Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 103,337, San Mateo does well: it grades B, ranked 141st of 841 in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and its schools outperform 86% of the state's. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $1.7 million, 12.3 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. San Mateo’s median rent is $3,077 a month, above both California’s towns ($1,895 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). San Mateo is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. San Mateo is home to College of San Mateo.
Where San Mateo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | San Mateo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 10.6% |
Census counts: 932 in 1880, 105,661 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Mateo is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% 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 San Mateo. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw18 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz 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 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 San Mateo, 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 San Mateo.
San Mateo has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with San Francisco and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 12.3 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.67M) costs more against local pay than in 87% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
50% of households own their home in San Mateo. Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026.
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 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 $1.67M.
Its public schools are run by the San Mateo-Foster City school district. Three of its 33 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borel MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 903 | A− |
| Aragon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,658 | – |
| College Park ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 431 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 6.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 2,538 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Mateo’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
28% of San Mateo adults sleep under 7 hours. San Mateo beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 23% of San Mateo adults have obesity.
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | San Mateo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1980, 49 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Mateo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
21 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The trail density in San Mateo is 1.3 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Sugarloaf Mountain Open Space, 215 acres with 6.7 miles of trail.
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sugarloaf Mountain Open Space | 6.7 mi | 215 |
| 2. Coyote Point Recreation Area | 4.2 mi | 138 |
| 3. Seal Point Park | 2 mi | 55 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 2,242 to 1,695 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 56% of towns. San Mateo’s property crime rate is 14.9 per 1,000 residents.
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 44.3°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 70.8°.
San Mateo has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 71°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
San Mateo has about as many jobs (54,541) as working residents, but only 6,314 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave San Mateo for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, San Mateo has added 11,889 jobs, to 54,541 in 2023. The top destinations are San Francisco (19%), Redwood City (5%) and Palo Alto (5%).
| San Mateo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $154,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 25% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 within 15 miles of the center of San Mateo
About 7 of every 100 San Mateo residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
7 places in San Mateo on the National Register of Historic Places.
48 notable people were born in San Mateo.
City in California, United States
San Mateo is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region, and is located about 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco. San Mateo borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster City to the east and Belmont to the south. The population was 105,661 at the 2020 census. Some of the biggest economic drivers for the city include technology, health care and education.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with San Mateo.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Burlingame (B+) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | #141 | B | D− | C | A | A |
| Hillsborough | #29 | A− | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Baywood Park | — | — | D | — | A | A+ |
| Foster City | #19 | A | D− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Belmont | #68 | B+ | D− | B− | A+ | A+ |
| Highlands | — | — | D | — | A | A+ |
| Burlingame | #108 | B+ | D− | C | A+ | A+ |
Baywood Park and Highlands have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Baywood Park and Highlands report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare San Mateo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. San Mateo grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #141 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−.
Within California, it does better than 56% of towns.
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−.
48 notable people were born here, including Tom Brady and Barry Bostwick.
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