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Most Urban Cities in California

Densely populated city centers with the largest urban footprints.

Best Climate Cleanest Air Sunniest Most Urban All Rankings →
All United States  ·  California

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Density · 65% Population · 35%

Top 12 Most Urban Cities in California

Ranked by composite score across 2 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 65.7
Mountain View, CA
82,363 residents
Density 284,010
Population 82,363
#2
Score 36.9
Los Angeles, CA
3,857,897 residents
Density 8,199
Population 3,857,897
#3
Score 13.5
San Diego, CA
1,385,061 residents
Density 4,247
Population 1,385,061
#4
Score 11.7
San Francisco, CA
836,321 residents
Density 17,912
Population 836,321
#5
Score 10.2
San Jose, CA
990,054 residents
Density 5,564
Population 990,054
#6
Score 6.2
Long Beach, CA
458,491 residents
Density 9,049
Population 458,491
#7
Score 6
Fresno, CA
543,615 residents
Density 4,690
Population 543,615
#8
Score 6
Sacramento, CA
524,802 residents
Density 5,320
Population 524,802
#9
Score 5.8
Isla Vista, CA
13,717 residents
Density 24,940
Population 13,717
#10
Score 5.8
Oakland, CA
438,072 residents
Density 7,828
Population 438,072
#11
Score 5.4
Santa Ana, CA
311,639 residents
Density 11,382
Population 311,639
#12
Score 5
Maywood, CA
24,593 residents
Density 21,020
Population 24,593

Full Ranking, California

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Mountain View CA 65.7
2 Los Angeles CA 36.9
3 San Diego CA 13.5
4 San Francisco CA 11.7
5 San Jose CA 10.2
6 Long Beach CA 6.2
7 Fresno CA 6
8 Sacramento CA 6
9 Isla Vista CA 5.8
10 Oakland CA 5.8
11 Santa Ana CA 5.4
12 Maywood CA 5
13 Rollingwood CA 4.9
14 Walnut Park CA 4.8
15 Anaheim CA 4.7
16 Florence-Graham CA 4.6
17 West Hollywood CA 4.6
18 Huntington Park CA 4.6
19 East Los Angeles CA 4.5
20 Westmont CA 4.5
21 Cudahy CA 4.5
22 Lennox CA 4.4
23 Bakersfield CA 4.3
24 East Rancho Dominguez CA 4.1
25 Stockton CA 4.1
26 Hawthorne CA 4
27 Daly City CA 4
28 Bell Gardens CA 3.9
29 Lawndale CA 3.9
30 Irvine CA 3.9
31 Chula Vista CA 3.7
32 Riverside CA 3.7
33 South Gate CA 3.7
34 Berkeley CA 3.7
35 Garden Grove CA 3.7
36 Lynwood CA 3.7
37 Inglewood CA 3.6
38 Bellflower CA 3.6
39 Greenfield CA 3.6
40 Oxnard CA 3.5
41 El Monte CA 3.5
42 Hawaiian Gardens CA 3.4
43 Huntington Beach CA 3.4
44 Santa Monica CA 3.3
45 Bell CA 3.3
46 Norwalk CA 3.3
47 Hermosa Beach CA 3.2
48 Redondo Beach CA 3.2
49 Stanton CA 3.2
50 Glendale CA 3.2

Mountain View, CA tops the list with a composite score of 65.7 out of 100, followed by Los Angeles and San Diego. CA dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for most urban.

Rankings combine 2 independent metrics: Density, Population. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to most urban, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

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Most days of sunshine per year, with warm and dry climate.