Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,683, settled in 1910.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Moss Beach grades B overall, ranked 150th of 841 in California. It has 12 miles of trail and 30% conserved land. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $100K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 11.1 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Moss Beach’s midpoint home value is $1,513,000, where California’s towns sit at $709,000 and U.S. towns at $332,000. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Point Montara Light Station is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Moss Beach beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
30.4% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Moss Beach is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and a map from 1978 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Moss Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw21 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw20 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz 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 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moss Beach 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 Moss Beach.
Moss Beach keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 11.1 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.51M) costs more against local pay than in 82% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Values rose 3.5% in the 12 months to September 2026. Zillow values the typical Moss Beach home at about $1,513,000, up 3.5% in a year, 99% above the California typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its 433 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 92% of California towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #11 of 847 in California.
12 miles of trail wind through 7 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Pillar Point Bluff, 221 acres with 4.7 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Moss Beach: 7, covering 452 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pillar Point Bluff | 4.7 mi | 221 |
| 2. Rancho Corral de Tierra | 4.4 mi | 166 |
| 3. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve | 1.1 mi | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is food insecurity: 10.2% of its 2,599 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.9% statewide.
18% of Moss Beach adults get no exercise outside work. Against the California average, Moss Beach comes out ahead on 17 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1. In Moss Beach, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 25% have obesity.
| Moss Beach | 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) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Moss Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 17.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal aid has come to Moss Beach households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 44% come from earthquakes and 35% from tsunamis.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
25.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most people who work leave Moss Beach to do it: just 5% work in town. Jobs in Moss Beach grew by 47 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 408. Also worth knowing: in Moss Beach, the typical journey to work is 32 minutes. Half commute less than 18 miles.
| Moss Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 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 a rarity. For Moss Beach, the January low is 45°F.
| Moss Beach | 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 Moss Beach
About 3 of every 100 Moss Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Moss Beach’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census designated place in California, United States
Moss Beach is a coastal census-designated place in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a year 2020 census population of 3,214. Located in Moss Beach are the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, a marine sanctuary; the Half Moon Bay Airport, the historic Moss Beach Distillery; and the Seal Cove Inn, a destination lodging property. Moss Beach has a cool coastal microclimate that gives a sense of separation from the nearby metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area and assures that summer temperatures are generally mild.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Moss Beach.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Beach | #150 | B | D | — | B | A |
| Montara | #311 | C+ | D | — | B | A |
| El Granada | #192 | B− | D− | — | B | A |
Moss Beach, Montara and El Granada report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Moss Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Moss Beach grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #150 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.
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