ZIP Code 94304 — Palo Alto city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 94304 covers Palo Alto, CA in Santa Clara County with a population of about 4,731.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.7 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 palo alto university (0.6 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 94304 is about $162,569 — about 116% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 5.5%; unemployment rate near 2.3%; 82.0% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 48.3 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Education, Healthcare, and Professional services; about 18.8% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 3.6 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 $3,415 (about 194% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 24.2% (about 41.2 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 94304 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 239% above the local median household income ($162,569), 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 42.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 233 for ZIP 94304 (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.