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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-SAN-MATEO-CA · San Mateo, CA 103,555 pop · income 94th pct · 174 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around San Mateo
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest San Mateo on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
South Bend · lowest
52,512
South Bend · lowest
52,512 median HH income
34.4% of the leader · rank #1
Chester · near
152,578
Chester · near
152,578 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #2
Pungoteague · near
152,617
Pungoteague · near
152,617 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #3
Hartsdale · near
152,619
Hartsdale · near
152,619 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #4
Williston Park · near
152,656
Williston Park · near
152,656 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #5
San Mateo · this city
152,669
San Mateo · this city
152,669 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #6
Aquia Harbour · highest
152,776
Aquia Harbour · highest
152,776 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for San Mateo on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 103,555.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
San Mateo - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, San Mateo lands in the 94th percentile for household income and the 29th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
94th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
29th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: San Mateo, CA
103,555 people live in San Mateo, California - a mid-sized U.S. city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. San Mateo households earn a median of $152,669 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 4.6%. San Mateo's housing stock carries a median value of $1,563,200, and the median resident age is 38.0 years. Educational attainment runs 57.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 66.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 101 residential building permits were authorized in San Mateo (Construction Slowdown), down 70% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2126.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in San Mateo report an average commute of 21.1 minutes, with 58.5% driving alone and 22.3% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of San Mateo's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to housing and income to population change to comparison shortlist to reported crime to within-city variation to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For San Mateo, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for San Mateo?
The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 57.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
How far does income reach against housing in San Mateo?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 10.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for San Mateo?
Within California, the closest population matches are Rialto (103,866 residents, $85,521 income); Daly City (102,560 residents, $119,570 income); El Cajon (104,909 residents, $66,478 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Goodyear, AZ (102,891 residents); South Bend, IN (102,866 residents); Lee's Summit, MO (102,583 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What can 174 Census tracts reveal inside San Mateo?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 174 Census tracts to this city.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is San Mateo growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -2,332 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 101 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.2%
2025 estimate
103,337
2020 estimate
105,669
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in San Mateo?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2126.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 7% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1883.3
Violent rate
243.2
Total reported rate
2126.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in San Mateo?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 58.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.1 minutes.
Public transit
6.1%
Work from home
22.3%
Drive alone
58.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 55,754 workers age 16+.
Top-decile income · poverty 4.6% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
C+
City profile score · San Mateo, CA
61/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A+
$152,669
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
57.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime D
243 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
San Mateo profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 97/100 (A+) · $152,669
Bachelor's+ share: 90/100 (A+) · 57.6%
Poverty rate: 68/100 (B-) · 4.6%
Violent crime: 41/100 (D) · 243 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where San Mateo sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
San Mateo's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - San Mateo highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
San Mateo, CA (this city): home $1,563,200, crime 2,127/100k
Goodyear, AZ : home $441,900, crime 1,645/100k
South Bend, IN : home $124,500, crime 3,009/100k
Lee's Summit, MO : home $313,200, crime 2,444/100k
Edinburg, TX : home $174,800, crime 2,027/100k
Wichita Falls, TX : home $142,600, crime 2,969/100k
Brockton, MA : home $405,500, crime 1,945/100k
Rialto, CA : home $454,400, crime 3,037/100k
Daly City, CA : home $1,092,700, crime 2,105/100k
El Cajon, CA : home $632,800, crime 1,935/100k
Vacaville, CA : home $596,700, crime 2,033/100k
Chico, CA : home $455,300, crime 2,597/100k
Burbank, CA : home $1,041,100, crime 3,462/100k
How does San Mateo compare to other US cities?
Here's how San Mateo stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income94% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety29% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, San Mateo ranks #262 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares San Mateo against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places San Mateo near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, San Mateo ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Mateo only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#170 of 1,338
87th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#99 of 1,343
93rd percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#884 of 1,450
38th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#199 of 1,458
86th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
94th percentile nationally for median household income · 29th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
San Mateo's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
San Mateo's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How San Mateo's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,563,2001st percentilemore affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
San Mateo's home-value-to-income ratio: 10.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,370 of 15,516
More affordable than 1% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#735 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 10.2×, San Mateo sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,370 of 15,516 and #735 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$152,669San Mateo, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context San Mateo, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for San Mateo, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)57.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)66.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
103,555
Median Income
$152,669
Median Home Value
$1,563,200
Median Age
38.0
Poverty Rate
4.6%
Labor force participation
66.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
57.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2126.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
243.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1883.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
22
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
San Mateo's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
105,669 residents
2021
102,944 residents
2022
101,952 residents
2023
102,078 residents
2024
102,856 residents
2025
103,337 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
101
housing units authorized
Single-Family
89
detached homes
Multifamily
12
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
339
9
330
$108.7M
2020
41
14
27
$8.9M
2021
264
68
196
$91.1M
2022
60
6
54
$39.8M
2023
12
12
0
$13.2M
2024
101
89
12
$95.0M
Permit volume decreased 70% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.1 minutes
Drive Alone
58.5%
Carpool
6.9%
Public Transit
6.1%
Walk
2.9%
Work from Home
22.3%
Other
3.3%
Based on 55,754 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for San Mateo. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around San Mateo is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county San Mateo sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How San Mateo compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, 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.