Blog > Palo Alto Luxury Homes: Where $5 Million+ Houses Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Palo Alto Luxury Homes: Where $5 Million+ Houses Sold, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
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Where do top-of-market houses sell in Palo Alto? In the two years to October 19, 2026, 197 of the 712 single-family houses that sold in Palo Alto (28%) closed at $5 million or more, by the MLS records we can read with repeat records removed. In 2012, 6 did all year; in 2025, 101 did. Here is where those sales happened, inside each of our neighborhood guides.
The short answer
- Across the city: 48% of house sales closed at $4M or more, 28% at $5M or more and 9% at $7.5M or more. The highest sale was $21.25M in Old Palo Alto.
- Where they cluster (share of house sales at $5M+, guides with at least 8 house sales): Old Palo Alto (68%), Crescent Park (58%), Community Center (55%), Professorville (45%), Leland Manor / Garland (35%) and Duveneck / St. Francis (26%).
- None at $5M+ in the window: Southgate, Greenmeadow, Fairmeadow, Charleston Meadows and Ventura.
- What it buys: the typical house that sold for $5M or more went for $6.62M, with 3,212 sq ft ($2,118 per sq ft), against 2,019 sq ft and $2,057 per sq ft for all Palo Alto houses.
- Over time: 6 house sales at $5M or more in 2012, 83 in 2021 and 101 in 2025, with 80 more from January through September 2026.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Guides with at least 8 house sales, highest share at $5M or more first. Each cell shows how many houses sold at that price or more and their share of the guide’s house sales. Each name opens its guide, with live listings and the last 12 months of sales.
| Neighborhood | House sales | Median price | $4M+ | $5M+ | $7.5M+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Palo Alto | 77 | $6.85M | 60 (78%) | 52 (68%) | 33 (43%) |
| Crescent Park | 66 | $5.54M | 49 (74%) | 38 (58%) | 14 (21%) |
| Community Center | 31 | $5.25M | 24 (77%) | 17 (55%) | 4 (13%) |
| Professorville | 11 | $4.92M | 9 (82%) | 5 (45%) | 1 (9%) |
| Leland Manor / Garland | 26 | $4.51M | 17 (65%) | 9 (35%) | 2 (8%) |
| Duveneck / St. Francis | 53 | $4.28M | 29 (55%) | 14 (26%) | 2 (4%) |
| University South | 25 | $3.85M | 12 (48%) | 6 (24%) | 2 (8%) |
| Green Acres | 13 | $4.38M | 9 (69%) | 3 (23%) | 1 (8%) |
| Barron Park | 53 | $4M | 27 (51%) | 12 (23%) | 2 (4%) |
| Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park | 19 | $3.3M | 5 (26%) | 3 (16%) | 0 (0%) |
| Midtown | 101 | $3.6M | 38 (38%) | 15 (15%) | 0 (0%) |
| Downtown North | 19 | $3.02M | 3 (16%) | 2 (11%) | 1 (5%) |
| Palo Verde | 29 | $3.75M | 8 (28%) | 2 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| College Terrace | 22 | $2.99M | 4 (18%) | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Southgate | 11 | $4.43M | 6 (55%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Greenmeadow | 21 | $3.75M | 4 (19%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Fairmeadow | 14 | $3.26M | 2 (14%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Charleston Meadows | 21 | $2.91M | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Ventura | 21 | $2.68M | 2 (10%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
Fewer than 8 house sales, so not ranked: Charleston Gardens (7 sales, 1 at $5M+), Evergreen Park (7 sales, 1 at $5M+) and Triple El (1 sale, 0 at $5M+).
Year by year since 2012
House sales at $5M or more each year, in Palo Alto. The line is fixed in dollars while prices rose, so part of the climb is simply more houses crossing it: the median house sold for $1.75M in 2012 and $3.85M in 2025.
| Year | House sales | $5M+ | Share | Median house price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 466 | 6 | 1% | $1.75M |
| 2013 | 396 | 14 | 4% | $2.15M |
| 2014 | 354 | 24 | 7% | $2.43M |
| 2015 | 319 | 30 | 9% | $2.67M |
| 2016 | 356 | 27 | 8% | $2.55M |
| 2017 | 337 | 45 | 13% | $3M |
| 2018 | 332 | 46 | 14% | $3.2M |
| 2019 | 315 | 31 | 10% | $3.08M |
| 2020 | 337 | 31 | 9% | $3M |
| 2021 | 505 | 83 | 16% | $3.56M |
| 2022 | 317 | 58 | 18% | $3.6M |
| 2023 | 295 | 43 | 15% | $3.3M |
| 2024 | 346 | 76 | 22% | $3.66M |
| 2025 | 369 | 101 | 27% | $3.85M |
| 2026 (Jan.–Sept.) | 255 | 80 | 31% | $4.1M |
Reading it right
- These are sale prices, not list prices, and they aren’t adjusted for inflation.
- Size drives much of the top end, so compare price per square foot as well as price when you look at houses at $5M or more.
- Small samples swing. Every cell shows its count, and one or two sales can move a small guide’s share.
- Some guides overlap, and a sale inside two outlines counts in both.
- Past sales aren’t a forecast or the value of any one home.
How we counted
Closed sales of single-family houses reported to the MLS, read through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with one record per MLS number and only sales with a recorded living area and a map position, placed inside each guide’s outline. A sale counts at a price if it closed at that amount or more. The yearly table uses the same rules, by closing date, through September 30, 2026.
Go deeper
The Luxury Market Report follows the top of the market across Silicon Valley, and the Price Ladder shows where Palo Alto’s top end sits against other cities. For Palo Alto, see houses under $3 million, guide by guide, house prices by bedrooms and neighborhoods ranked by price per square foot; the Palo Alto city guide links every guide. Our sales map shows the homes we’ve sold there.
Common questions
What is the most expensive neighborhood in Palo Alto?
By median house price over the two years to October 19, 2026, among guides with at least 8 house sales: Old Palo Alto ($6.85M), Crescent Park ($5.54M) and Community Center ($5.25M).
How many Palo Alto houses sell for $5 million or more?
197 of 712 house sales (28%) in those two years, and 101 in 2025 alone, up from 6 in 2012.
What was the highest house sale in Palo Alto?
$21.25M in Old Palo Alto, in the two years to October 19, 2026, by the MLS records we can read.
The Palo Alto data series: housing market by the numbers · neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · ten years of prices by neighborhood · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses under $3M · the best month to sell · our sales map
Selling at the top of the Palo Alto market?
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