CensusEasy
CITY

San Mateo

California · 103,337 residents (2025 est.) · 12.134 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the San Francisco metro area
Compare
Notable rankings
#74Most expensive homesof 6,786$1,618,700#167Highest median rentof 6,764$3,077#167Most densely populatedof 4,8918,516
The short version

San Mateo is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $153,504. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 58% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $1,618,700. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income. Households here earn about 55% more than the California median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
58% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 96%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
103,105
+11%since 2000
from 92,482 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
8,497 / sq mi
+13%since 2009
from 7,499 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.3
+2%since 2000
from 37.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:103,337 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
83K90K96K102K108K1990201020202024San Mateo
2024103K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.9%(6,099)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.8%(4,985)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.7%(5,871)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.7%(4,817)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.6%(5,777)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3417.4%(17,911)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.3%(15,794)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.5%(12,937)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411%(11,351)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.6%(8,909)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.5%(5,663)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.9%(2,991)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$153,504
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $64,757 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$84,247
+133%since 2000
from $36,176 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
73.4%
+18.9 ptssince 2009
from 54.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 6.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.482
+9%since 2010
from 0.441 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information8.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services6.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Arts, entertainment, food6.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Public administration5.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade5%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$1,618,700
+96%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $453,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$3,077
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,168 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
49.9%
−4.0 ptssince 2000
from 53.9% in 2000
50.1% rent
Vacancy rate
6.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
31.0%
−11.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 43.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
10.5
+13%since 2009
from 9.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
83
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in San Mateo on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic56.5%(52,260)
Black2.5%(2,273)
Hispanic / Latino20.5%(18,973)
Asian14.9%(13,811)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic34.4%(35,492)
Black1.4%(1,454)
Hispanic / Latino27.6%(28,418)
Asian28%(28,820)
Other8.7%(8,921)
Diversity Score
90
+10%since 2009
from 82 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
Mexican13%(13,396)
Central American8.7%(8,965)
Salvadoran3.8%(3,937)
Guatemalan3.4%(3,456)
South American3.1%(3,197)
Peruvian1.6%(1,700)
Nicaraguan1.1%(1,156)
Puerto Rican0.6%(657)
Colombian0.6%(590)
Spaniard0.6%(588)
Chilean0.4%(398)
Honduran0.3%(354)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.2%(234)
Argentine0.2%(227)
Ecuadorian0.1%(108)
Uruguayan0.1%(63)
Bolivian0.1%(54)
Dominican0%(41)
Asian origin
Chinese12.5%(12,937)
Filipino4.9%(5,024)
Asian Indian4.4%(4,504)
Japanese1.4%(1,410)
Korean1.2%(1,204)
Taiwanese1%(997)
Vietnamese0.4%(410)
Pakistani0.3%(278)
Nepalese0.2%(197)
Indonesian0.1%(107)
Sri Lankan0.1%(87)
Burmese0.1%(70)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Bangladeshi0.1%(60)
Thai0%(48)
Mongolian0%(40)
Cambodian0%(33)
Malaysian0%(30)
Kazakh0%(23)
Hmong0%(22)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan1%(1,015)
Fijian0.4%(426)
Samoan0.2%(213)
Chamorro0.1%(111)
Guamanian0%(25)
Ancestry
Irish7.1%(7,294)
German5.6%(5,810)
Italian5.5%(5,721)
English4.9%(5,041)
American2.4%(2,454)
Arab1.7%(1,777)
French1.6%(1,676)
Polish1.5%(1,568)
Scottish1.5%(1,548)
Russian1.2%(1,234)
Norwegian0.8%(805)
Iranian0.8%(804)
+ 42 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(789)
Greek0.7%(773)
Portuguese0.7%(729)
Swedish0.6%(668)
Brazilian0.6%(607)
Lebanese0.5%(491)
British0.4%(381)
Ukrainian0.3%(351)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(326)
Danish0.3%(311)
Armenian0.3%(309)
Welsh0.3%(271)
Moroccan0.3%(266)
Swiss0.2%(237)
Croatian0.2%(192)
Turkish0.2%(185)
Austrian0.2%(169)
Hungarian0.2%(168)
Canadian0.1%(154)
Palestinian0.1%(151)
Egyptian0.1%(148)
Lithuanian0.1%(134)
Serbian0.1%(131)
West Indian0.1%(126)
Nigerian0.1%(117)
Czech0.1%(103)
Romanian0.1%(94)
Haitian0.1%(85)
Jordanian0.1%(65)
Belgian0.1%(62)
Finnish0.1%(60)
Slovak0%(48)
Jamaican0%(36)
Bulgarian0%(30)
Israeli0%(20)
Latvian0%(20)
Slovene0%(20)
Syrian0%(12)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest Chinese population · Largest Central American population · Largest Irish population · Largest German population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
57.8%
+19.3 ptssince 2000
from 38.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.8%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 85.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
26.5%
+13.5 ptssince 2000
from 13.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.1 min
+49%since 2000
from 17.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
57.7%
−14.4 ptssince 2009
from 72.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.0%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
4.9%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.8%
+20.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
68.9%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 70.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
11.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
58.5%
−10.2 ptssince 2009
from 68.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
36.2%
+2.6 ptssince 2009
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.7%
−46.0 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2012
from 8.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.0%
−84.3 ptssince 2013
from 88.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.6%
+6.8 ptssince 2017
from 88.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
53.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2016
from 55.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
20.5%
−1.0 ptssince 2016
from 21.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38.9%(16,351)
Married52.7%(22,171)
Widowed1.9%(811)
Divorced6.5%(2,740)
Women 15+
Never married32.6%(14,360)
Married49.7%(21,897)
Widowed7.9%(3,485)
Divorced9.8%(4,335)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to San Mateo

Carmel
Pop 105,634
Newport Beach
Pop 81,977
Fishers
Pop 104,812
Johns Creek
Pop 80,401
Places similar to San Mateo
Head to head

Compare San Mateo to nearby cities

SAN MATEO VS
Hillsborough
Income$250,001+63%
Home value$2,000,001+24%
Population11,206−89%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MATEO VS
Foster City
Income$199,143+30%
Home value$1,838,200+14%
Population32,411−69%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MATEO VS
Belmont
Income$205,297+34%
Home value$2,000,001+24%
Population28,752−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MATEO VS
Burlingame
Income$174,000+13%
Home value$2,000,001+24%
Population31,929−69%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Mateo, California?

San Mateo, California has about 103,105 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in San Mateo, California earns about $153,504 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Mateo, California expensive?

In San Mateo, California, the median home is worth about $1,618,700, and the typical rent is about $3,077 a month.

How educated are people in San Mateo, California?

About 57.8% of adults age 25 and over in San Mateo, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Mateo, California?

About 8.2% of people in San Mateo, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Mateo, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Mateo, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 17,619 residents, a change of about 21 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
California
Rankings
Highest income citiesFastest growing citiesMost educated cities
Compare
Compare San Mateo with another place

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

How we source and harmonize this data →