Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,385, settled in 1880.
The best of Colma’s subject grades are an A+ for walkability and incomes; the weakest is a D− for safety. Colma’s violent crime rate is 12.8 per 1,000 residents, against 2.9 in California’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. On safety, just 3 of California’s 426 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Colma's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Colma’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). Colma has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Colma beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,792 counted in 2010 and 1,507 in 2020; an estimated 1,385 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Colma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 188 in 1880, 1,507 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colma. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw9 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw9 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw11 mi MuseumUSS HornetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colma, 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 Colma.
The property crime rate in Colma is 447.9 per 1,000 residents. Colma reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Colma for work: only 4% work in town. Colma’s median household income is $148,000. Since 2013, Colma has added 341 jobs, to 4,174 in 2023.
| Colma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $148,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Colma since 1987.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Colma home is worth about $1,077,000, up 2.2% in a year, 41% above the California typical home. 53% of Colma households own their home.
| Colma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,303 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Colma beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 24% of adults have obesity in Colma.
| Colma | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Colma | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 7.3% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 14% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Colma has warm winters and cool summers. July afternoons reach 72°, January nights drop to 43° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bruno Mountain State and County Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Sterling Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 3. Colma Historical Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
20 within 15 miles of the center of Colma
About 4 of every 100 Colma residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in California, United States
Colma (Ohlone for 'springs') is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924. With most of Colma's land dedicated to cemeteries, the population of the dead—not specifically known but speculated to be around 1.5 million—outnumbers that of the living by a ratio of nearly a thousand to one. This has led to Colma being called "the City of the Silent" and has given rise to a humorous motto, formerly featured on the city's website: "It's great to be alive in Colma".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Colma reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, a D− Safety Grade: 18 violent and 632 property crimes in 2025.
Yes. That is 7.9 years of the area's median household income ($136,027 across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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