Photo: Javelinca · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Burlingame earn more than those in 97% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 7.1% of residents, against 12.0% across California. Burlingame grades A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 0.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Burlingame in brief
Burlingame is where the jobs are
Burlingame has 28,631 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 48,000 people are in town, 49% more than the 32,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
81% of Burlingame’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 78% of the jobs based in Burlingame. The jobs ↓
Burlingame and San Francisco trade workers both ways
San Francisco is the top workplace for Burlingame residents (21%) and also where the most people who work in Burlingame come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A lot of Burlingame works from home
28% of Burlingame workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Burlingame
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burlingame is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #153 of 847 in California. Household income holds Burlingame’s grade up ($174,000, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burlingame could be anywhere from B+ to A.
How a workday changes Burlingame
On a workday 11,591 residents head out to work, 1,309 work right here, and 27,322 people come in from elsewhere.
About 48,000 people are in Burlingame on a workday afternoon, 49% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
78% of the jobs in Burlingame pay over $3,333 a month
28,631 jobs are based in Burlingame.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burlingame, 2013 → 2023: 36,473 → 28,631. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Burlingame’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where Burlingame’s workforce comes from
Where Burlingame clocks in
7% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 31 minutes to work from Burlingame
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burlingame workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,211 commuters (the 28% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where in the region Burlingame works
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Burlingame is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 15,539 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 58% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 55% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.4% of Burlingame households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of Burlingame’s commuters take a bus or train.
Burlingame next to U.S. towns of 22,000 to 43,000: 434th of 1,368 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 92 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Lafayette CA | 25,313 | $228K | 2.9% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 432 | Hudson NH | 26,001 | $124K | 4.6% | 5.0% | 13% | A− |
| 433 | Rolling Meadows IL | 23,690 | $99K | 8.5% | 3.9% | 6% | A− |
| 434 | Burlingame CA | 31,929 | $174K | 7.1% | 5.7% | 10% | A− |
| 435 | Watertown MA | 35,710 | $126K | 7.5% | 5.3% | 8% | A− |
| 436 | Gaines Township MI | 30,659 | $83K | 7.9% | 2.4% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,368 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Burlingame, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Next door to Burlingame
The biggest share goes to San Mateo (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Burlingame workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlingame | – | A− | A+ | 31 min | $174,000 |
| Hillsborough | under 3% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $250,000+ |
| Millbrae | under 3% | A− | A | 29 min | $163,476 |
| San Mateo | 7% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $153,504 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Burlingame’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Burlingame: questions
What is the median household income in Burlingame?
$174,000 (±$12,320) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burlingame?
7.1%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burlingame?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 28% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burlingame work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (21%, 13 mi), San Mateo (7%, 4 mi), South San Francisco (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Burlingame walkable?
Burlingame is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.6 out of 20, and 17% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burlingame without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burlingame, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burlingame
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.