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- San Jose, California
How walkable is San Jose, California?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
San Jose, California has a walkability score of 67 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the 24th most walkable of the 58 cities ranked in the United States.
What's within walking distance of the center
1,175 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central San Jose, California. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- San Square Market, 8 min
- Safeway, 11 min
Restaurants & bars
- The Caravan Lounge, 4 min
- La Pastaia, 5 min
Shopping
- LocalXR, 2 min
- Sir Speedy Print, Signs, Marketing, 5 min
Coffee
- Nirvana Soul Coffee, 5 min
- Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, 5 min
Banks
- U.S. Bank, 2 min
- Western Alliance Bank, 2 min
Parks
- Guadalupe River Park, 2 min
- Arena Green, 5 min
Schools
- Lester Shields Elementary School, 16 min
- The Goddard School, 17 min
Books & libraries
- San Jose Public Library Foundation, 16 min
- SJPL Works, 16 min
Culture & entertainment
- San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 5 min
- Broadway San Jose, 5 min
Measured from the center at 37.3316, -121.8950, the point near San Jose, California's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the center there are about 81 street intersections per km², and blocks average 102 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
San Jose, California's score of 67 is the average across the 5 km around its center, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 91 within 1 km of the center, 74 from 1 to 3 km out and 60 from 3 to 5 km out. 45% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the center, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central San Jose, California. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the center. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Center | 98 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 91 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 74 | 69% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 60 | 24% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland, California, United States | 61 km | 72 |
| San Francisco, United States | 67 km | 91 |
| Sacramento, California, United States | 143 km | 62 |
| Bakersfield, California, United States | 338 km | 51 |
| Los Angeles, United States | 493 km | 82 |
Questions about walking in San Jose, California
Is San Jose, California a walkable city?
Partly. San Jose, California has a walkability score of 67 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its center scores 98. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 24th of 58 cities in the United States and joint 341st of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United States?
New York City is the most walkable of the 58 cities ranked in the United States, with a score of 93. San Jose, California ranks 24th with 67.
How does San Jose, California compare with nearby cities?
San Jose, California sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 67, against Oakland, California (72, 61 km away), San Francisco (91, 67 km away) and Sacramento, California (62, 143 km away).
Which part of San Jose, California is most walkable?
San Jose's most walkable area is its center, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 98. Walkability averages 91 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-east (averaging 68) and falls most to the south-east (52).
Why is San Jose, California's score different from its Walk Score?
Walk Score's city scores average every neighborhood within the city limits, weighted by where people live, so they count outer suburbs that the 5 km around San Jose, California's center leaves out, and they are usually lower. Address by address the two agree closely: across 46 addresses in the United States and Canada, How Walkable's scores were 5.9 points from Walk Score's on average, as the accuracy study at howwalkable.com/accuracy shows.
How is San Jose, California's walkability score calculated?
For San Jose, California it is the average of 87 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 39 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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