Sunnyvale is a city located in Santa Clara County California. Sunnyvale has a 2024 population of 150,872. Sunnyvale is currently declining at a rate of -0.72% annually and its population has decreased by -2.82% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 155,250 in 2020.
The average household income in Sunnyvale is $231,726 with a poverty rate of 5.3%. The median age in Sunnyvale is 35.1 years: 34.4 years for males, and 36.1 years for females.
Sunnyvale is the seventh most populous city in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California. It's also the 4th largest city in Silicon Valley behind San Jose, Fremont, and Hayward. Sunnyvale is bordered by San Jose to the north, Los Altos to the southwest, and Santa Clara to the east. As part of Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale is home to the headquarters of many tech companies and several aerospace and defense companies.
Interestingly, Sunnyvale is also one of the few cities in the United States to feature a single unified Department of Public Safety, exclusively comprising personnel who are trained as firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical responders.
About 47% of Sunnyvale's population is foreign-born, one of the country's highest foreign-born populations. Sunnyvale has an Asian-majority population. In the 1880s, Chinese workers made up roughly one-third of the farming workforce. The Asian Indian population is Sunnyvale's fastest growing group and will soon overtake the Vietnamese as the second-largest Asian population in Silicon Valley after the Chinese.
In 1920, 8 years after officially becoming a city, Sunnyvale had a population of just 1675 people. The 1950s brought a huge boom with an 18% population growth, bringing the population from 9,829 in 1950 to 52,898 in 1960.
Sunnyvale has continued year after year to rank as one of the top ten safest cities of its size in the U.S. 2018 saw SmartAsset name Sunnyvale the third safest city in the country for the third consecutive year. The city continues its modest population growth that is still behind most of California.
Upon the arrival of the Spanish in the 1770s at the Santa Clara Valley, Native Americans heavily populated the area. With the Spanish, however, came smallpox, measles, and other diseases new to the natives which greatly reduced their population. The region was under Mexican rule in the 1840s when a land grant was provided to Lupe Yñigo, one of the only Native Americans to hold a grant. By 1850, California was granted statehood in the United State.
In 1901, Sunnyvale was named in honor of its sunny region away from the fog of neighboring areas. Within a few years, Sunnyvale had its first fruit-packing factory. Today, California is the world’s largest producer of dried fruit. During WWII, however, the fruit industry started to give way to the high tech industry as workers from the fruit farms moved over to work in munitions factories.
Post-war, the farms were cleared to make way for new homes, factories and offices. Lockheed moved to Sunnyvale, and following them came numerous other high-tech companies, including AMD and Yahoo. By 2002, most remaining orchards were gone, replaced with homes and shops.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sunnyvale was:
Race | Population | Percentage (of total) |
---|---|---|
Asian | 76,656 | 49.59% |
White | 48,824 | 31.59% |
Other race | 13,329 | 8.62% |
Two or more races | 13,010 | 8.42% |
Black or African American | 1,840 | 1.19% |
Native American | 722 | 0.47% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 192 | 0.12% |
Asian
White
Other race
Two or more races
Black or African American
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 58,646 | 2.61 | 44.4 | 55.6 |
Married | 31,026 | 3.21 | 54.1 | 45.9 |
Non Family | 20,944 | 1.5 | 29.7 | 70.3 |
Female | 4,374 | 3.3 | 45.5 | 54.5 |
Male | 2,302 | 3.47 | 44.5 | 55.5 |
3.14
Average Family Size
2.61
Average Household Size
44.4%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
9th to 12th Grade | 3,171 | 2.79% |
Associates Degree | 6,239 | 5.49% |
Bachelors Degree | 34,193 | 30.08% |
Graduate Degree | 43,103 | 37.92% |
High School Graduate | 10,757 | 9.46% |
Less Than 9th Grade | 3,684 | 3.24% |
Some College | 12,534 | 11.03% |
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
Race | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 58,512 | 56,305 | 47,727 |
White | 33,454 | 32,636 | 22,163 |
Hispanic | 16,192 | 12,561 | 4,035 |
Other Race | 8,345 | 6,023 | 1,856 |
2+ Races | 7,196 | 6,741 | 3,383 |
Black | 1,530 | 1,449 | 931 |
Native American | 464 | 356 | 156 |
Islander | 133 | 124 | 45 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 97.55%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 81.57%.
All
Male
Female
Name | Average | Male | Female |
---|---|---|---|
Bachelors Degree | $112,603 | $139,260 | $88,916 |
Graduate Degree | $164,914 | $179,603 | $129,008 |
High School Graduate | $45,031 | $50,009 | $34,708 |
Less Than 9th Grade | $38,794 | $42,092 | $32,145 |
Overall | $110,729 | $133,785 | $83,838 |
Some College | $51,320 | $63,525 | $45,955 |
$110,729
Average Earnings
$133,785
Average Male
$83,838
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
40.55% of Sunnyvale residents speak only English, while 59.45% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 30.86% of the population.
rate
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 76,523 | 3,741 | 4.89% |
Hispanic | 25,597 | 2,110 | 8.24% |
White | 42,022 | 1,650 | 3.93% |
Other | 13,226 | 1,148 | 8.68% |
Multiple | 12,886 | 1,090 | 8.46% |
Black | 1,817 | 132 | 7.26% |
Native | 722 | 72 | 9.97% |
Islander | 192 | 6 | 3.13% |
5.3%
Overall Poverty Rate
4.43%
Male Poverty Rate
6.25%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Sunnyvale is Native, with 9.97% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Sunnyvale is Islander, with 3.13% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.07%. Among those working part-time, it was 7.87%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 13.16%.
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 12.12% |
High School | 11.42% |
Some College | 7.41% |
Bachelors or Greater | 3.17% |
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Male Unemployed | 25.28% |
Female Unemployed | 16.12% |
Female Employed | 2.83% |
Male Employed | 1.78% |
Households
Families
MarriedFamilies
NonFamilies
Name | Median | Mean |
---|---|---|
Families | $190,031 | $253,705 |
Households | $174,506 | $231,726 |
Married Families | $217,492 | $-999,999,999 |
Non Families | $138,755 | $182,998 |
mean
median
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
54.8%
Overall Marriage Rate
54.3%
Male Marriage Rate
55.4%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Second Gulf War
First Gulf War
Vietnam
Korea
World War II
3,888
Number of Veterans
3,383
Male Veterans
505
Female Veterans
War | Veterans |
---|---|
Vietnam | 1,109 |
Second Gulf War | 940 |
First Gulf War | 694 |
Korea | 364 |
World War II | 108 |
count
Age Group | Veterans |
---|---|
75+ | 1,371 |
35 to 54 | 795 |
55 to 64 | 784 |
65 to 74 | 580 |
18 to 34 | 358 |
count
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 2,494 | 6.11% |
Asian | 765 | 1.22% |
Hispanic | 516 | 2.8% |
2+ Races | 273 | 3.42% |
Other Race | 217 | 2.24% |
Black | 102 | 6.13% |
Native American | 37 | 6.7% |
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
4.05%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.27%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
71.8%
Labor Force Participation
68.8%
Employment Rate
4.1%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
35.44%
Born in Sunnyvale
50.64%
Native Born
49.36%
Foreign Born
30.52%
Non Citizen
18.84%
Naturalized
50.64% of Sunnyvale residents were born in the United States, with 35.44% having been born in California. 30.52% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Change |
---|---|---|---|
2029 | 145,400 | -1,095 | -0.75% |
2028 | 146,495 | -1,094 | -0.74% |
2027 | 147,589 | -1,094 | -0.74% |
2026 | 148,683 | -1,095 | -0.73% |
2025 | 149,778 | -1,094 | -0.73% |
2024 | 150,872 | -1,095 | -0.72% |
2023 | 151,967 | 285 | 0.19% |
2022 | 151,682 | -795 | -0.52% |
2021 | 152,477 | -2,773 | -1.79% |
2020 | 155,250 | 1,948 | 1.27% |
2019 | 153,302 | -151 | -0.1% |
2018 | 153,453 | 991 | 0.65% |
2017 | 152,462 | 681 | 0.45% |
2016 | 151,781 | 847 | 0.56% |
2015 | 150,934 | 1,810 | 1.21% |
2014 | 149,124 | 1,333 | 0.9% |
2013 | 147,791 | 2,261 | 1.55% |
2012 | 145,530 | 2,664 | 1.86% |
2011 | 142,866 | 2,080 | 1.48% |
2010 | 140,786 | 0 | 0% |
2000 | 131,760 | 14,531 | 12.4% |
1990 | 117,229 | 10,611 | 9.95% |
1980 | 106,618 | 10,642 | 11.09% |
1970 | 95,976 | 43,078 | 81.44% |
1960 | 52,898 | 43,069 | 438.18% |
1950 | 9,829 | 5,456 | 124.77% |
1940 | 4,373 | 1,279 | 41.34% |
1930 | 3,094 | 1,419 | 84.72% |
1920 | 1,675 | -143,725 | -98.85% |