ZIP Code 94306 — Palo Alto city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 94306 covers Palo Alto, CA in Santa Clara County with a population of about 27,527.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 41.0 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 650; U.S. House district CA-16; the SAN FRANCISCO - OAK - SAN JOSE media market.

Palo Alto, CA sits in a university / college context (near sofia university (1.6 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 94306 is about $186,479 — about 148% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 8.7%; unemployment rate near 2.8%; 80.5% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 46.8 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Professional services, Education, and Healthcare; about 32.2% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 17.0 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $2,000,001 — about 475% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $2,861 (about 146% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 52.2% (about 13.2 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 94306 in Palo Alto, CA, a household would need roughly $551,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $12,847. That is about 195% above the local median household income ($186,479), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Palo Alto city, CA as Very High (composite score 99.7), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (99.8) and wildfire (97.4). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Palo Alto city, CA show little to no average snow and around 15.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,355 for ZIP 94306 (Palo Alto city, CA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.