Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetCA-SAN-PABLO-CA · San Pablo, CA 31,771 pop · income 60th pct
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 Pablo
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest San Pablo on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Ithaca · lowest
48,617
Ithaca · lowest
48,617 median HH income
38.0% of the leader · rank #1
Sylvan Springs · near
78,214
Sylvan Springs · near
78,214 median HH income
61.1% of the leader · rank #2
South Haven · near
78,214
South Haven · near
78,214 median HH income
61.1% of the leader · rank #3
Woodworth · near
78,214
Woodworth · near
78,214 median HH income
61.1% of the leader · rank #4
Amboy · near
78,214
Amboy · near
78,214 median HH income
61.1% of the leader · rank #5
San Pablo · this city
78,215
San Pablo · this city
78,215 median HH income
61.1% of the leader · rank #6
Beverly Hills · highest
127,979
Beverly Hills · highest
127,979 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 Pablo 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: 31,771.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
San Pablo - the verdict
Nationally, San Pablo sits in the 60th percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
60th
percentile, household income
86th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
14th
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 Pablo, CA
San Pablo is a small city in California, home to 31,771 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in San Pablo brings in $78,215 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 9.2%. Home values in San Pablo run a median of $516,000, and the median resident age is 34.3 years. Educational attainment runs 15.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 59.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 21 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 250% from five years earlier. San Pablo's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 3134.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of San Pablo'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 work and mobility to housing and income to reported crime to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For San Pablo, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for San Pablo?
The NCES join finds 10 public schools within the city match. 15.0% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in San Pablo?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 68.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
How far does income reach against housing in San Pablo?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.2%, 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 Pablo?
Within California, the closest population matches are Beverly Hills (31,955 residents, $127,979 income); Seaside (31,964 residents, $82,303 income); Atwater (32,013 residents, $63,945 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Poughkeepsie, NY (31,778 residents); Seguin, TX (31,789 residents); Ithaca, NY (31,792 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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in San Pablo?
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 3134.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 37% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2508.6
Violent rate
626.3
Total reported rate
3134.9
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is San Pablo 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 -448 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 21 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
-1.4%
2025 estimate
31,678
2020 estimate
32,126
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 9.2% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · San Pablo, CA
29/100
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 C
$78,215
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate D
9.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
626 /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 Pablo profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 58/100 (C) · $78,215
Poverty rate: 43/100 (D) · 9.2%
Bachelor's+ share: 20/100 (F) · 15.0%
Violent crime: 9/100 (F) · 626 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where San Pablo sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
San Pablo'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 Pablo highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
San Pablo, CA (this city): home $516,000, crime 3,135/100k
Poughkeepsie, NY : home $259,200, crime 2,280/100k
Seguin, TX : home $227,000, crime 1,927/100k
Ithaca, NY : home $330,100, crime 3,412/100k
Rome, NY : home $137,200, crime 2,293/100k
Beverly Hills, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 4,951/100k
Seaside, CA : home $692,600, crime 1,346/100k
Atwater, CA : home $340,600, crime 2,904/100k
How does San Pablo compare to other US cities?
Where San Pablo sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income60% higher than other cities
Home value86% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety14% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just California and the picture shifts: San Pablo ranks #371 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares San Pablo 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 Pablo near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, San Pablo ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Pablo only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#805 of 1,338
40th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#676 of 1,343
50th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#543 of 1,450
62nd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,047 of 1,458
28th 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
60th percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
San Pablo's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
San Pablo'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 Pablo's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$516,00014th percentilemore affordable than 14% 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 Pablo's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,476 of 15,516
More affordable than 7% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,060 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 6.6×, San Pablo sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,476 of 15,516 and #3,060 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$78,215San Pablo, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context San Pablo, 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 Pablo, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)9.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
31,771
Median Income
$78,215
Median Home Value
$516,000
Median Age
34.3
Poverty Rate
9.2%
Labor force participation
59.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3134.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
626.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2508.6
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
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
San Pablo's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
32,126 residents
2021
31,915 residents
2022
31,627 residents
2023
31,476 residents
2024
31,602 residents
2025
31,678 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
21
housing units authorized
Single-Family
18
detached homes
Multifamily
3
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
6
6
0
$0.6M
2020
9
9
0
$1.5M
2021
6
6
0
$2.1M
2022
59
5
54
$19.1M
2023
69
19
50
$24.7M
2024
21
18
3
$4.2M
Permit volume increased 250% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
68.2%
Carpool
13.1%
Public Transit
6.0%
Walk
1.9%
Work from Home
7.3%
Other
3.5%
Based on 14,114 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 Pablo. 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 Pablo 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 Pablo sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How San Pablo 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.