2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Palo Alto, CA vs Scottsdale, AZ

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Scottsdale, is 50% less than it is in Palo Alto and is 29% above the National Average.
- Palo Alto unemployment rate is 3.5%.
- Scottsdale unemployment rate is 4.7%.
 Palo Alto, CAScottsdale, AZUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock3.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth40.5%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock3.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$105,070  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$97,409$69,021
 Family Median Income$241,579  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Palo Alto, CAScottsdale, AZUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock5.8%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock5.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K2.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock5.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K2.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.4%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K5.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock18.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.9%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock20.2%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Palo Alto, CAScottsdale, AZUnited States
 Management, business, finance26.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock9.0%6.5%
 Community, social services1.0%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.0%1.2%
 Education, library10.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.7%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.3%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.8%5.4%
 Building maintenance0.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support10.0%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair1.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.0%13.1%
Reviews for Palo Alto    8 Reviews

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

   |    Reply

Over 17 years ago

Very  More

   |    Reply

Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Palo Alto

Reviews for Scottsdale    84 Reviews

It's been a long time since I visited Scottsdale after visiting a few times a decade ago. It used to be more of an area that deserved it's punchlines for being stuck up  More

   |    Reply

Over 1 years ago

My son went to ASU in '99 which is how we ended up here from Northern Illinois. Over the years we came out for vacations and bought a second home until we finally made  More

   |    Reply

I lived in San Jose for 30 years...in the late '50s. I walked thru cherry orchards to school. After college classes, I drove 20 minutes to the beach. San Francisco was  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Scottsdale


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.