Head to Head

San Jose, CA vs Sacramento, CA

San Jose leads with a Fun Score of 64, ahead by 7 points. Across 23 individual factors, San Jose wins 13 and Sacramento wins 9, with 1 tied.

Factor wins — San Jose
13 of 23
Tied
1
Factor wins — Sacramento
9 of 23
Factor San Jose, CA Sacramento, CA
What lifts the score
Eats 53 Best
40
Drinks 30
38 Best
Coffee 65
68 Best
Live Music 37
66 Best
Star Power 62
73 Best
Outdoors 51 Best
35
Culture 29
47 Best
Events 57
89 Best
Sports 58 Best
23
Unique Hangouts 59 Best
50
City Vibe 92 Best
51
Climate 88 Best
77
Transit Quality 64 Best
53
Walkability 75 Best
70
Higher Education 35 Best
32
Bike & Micromobility 89 Best
56
What weighs it down (lower score = better)
Crime 46 Best
51
Traffic 83
71 Best
Air Quality 43
12 Best
Disaster Risk 86
60 Best
Weather Extremes 6 Best
25
Economic Strain 26 Best
71
Going-Out Cost 82
82

Scores are 0–100 percentile ranks. For drawback factors (crime, traffic, etc.) a lower number is better — the Best badge marks whichever city has less. Full methodology →