floor areas by four building types: 250 square feet for office/R&D; 1,500 feet for hotels; 550 feet for retail/restaurant; and 2,500 feet for manufacturing/warehouse. All are figures applied to a building’s gross square footage.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

ADUs and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) can be effective options for adding much needed housing in California, gently increasing density by adding more homes to a single lot. All California cities and counties are required to permit ADUs and JADUs according to State law. Since 2016, State ADU laws have evolved to make new development more feasible. The California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) provides clarity and consistency on State housing law through education, technical assistance, and enforcement. HCD’s 2025 Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook provides the most up-to-date guidance on State ADU laws.

HCD 2023 Housing Element Implementation and APR Data Dashboard.

Affordable Housing Policies

Housing Element Policies

The Housing Element of Los Altos’ General Plan includes policies in furtherance of its affordable housing objectives:

• Encouraging affordable housing in mixed-use developments along El Camino Real and in other commercial zoning districts.
• Providing development incentives for affordable housing development in those areas, including reduced parking requirements, adjustment of setback and building height regulations, and deferment of fees.
• Allowing transitional and supportive housing in all residential zoning districts.
• Allowing multifamily densities up to 38 units per acre.
• Requiring that residential development in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts be built at maximum densities.
• Providing a density bonus to encourage higher density development.
• Continuing to participate in regional efforts to end homelessness.

Inclusionary Housing

On September 11^th, 2018 Los Altos increased their inclusionary housing policy percentage up from 10 to 15 percent for rental and for sale projects of 5 units or more.

For projects with ten (10) or more units, affordable housing units shall be provided as follows

• Rental units: Twenty (20) percent designated as affordable at the low income level or fifteen (15) percent designated as affordable at the very-low income level.
• Ownership units: Fifteen (15) percent total, with a majority of the units designated as affordable at the moderate income level and the remaining units designated as affordable at the low or very-low income level.

Additional Resources

• City of Los Altos 2023-2031 Housing Element
•  City of Los Altos Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
• City of Los Altos Planning Division

Photo: Sanfranman59 via Wikimedia Commons