Skip to content
Elevation

Elevation of Sunnyvale

124ft

above sea level · 38 m

Sunnyvale is a city in California with 156,577 people, the 37th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 80th lowest.

By the All Map Tools Team

Elevation profile

Loading the map…

Place facts

Coordinates
37.37° N · 122.04° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 37° 22′ 8″ N · 122° 2′ 11″ W
UTM coordinates
10S · 585,327 E · 4,136,225 N
Zone 10 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Santa Clara County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
California
CA · capital: Sacramento
Time zone
Pacific Time
UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
156,577 people
22.1 sq mi of land · 7,098 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from March 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Sunnyvale had 156,577 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.6% more than in April 2020, when it had 155,607. Its 22.1 sq mi of land work out to 7,098 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.

It’s the 37th most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), after Los Angeles (3,869,089), and holds 0.4% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within Santa Clara County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.3 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Sunnyvale sits at 124 ft (38 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Sunnyvale is 738 ft below it.

The state capital, Sacramento, is 89 mi away in a straight line and 97 ft lower than Sunnyvale.

The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is San Jose, 8.0 mi away in a straight line and 43 ft lower.

Of the 75 cities in California with a page, Sunnyvale is the 33rd lowest: the highest is Hesperia (3,178 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).

The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 14,370 ft above Sunnyvale, 214 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 168 Augusta 140 ft
  2. 169 Inglewood 130 ft
  3. 170 Sunnyvale 124 ft
  4. 171 Downey 119 ft
  5. 172 McAllen 119 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Sunnyvale and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Sunnyvale with any other point on the map. Map of Santa Clara County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Sunnyvale and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of California counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Sunnyvale.

What is the elevation of Sunnyvale?

Sunnyvale is 124 feet (38 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Sunnyvale?

Latitude 37.36883 and longitude -122.03635, in decimal degrees (37° 22′ 8″ N · 122° 2′ 11″ W). In UTM, zone 10: 585,327 E and 4,136,225 N, on NAD83.

How does Sunnyvale rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 80th lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Sunnyvale in?

Santa Clara County, California.

Which is higher, Sunnyvale or Sacramento?

Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale sits at 124 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 97 ft, 89 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know