Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Atherton grades A− overall, 34th of 841 graded towns in California. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. Its public schools beat 96% of California towns on state tests and graduation and the median household earns $250K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $8.6 million for a typical one and 63.5 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 83% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Atherton, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Atherton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. On history, just 21 of California’s 1,063 towns do better.
Where Atherton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Atherton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3% | 10.6% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel Elementary | K–5 | 658 |
| Encinal Elementary | K–5 | 604 |
| Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion | K–5 | 582 |
Its founding year, 1795, comes before those of 98% of the California towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,324 in 1930, 7,188 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Atherton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Atherton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw28 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw13 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw23 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atherton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Atherton.
Atherton fares better on crime within California than nationally, has schools in the top 5% of California and has less no health insurance than most of California.
At 63.5 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $8.63M) costs more against local pay than in any other California town; that ratio is one input to that grade. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Woodside is next at $4M.
Atherton’s going rate for rent stands at $3,501 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 16% in value. Homes sold in Atherton spent a median 34 days on the market.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade ranks #18 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It is the best School Grade on its borders; West Menlo Park (A) is next.
Three of its 7 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Menlo-Atherton High, with 2,158 students. Public school enrollment locally: 4,524 students across 5 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 658 | – |
| Menlo-Atherton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,158 | – |
| Las Lomitas ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 522 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like Atherton’s, it is healthier than 78%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Among 847 California towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Atherton. In Atherton, 14% of adults get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Atherton beats the California average on 22 and trails it on 1.
| Atherton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.1% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Atherton | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Atherton’s FEMA risk score comes in at 91 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Atherton after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2022. FEMA puts 58% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 42% to inland flooding. Also worth knowing: since 1982, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Atherton has about as many jobs (2,349) as working residents, but only 103 people both live and work here. 40.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Jobs based in Atherton grew to 2,349 in 2023, 400 more than in 2013. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 5.3%. Commuting out is the norm locally: 4% of working residents work locally. In Atherton, the average trip to work is 23 minutes.
| Atherton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 15.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 86% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 97 to 60 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Atherton, the property crime rate is 7.9 per 1,000 residents. Its level of violent crime is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Atherton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Walkers can cover 1.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Holbook Palmer Park, 22 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. The trail network density for Atherton comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Atherton | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Holbook Palmer Park | 1.1 mi | 22 |
| 2. Cartan Athletic Fields | 0.1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Atherton
About 14 of every 100 Atherton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Town in San Mateo County, California
Atherton ( ATH-ər-tən) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. A Silicon Valley bedroom community, Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town has historically been known for its concentration of high income earners. Atherton had the highest per capita income among American towns (populations between 2,500 and 9,999) in both 1990 and 2019. It regularly ranks as having the highest cost of living in the United States. The town's zip code, 94027, had the highest median home prices in America from 2017 to 2024, in 2023 it was at $7.95 million. Median home price in the area climbed to $9.93 million in 2026.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Atherton.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherton | #34 | A− | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Woodside | #35 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Menlo Park | #109 | B+ | D− | C+ | A− | A+ |
| West Menlo Park | #22 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| North Fair Oaks | #284 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Redwood City | #160 | B | D− | C− | A | A |
Woodside, West Menlo Park and North Fair Oaks report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Atherton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Atherton grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #34 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
2 notable people were born here, including Drew Fuller and Jerry Rice, Jr.
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