COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

San Mateo County

California · 649,623 residents · 449 sq mi

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The short version

San Mateo County is home to 649,623 people in California. The typical home is worth $340,800. Median rent is $769 a month. About 31% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The median household earns $46,437, about 54% above the national median. That is roughly 30% ahead of the California median.

At a glance

Wealthier

above the US median

US median: $30,130

Older

median age 35.0

US median: 33.0

More educated

31% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

649,623

−8%vs 2000

vs 707,161 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

35.0

−5%vs 2000

vs 36.8 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

449 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024742K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 56.8%(43,947)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 96.3%(40,616)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 145.5%(35,594)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 195.7%(36,716)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 246.8%(43,897)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3419.1%(124,161)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4417.1%(110,792)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 5411.6%(75,511)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 648.9%(58,081)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 747.4%(47,830)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.9%(25,028)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.1%(7,450)

US avg: 1.2%

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Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$46,437

−14%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $70,819 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$22,430

−38%vs 2000

vs $36,045 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

6.3%

+0.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 5.8% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$340,800

Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $449,900 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$769

−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $1,144 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

60.2%

−1.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 61.4% in 2000

39.8% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic49.8%(352,355)

Black3.4%(23,778)

Hispanic / Latino21.9%(154,708)

Asian19.8%(140,313)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic72%(467,853)

Black5.3%(34,580)

Hispanic / Latino17.4%(113,090)

Asian16.8%(109,309)

Other5.8%(37,881)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican14.4%(106,631)

Central American6.2%(46,282)

Salvadoran3%(22,557)

South American1.8%(13,462)

Guatemalan1.6%(12,183)

Nicaraguan1.1%(8,087)

Peruvian0.8%(5,793)

Puerto Rican0.6%(4,483)

Spaniard0.5%(3,659)

Colombian0.4%(3,204)

Honduran0.3%(2,142)

Cuban0.2%(1,447)

+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data

Chilean0.2%(1,262)

Argentine0.1%(1,058)

Venezuelan0.1%(700)

Panamanian0.1%(666)

Bolivian0.1%(577)

Ecuadorian0.1%(522)

Costa Rican0.1%(413)

Dominican0%(211)

Uruguayan0%(174)

Paraguayan0%(48)

Asian origin

Chinese12.9%(95,682)

Filipino9%(66,869)

Asian Indian3.3%(24,382)

Japanese1.2%(8,866)

Korean1%(7,757)

Vietnamese0.6%(4,799)

Taiwanese0.5%(3,410)

Burmese0.4%(3,111)

Thai0.2%(1,410)

Pakistani0.2%(1,172)

Indonesian0.1%(852)

Cambodian0.1%(749)

+ 12 more asian origin groups with data

Nepalese0.1%(748)

Hmong0.1%(565)

Mongolian0.1%(451)

Sri Lankan0%(261)

Mien0%(152)

Uzbek0%(146)

Bangladeshi0%(139)

Kazakh0%(134)

Malaysian0%(101)

Laotian0%(44)

Singaporean0%(39)

Okinawan0%(7)

Pacific Islander origin

Tongan0.6%(4,322)

Fijian0.4%(2,765)

Samoan0.4%(2,606)

Native Hawaiian0.3%(1,927)

Chamorro0.1%(721)

Marshallese0%(97)

Guamanian0%(38)

Ancestry

Irish6.6%(49,306)

English6%(44,674)

German6%(44,630)

Italian5%(37,107)

American2.8%(21,060)

French1.7%(12,471)

Arab1.3%(9,876)

Scottish1.3%(9,309)

Russian1.3%(9,307)

Polish1.2%(9,062)

Swedish0.8%(5,990)

Portuguese0.7%(5,538)

+ 49 more ancestry groups with data

Norwegian0.7%(5,525)

Iranian0.7%(5,061)

Dutch0.6%(4,726)

Greek0.6%(4,568)

British0.6%(4,367)

Ukrainian0.5%(4,044)

Danish0.4%(3,074)

Brazilian0.4%(3,007)

Scotch-Irish0.4%(2,661)

Hungarian0.3%(2,348)

Welsh0.3%(2,314)

Swiss0.3%(2,139)

Lebanese0.3%(2,122)

Subsaharan African0.3%(1,875)

Armenian0.3%(1,869)

Czech0.3%(1,861)

Austrian0.2%(1,789)

Turkish0.2%(1,502)

Palestinian0.2%(1,460)

Canadian0.2%(1,426)

Egyptian0.2%(1,383)

French Canadian0.2%(1,274)

Romanian0.2%(1,248)

Croatian0.2%(1,193)

West Indian0.1%(1,077)

Lithuanian0.1%(1,057)

Israeli0.1%(816)

Syrian0.1%(789)

Jordanian0.1%(771)

Finnish0.1%(749)

Belgian0.1%(698)

Serbian0.1%(613)

Slovak0.1%(593)

Nigerian0.1%(500)

Iraqi0.1%(476)

Bulgarian0.1%(464)

Jamaican0.1%(455)

Moroccan0.1%(412)

Australian0.1%(398)

Ghanaian0%(214)

Latvian0%(196)

Haitian0%(186)

Slovene0%(169)

Macedonian0%(164)

Ethiopian0%(146)

Kenyan0%(138)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(80)

Barbadian0%(21)

Guyanese0%(9)

RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest Chinese population · Largest Filipino population · Largest Irish population · Largest Central American population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

31.3%

−7.7 ptsvs 2000

vs 39.0% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

84.1%

−1.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 85.3% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

11.1%

−3.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 14.6% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

23.1 min

+25%vs 2000

vs 18.5 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married37.5%(115,708)

Married54%(166,826)

Widowed2.3%(6,976)

Divorced6.3%(19,306)

Women 15+

Never married31.1%(97,841)

Married52.1%(163,880)

Widowed7.3%(22,999)

Divorced9.5%(29,908)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

3.8%

−6.9 ptssince 2013

from 10.7% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

66.5%

−1.2 ptssince 2020

from 67.7% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

14.7%

−0.2 ptssince 2020

from 14.9% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

17.3%

+1.4 ptssince 2020

from 15.9% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

15.9%

+1.6 ptssince 2020

from 14.3% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

0.9%

−0.3 ptssince 2020

from 1.2% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

78.0%

−1.7 ptssince 2020

from 79.7% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

30.2%

+2.4 ptssince 2020

from 27.8% in 2020

US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024

Gulf War (2001 or later)17.6%(3,060)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)14.5%(2,523)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era37.6%(6,539)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War9.9%(1,722)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II2.1%(359)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 17,374 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

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