Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 82,178, settled in 1856.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Redwood City grades B overall, 160th of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $158K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.9 million, 13.8 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Redwood City’s median rent is $2,968 a month, against $1,895 a month in California’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Redwood City is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. Redwood City has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Union Cemetery and Sequoia Union High School.
Where Redwood City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 727 in 1870, 84,292 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Redwood City is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 94% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Redwood City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw18 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw16 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Redwood City, 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 Redwood City.
Redwood City draws workers from San Jose and beyond and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Menlo Park and its other graded neighbors.
At 13.8 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.87M) costs more against local pay than in 90% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,935, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
49% of Redwood City households own their home. Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Redwood City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.87M.
Its public schools are run by the Redwood City Elementary school district. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 808 | – |
| Sequoia HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,854 | – |
| Sandpiper ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 534 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
57,031 jobs are based in Redwood City, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 26.7% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Redwood City for work: only 12% work in town. 27% of workers work from home in Redwood City. Since 2013, Redwood City has added 6,142 jobs, to 57,031 in 2023.
| Redwood City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $158,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 27% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,297 U.S. towns with household incomes like Redwood City’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Redwood City beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Redwood City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Redwood City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.7% | 5.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 67.9% | 71.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 62 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Redwood City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Menlo Park (C+) to Foster City (B+). At 35.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of California’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Redwood City is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Redwood City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
14 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bair Island Ecological Reserve, at 1,938 acres. Redwood City’s trail density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Edgewood Park and Nature Preserve | 3.8 mi | 242 |
| 2. Stulsaft Park | 1.8 mi | 35 |
| 3. Red Morton Community Park | 1.1 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 43.9°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 72.3°.
Redwood City has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Redwood City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 72°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14 within 15 miles of the center of Redwood City
About 6 of every 100 Redwood City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
2 colleges in town.
10 places in Redwood City on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Redwood City.
8 towns share a border with Redwood City.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood City | #160 | B | D− | C− | A | A |
| Emerald Lake Hills | #63 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Woodside | #35 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| San Carlos | #4 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| Menlo Park | #109 | B+ | D− | C+ | A− | A+ |
| North Fair Oaks | #284 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Foster City | #19 | A | D− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Belmont | #68 | B+ | D− | B− | A+ | A+ |
Emerald Lake Hills, Woodside, San Carlos and North Fair Oaks report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Redwood City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Redwood City grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #160 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living 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−.
45 notable people were born here, including Linda Cardellini and Chelsi Smith.
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