Demographics

Location

The City of Milpitas is located near the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, forty-five miles south of San Francisco. Milpitas is often called the “Crossroads of Silicon Valley” with most of its 13.63 square miles of land situated between two major freeways (I-880 and I-680), State Route 237, and a county expressway. A light rail line opened for service in 2004 and an extension of BART, including a major multi-model station opened for service in June 2020. 

Population

Once a small agricultural town and later a stopover point for travelers between Oakland and San Jose, Milpitas has blossomed into one of the world’s premier computer and semiconductor producers. Residents of the burgeoning city of 80,839 are family-centered communities that embrace cultural diversity, quality schooling, and conveniently located neighborhood parks and shopping centers. Milpitas' daytime population is approximately 118,000 people.

Development

Incorporated in 1954 with 825 residents, Milpitas is located at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay and in Silicon Valley. The City covers 13.6 square miles, with grassy foothills and picturesque Mount Hamilton to the east and the Santa Clara Valley floor to the west. The city is located in Santa Clara County, home to approximately 1.9 million residents. To the north is the city of Fremont. To the south lies San Jose, the third largest city in California. As of 2019, Milpitas had an existing inventory of approximately 14.5 million square feet of office, R&D, and manufacturing space. This inventory is flexible and includes a diversity of building types and sizes, which can accommodate businesses in need of different types of spaces. About 5.5 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space existed in Milpitas in 2019.

Milpitas has a large and diverse offering of retail stores and restaurants, mostly concentrated in suburban-style shopping centers. As of 2019, Milpitas had nearly 5 million square feet of retail, of which three quarters was located in retail centers of different sizes and trade areas. Milpitas has an ethnically diverse array of retail and restaurants, and a significant portion of retail in Milpitas is specialized in Asian products. Milpitas has major regional retail destinations that attract shoppers from beyond the city. The largest centers are the Great Mall, a 1.4 million square feet super-regional mall, and McCarthy Ranch, a 415,000 square feet power retail center.

Employment

With over 40,800 jobs and 39,600 employed residents, Milpitas is a jobs rich community. The two largest employers in Milpitas are Cisco Systems with over 3,000 employees and KLA with over 2,000 employees. Other major employers are, Flex, Headway Technologies and Milpitas Unified School District. Several of these top employers have made Milpitas their corporate headquarters location. The largest percentage of the Milpitas workforce, approximately 26%, are employed in professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management, 23% manufacturing, and approximately 16% educational services, and health care and social assistance.

Community

At 20 feet above sea level, Milpitas’ mild climate averages 59 degrees, with gentle winds from the northwest and little more than 13 inches of rain expected in a typical year. Milpitas’ neighborhoods are dotted with over 20,000 households and well-placed parks. Thirty-seven city parks are maintained by Milpitas, including one dog park, 21 tennis courts, and the soon-to-be-opened new park on McCandless Drive. The City provides a multitude of outstanding recreational opportunities, including aquatics, cultural arts and theater, sports leagues and activities, youth programming, and senior activities and services. Milpitas’ median household income is $169,460.

Housing

Approximately 64% of Milpitians own their own home. The median gross rent in Milpitas is $2,762. The median price of a single family residence as of February 2022 in Milpitas is $1,583,000. About 21.9 percent of the city's population are under 18 years of age. About 78 percent of the population are 18 years and over. About 12 percent of residents are 65 years and over.

Education

The Milpitas Unified School District operates ten elementary schools (K-6), two middle schools (7-8), two high schools (9-12), one continuation high school, and one adult education school. The district employed over 500 individuals on a full-time basis to serve approximately 10,000 students as a Pre K-12 grade school system.