City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Millbrae, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Millbrae — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

22,589
Residents
$157,567
Median income
$1,929,700
Median home
$2,053
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Millbrae, CA

Millbrae is a city in California with a population of 22,589 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $157,567 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 3.4%. Typical homes in Millbrae are valued around $1,929,700, and the median resident age is 45.3 years. About 50.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 61.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 255 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Active).

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, California registers 110.7 (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $275 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Millbrae report an average commute of 23.1 minutes, with 57.9% driving alone and 19.9% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

22,589 residents

Census ACS 2023 — California

Median Household Income

$157,567 /yr

Poverty 3.4%

Cost of Living Index

110.7 (US=100)

Above Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Millbrae compare to other US cities?

Where Millbrae sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 95% higher than other cities
Home value 99% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Millbrae against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Millbrae, CA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Millbrae, CA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Millbrae, CA — median $157,567/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Millbrae, CA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 50.5%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.4%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 61.9%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
22,589
Median Income
$157,567
Median Home Value
$1,929,700
Median Age
45.3
Poverty Rate
3.4%
Labor force participation
61.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.5%

Schools

Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Active
Total Permits (2024)
255
housing units authorized
Single-Family
19
detached homes
Multifamily
236
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
11.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 400
2021 80
2022 0
2023 7
2024 255

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
23.1 minutes
Drive Alone
57.9%
Carpool
9.5%
Public Transit
9.1%
Walk
1.6%
Work from Home
19.9%
Other
2.0%

Based on 11,199 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for California — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month

Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

California state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,053/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
88.7 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Millbrae, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Millbrae, CA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Millbrae compares to nearby California cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Millbrae) plus the nearest peer cities in California, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

CA

Millbrae

157.57% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$157,567
Brackets
23
Selected

CA

West Rancho Dominguez

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,260
Brackets
23
Selected

CA

Corcoran

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,260
Brackets
23
Selected

CA

Laguna Beach

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,280
Brackets
23
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Millbrae, CA?

What is the population of Millbrae, CA? +

Millbrae, CA has a population of 22,589 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Millbrae, CA? +

The median household income in Millbrae is $157,567 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Millbrae? +

Millbrae has a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Millbrae, CA? +

The median home value in Millbrae is $1,929,700, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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