Cities
This guide lists all incorporated cities and towns in Santa Clara County, California, with official population estimates arranged from largest to smallest. It also explains how to identify the local government responsible for a property when looking for permits, planning information, or other location-based services.
Santa Clara County Cities by Population
Santa Clara County has 15 incorporated cities and towns. San Jose is the largest by population, while Monte Sereno is the smallest. Los Gatos and Los Altos Hills are officially towns and are included in the table.
The figures below are provisional population estimates as of January 1, 2026, from the California Department of Finance's E-1 Population and Housing Estimates, released on May 1, 2026. These are estimates rather than census counts and may differ from figures published by the U.S. Census Bureau or individual municipalities.
| City / Town | Population Estimate — January 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| San Jose | 980,434 |
| Sunnyvale | 161,884 |
| Santa Clara | 138,011 |
| Mountain View | 88,533 |
| Milpitas | 82,107 |
| Palo Alto | 69,004 |
| Gilroy | 62,193 |
| Cupertino | 59,765 |
| Morgan Hill | 47,074 |
| Campbell | 43,195 |
| Los Gatos | 33,293 |
| Los Altos | 31,921 |
| Saratoga | 31,261 |
| Los Altos Hills | 8,652 |
| Monte Sereno | 3,642 |
The table covers incorporated municipalities only. It does not list unincorporated communities or census-designated places as separate cities. The population figures represent residents within each municipality's boundaries, rather than everyone using that municipality's name in a mailing address.
City and Town Boundaries
The Santa Clara Local Agency Formation Commission maintains an official cities directory and county boundary map. This provides a starting point for locating the 15 municipalities and finding their government websites. The population table above uses the Department of Finance's 2026 estimates, rather than the older population figures displayed in the LAFCO directory.
Finding the Government Responsible for an Address
A postal city name does not always establish which local government has jurisdiction over a property. An address may use a nearby city name while lying outside that city's incorporated boundaries. Start with the exact street address or Assessor's Parcel Number, then confirm the property's jurisdiction through official mapping or the relevant planning department.
For building permits and land-use questions, properties within an incorporated city or town generally fall under that municipality's planning and building departments. Properties in unincorporated Santa Clara County generally fall under the county's Department of Planning and Development. Its official property research guidance explains how to investigate a property using its address or parcel number.
Population rankings help compare the size of communities, but they do not determine which office handles a request. Confirm the property boundary and the agency responsible for the specific service before applying for a permit or submitting a location-based inquiry.
Population data checked against the California Department of Finance's May 2026 E-1 release on October 1, 2026.