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CITY

San Carlos

California · 29,261 residents (2025 est.) · 5.412 sq mi
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Part of the San Francisco metro area
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Notable rankings
#22Most expensive homesof 6,786$2,000,001#72Highest median household incomeof 6,818$237,470#148Most work-from-homeof 6,82635.0%#236Highest median rentof 6,764$2,854
The short version

San Carlos is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $237,470. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 70% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $2,000,001. Poverty is rare here, at 3.3% of residents. It ranks in the top 1% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.7
US median: 38.9
More educated
70% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 81%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
29,614
+7%since 2000
from 27,718 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,472 / sq mi
+10%since 2009
from 4,962 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
41.7
+5%since 2000
from 39.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:29,261 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
26K27K28K30K31K1990201020202024San Carlos
202430K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(1,710)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.8%(2,019)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.3%(1,858)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(1,862)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.2%(1,247)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 349.7%(2,884)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.9%(4,718)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.9%(4,413)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.5%(4,009)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.2%(2,712)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.3%(1,572)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(610)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$237,470
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,460 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$127,894
+174%since 2000
from $46,628 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
83.8%
+18.4 ptssince 2009
from 65.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
3.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 2.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.477
+11%since 2010
from 0.429 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Arts, entertainment, food8.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Information7.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services6.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance2.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$2,000,001
+81%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $607,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,854
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,181 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
67.8%
−4.9 ptssince 2000
from 72.7% in 2000
32.2% rent
Vacancy rate
5.4%
+3.0 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
20.5%
−16.4 ptssince 2009
from 36.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
36.2%
−6.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.4
−4%since 2009
from 8.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
84
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in San Carlos on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.2%(22,234)
Black0.7%(193)
Hispanic / Latino7.7%(2,133)
Asian7.8%(2,155)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic55.7%(16,502)
Black0.6%(174)
Hispanic / Latino10.9%(3,224)
Asian23.4%(6,938)
Other9.4%(2,776)
Diversity Score
77
+50%since 2009
from 51 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.2%(1,247)
Salvadoran1.2%(348)
Spaniard0.9%(269)
Cuban0.6%(164)
Peruvian0.5%(155)
Puerto Rican0.5%(150)
Colombian0.5%(134)
Guatemalan0.3%(87)
Bolivian0.2%(61)
Chilean0.2%(45)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(35)
Argentine0.1%(22)
Ecuadorian0.1%(19)
Venezuelan0.1%(18)
Panamanian0.1%(17)
Costa Rican0.1%(15)
Uruguayan0%(10)
Asian origin
Chinese9.3%(2,748)
Asian Indian6.8%(2,022)
Filipino1.5%(440)
Korean1.4%(408)
Japanese1.2%(358)
Mongolian0.4%(125)
Taiwanese0.4%(113)
Vietnamese0.3%(82)
Burmese0.2%(66)
Bangladeshi0.2%(59)
Pakistani0.1%(21)
Thai0%(7)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0.5%(162)
Fijian0.2%(52)
Chamorro0.1%(35)
Ancestry
Irish14.6%(4,316)
German11.4%(3,381)
English11.2%(3,325)
Italian8.3%(2,460)
American3.2%(950)
Russian2.4%(708)
French2%(597)
Scottish1.9%(559)
Polish1.7%(514)
Iranian1.7%(513)
Norwegian1.5%(447)
Swedish1.3%(394)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Greek1.2%(367)
Arab1.2%(353)
Portuguese1.1%(324)
Danish1%(298)
Dutch1%(294)
British0.9%(276)
Ukrainian0.7%(194)
Czech0.7%(193)
Austrian0.6%(192)
Welsh0.6%(175)
Lebanese0.5%(162)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(142)
Brazilian0.5%(134)
Swiss0.4%(127)
Romanian0.4%(107)
Egyptian0.3%(98)
Finnish0.3%(89)
Hungarian0.3%(85)
Canadian0.3%(80)
Croatian0.2%(61)
Belgian0.2%(54)
West Indian0.2%(52)
Syrian0.1%(42)
Bulgarian0.1%(40)
Lithuanian0.1%(29)
Jordanian0.1%(24)
Israeli0.1%(19)
Australian0.1%(18)
Turkish0%(14)
Serbian0%(11)
Slovak0%(10)
Latvian0%(5)
Slovene0%(5)
Kenyan0%(2)
RANKED:Largest Irish population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Chinese population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
70.2%
+20.4 ptssince 2000
from 49.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
97.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 94.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
37.6%
+17.8 ptssince 2000
from 19.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.6 min
+40%since 2000
from 17.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
52.3%
−26.3 ptssince 2009
from 78.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
4.2%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.2%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
35.0%
+29.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.1%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−1.5 ptssince 2011
from 6.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.9%
+1.4 ptssince 2011
from 68.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
9.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
70.9%
−8.4 ptssince 2009
from 79.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
50.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
25.9%
+7.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.4%
−45.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.5%
+1.4 ptssince 2012
from 6.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
0.6%
−93.1 ptssince 2013
from 93.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
98.5%
+7.3 ptssince 2017
from 91.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
71.5%
−6.4 ptssince 2016
from 78.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2016
from 6.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married27.9%(3,274)
Married64%(7,521)
Widowed1.3%(148)
Divorced6.8%(800)
Women 15+
Never married22%(2,698)
Married61.1%(7,502)
Widowed7.2%(889)
Divorced9.7%(1,195)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare San Carlos to nearby cities

SAN CARLOS VS
Belmont
Income$205,297−14%
Home value$2,000,001same
Population28,752−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN CARLOS VS
Redwood City
Income$157,814−34%
Home value$1,801,700−10%
Population82,178+181%
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SAN CARLOS VS
North Fair Oaks
Income$104,884−56%
Home value$1,276,900−36%
Population13,100−55%
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SAN CARLOS VS
Foster City
Income$199,143−16%
Home value$1,838,200−8%
Population32,411+11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Carlos, California?

San Carlos, California has about 29,614 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in San Carlos, California?

The typical household in San Carlos, California earns about $237,470 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Carlos, California expensive?

In San Carlos, California, the median home is worth about $2,000,001, and the typical rent is about $2,854 a month.

How educated are people in San Carlos, California?

About 70.2% of adults age 25 and over in San Carlos, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Carlos, California?

About 3.3% of people in San Carlos, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Carlos, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Carlos, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 3,447 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →