Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Half Moon Bay grades B overall, 140th of 841 graded towns in California. It has 16 miles of trail. The median household earns $158K and it is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.5 million, 11.4 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Half Moon Bay’s typical home value is $1,548,000, above both the California town median ($709,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($332,000). Half Moon Bay is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Only 38 of California’s 463 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Half Moon Bay beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Half Moon Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Half Moon Bay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,957 in 1960, 11,795 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 5 maps from 1940 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Half Moon Bay. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw22 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw23 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Half Moon Bay, 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 Half Moon Bay.
Half Moon Bay has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 11.4 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.55M) costs more against local pay than in 84% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in Half Moon Bay is $2,433 a month. The typical Half Moon Bay home is worth about $1,548,000, up 2.3% in a year, about twice the California typical home.
| Half Moon Bay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,433 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Cabrillo Unified school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Half Moon Bay High, with 911 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin S. Hatch ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 544 | – |
| Half Moon Bay HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 911 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Half Moon Bay’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Half Moon Bay State Beach, 182 acres with 3.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Half Moon Bay State Beach | 3.4 mi | 182 |
| 2. Smith Field Park | — | 29 |
| 3. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 2,292 U.S. towns with household incomes like Half Moon Bay’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
26% of Half Moon Bay adults sleep under 7 hours. Half Moon Bay beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 8.5% of Half Moon Bay adults smoke cigarettes.
| Half Moon Bay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Half Moon Bay | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.6% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Half Moon Bay.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
25.6% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Half Moon Bay for work: only 16% work in town. 5.6% of residents live below the poverty line in Half Moon Bay. Since 2013, Half Moon Bay has added 206 jobs, to 3,996 in 2023.
| Half Moon Bay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $158,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Half Moon Bay weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 328 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 45.1°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 67.4°.
Half Moon Bay has warm winters and cool summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Half Moon Bay | 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
7 within 15 miles of the center of Half Moon Bay
About 7 of every 100 Half Moon Bay residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
4 places in Half Moon Bay on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Half Moon Bay.
City in California, United States
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 as of the 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea. Half Moon Bay is known for Mavericks, a big-wave surf location. It is called Half Moon Bay because of its crescent shape. Originally an agricultural outpost to Mission San Francisco de Asís, the town was founded in the 1840s first as San Benito, and then as its Anglo fishing community grew, it was renamed Spanishtown. In 1874, it was again renamed Half Moon Bay. After rail and road connec…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Half Moon Bay.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay | #140 | B | D | — | B | A |
| El Granada | #192 | B− | D− | — | B | A |
Half Moon Bay and El Granada report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Half Moon Bay with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Half Moon Bay grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #140 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B for schools. Hazard risk 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Adam Jacobs and Danny Flores.
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