Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 5,232 residents, this town was settled in 1909.
Strong in places, weak in others. Where it does best is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country. At B− overall, El Granada ranks 192nd of 841 in California. It comes out better than just over half of U.S. towns. Walkability is a strength too (A−) — it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 10.5 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Rancho Corral de Tierra, at 1,323 acres with 5.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
Where El Granada beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
59.4% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far El Granada is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,473 in 1970, 5,481 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around El Granada. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw20 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw20 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain
El Granada is unincorporated, so San Mateo County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 El Granada.
El Granada keeps more of its land conserved than most of California, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of California.
Its 1,857 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of California towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #11 of 847 in California.
The density of trails in El Granada is 3.2 miles per square mile. In 4 parks and preserves, walkers have 16 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Quarry Park | 7.7 mi | 500 |
| 2. Rancho Corral de Tierra | 5.6 mi | 1,323 |
| 3. Mirada Surf | 0.8 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Cabrillo Unified school district runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Enrollment at El Granada’s public school: 324 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Granada ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 324 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 4.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 815 U.S. towns with household incomes like El Granada’s, it is less healthy than 83%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
In El Granada, 17% of adults get no exercise outside work. The share of adults in El Granada who smoke cigarettes is 8.7%, below both the California town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). On the CDC’s 32 measures, El Granada is ahead of California on 17 and behind on 2.
| El Granada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | El Granada | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA puts 42% of El Granada’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 26% to inland flooding. Federal aid has come to El Granada households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022. Since 1998, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 589 in 2013 to 844. 27.5% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
The top destinations are San Francisco (18%), Half Moon Bay (8%) and San Mateo (4%). For most workers, El Granada is a place to come home to: only 5% work in town. Employers in El Granada added 255 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 844. The typical household income for El Granada comes to $213,000, against $95,000 in California’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns.
| El Granada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $213,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 45.1°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 67.3°.
Snow is almost unheard of. The January low for El Granada comes to 45°F. Summers here are cool, and winters warm.
| El Granada | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 67°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 10.5 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 79% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,235, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
El Granada: 89% of households live in a home they own. Homes sold in El Granada spent a median 60 days on the market.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of El Granada
About 5 of every 100 El Granada residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where El Granada’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in California, United States
El Granada is a suburban village and census-designated place (CDP) in the coastal area of northern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 5,481 at the 2020 census. The village is named for the city of Granada, Spain.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with El Granada.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Granada | #192 | B− | D− | — | B | A |
| Moss Beach | #150 | B | D | — | B | A |
| Half Moon Bay | #140 | B | D | — | B | A |
El Granada, Moss Beach and Half Moon Bay report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare El Granada with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
El Granada grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #192 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,425,000, 87% above the California typical home. 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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