Ernest Coxhead House · Photo: Eugene Zelenko · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in San Mateo earn more than those in 95% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 0.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco. 8.2% of residents are in poverty, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. The two grades for San Mateo are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set San Mateo apart
San Mateo trades workers with the towns around it
San Mateo has about as many jobs (54,541) as working residents (50,444), but they are mostly different people: 44,130 residents leave for work each day while 48,227 people come in. Only 12% of the jobs in San Mateo are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
79% of San Mateo’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 79% of the jobs based in San Mateo. The jobs ↓
San Mateo and San Francisco trade workers both ways
San Francisco is the top workplace for San Mateo residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in San Mateo come from (10% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A lot of San Mateo works from home
25% of San Mateo workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
San Mateo draws workers from far and wide
The 54,541 jobs in San Mateo are filled from a wide area. San Mateo’s own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: San Mateo’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Mateo is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #132 of 847 in California. Household income holds San Mateo’s grade up ($153,504, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Mateo could be anywhere from A− to A.
How many people are in San Mateo by day
On a workday 44,130 residents head out to work, 6,314 work right here, and 48,227 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.08 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in San Mateo
54,541 jobs are based in San Mateo.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Mateo, 2013 → 2023: 42,652 → 54,541. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs San Mateo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
19% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where San Mateo clocks in
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The trip to work from San Mateo: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Mateo workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 41,298 commuters (the 25% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from San Mateo
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Good to walk, short on transit: San Mateo
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 54,886 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 34% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 5% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 55% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.8% of San Mateo households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of San Mateo’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
San Mateo places 75th of 423 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 72,000 to 140,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| 22 | Mountain View CA | 85,438 | $190K | 6.0% | 3.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Livermore CA | 83,457 | $161K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 23% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Edison Township NJ | 109,077 | $125K | 4.7% | 6.2% | 15% | A− |
| 74 | Palatine Township IL | 111,179 | $105K | 7.2% | 4.2% | 11% | A− |
| 75 | San Mateo CA | 103,337 | $154K | 8.2% | 4.6% | 13% | A− |
| 76 | Blaine MN | 76,603 | $107K | 7.2% | 4.2% | 10% | A− |
| 77 | Westminster CO | 116,182 | $100K | 7.3% | 3.7% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 423 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of San Mateo, the top three, the last and three more from California.
How San Mateo compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Foster City (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Mateo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | – | A− | A+ | 26 min | $153,504 |
| Hillsborough | under 3% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $250,000+ |
| Baywood Park | under 3% | A+ | B | 26 min | $217,206 |
| Foster City | 3% | A | A | 29 min | $199,143 |
| Belmont | under 3% | A− | A | 29 min | $205,297 |
| Highlands | under 3% | A | A− | 24 min | $250,000+ |
| Burlingame | 3% | A− | A+ | 31 min | $174,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Mateo’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in San Mateo: questions
What is the median household income in San Mateo?
$153,504 (±$7,504) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Mateo?
8.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Mateo?
26 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 25% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Mateo work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (19%, 16 mi), Redwood City (5%, 6 mi), Palo Alto (5%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Mateo walkable?
San Mateo is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.8 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Mateo without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 5% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Mateo, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Mateo
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.