Best PlacesSan Mateo County, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in San Mateo County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
San Mateo County ranks 46th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $166,076, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, noise, and taxes.
The best neighborhoods in San Mateo County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in San Mateo County
The parts of San Mateo County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Foster City
More adults hold degrees, more households have young kids, and local pay stretches further.
San Mateo & Belmont
Schools score higher.
El Granada, Moss Beach & Montara
It is quieter, though streets are more car-dependent.
Redwood City, Menlo Park & East Palo Alto
Scores close to El Granada, Moss Beach & Montara, except that transit reaches more jobs here.
Burlingame
Crime runs higher and prices have run up more.
Half Moon Bay
Health outcomes score lower.
Daly City, South San Francisco & San Bruno
Scores close to Half Moon Bay, except that health care is harder to reach here.
Scores across San Mateo County run from about the 15th to the 100th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
San Mateo County's strengths and weaknesses
San Mateo County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. High incomes is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. The weather and population health follow.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Noise and taxes also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where San Mateo County ranks high
- Household income$166,076 median, better than 99% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 231 pleasant days a year, better than 99% of counties
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of counties
- BikingBetter than 99% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 99% of counties
Where San Mateo County ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,233 a month, better than only 1% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 4% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 6% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of counties
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 12% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in San Mateo County
A household needs to earn about $382,000 a year to comfortably buy the median San Mateo County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $166,076, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses San Mateo County's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in San Mateo County
San Mateo County's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for San Mateo County.
Who works in San Mateo County, and how
Work in San Mateo County centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in San Mateo County
The coast is about 12 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across San Mateo County, which the map shows.
Is San Mateo County growing, and who is moving in?
San Mateo County has lost about 2% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the San Francisco, CA metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving San Mateo County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in San Mateo County, month by month
San Mateo County sees roughly 231 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 74 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 46. The comfortable stretch runs April through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 53° | 46° |
| April | 68° | 57° | 49° |
| July | 74° | 62° | 56° |
| October | 75° | 62° | 54° |
Flying in and out of San Mateo County
San Francisco International sits about 4 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 26.5 million passengers in 2025, with 193 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around San Mateo County
Schools across San Mateo County average a B+, better than 82% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Beach Park ElementaryA+ · 90% proficient
- White Oaks ElementaryA+ · 88% proficient
- Arundel ElementaryA+ · 85% proficient
Top middle schools
- La Entrada MiddleA+ · 87% proficient
- John F. Kennedy MiddleA+ · 83% proficient
- Redwood MiddleA+ · 83% proficient
Top high schools
- Monta Vista HighA+ · 95% proficient
- Henry M. Gunn HighA+ · 89% proficient
- Palo Alto HighA+ · 85% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every San Mateo County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
San Mateo County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare San Mateo County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who San Mateo County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 25% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 100% of counties and health care access beats 57%.
Common questions about living in San Mateo County
Is San Mateo County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, San Mateo County ranks 46th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on high incomes, the weather, and population health, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is San Mateo County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,496,158. The overall cost of living runs about 59% above the national average. Set against a $166,076 median income, cost of living beats 92% of counties.
Is San Mateo County safe?
San Mateo County is safer than 18% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $502 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in San Mateo County?
July highs average about 74 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 46. That works out to about 231 pleasant days a year, more than 100% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in San Mateo County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Foster City, San Mateo & Belmont, and El Granada, Moss Beach & Montara. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is San Mateo County good for families?
Schools beat 82% of counties, crime safety beats 18%, and childcare runs $2,233 a month.
Is San Mateo County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 93% of counties. About 25% of workers already work from home.
Compare San Mateo County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to San Mateo County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in San Mateo County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
San Mateo County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for San Mateo County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in San Mateo County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of San Mateo County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in San Mateo County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
San Mateo County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.