Map the Block › Places › California › San Mateo County
What are the crime rate and median income in San Mateo County, California?
San Mateo County averaged 2.8 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 41% lower than the California rate (4.8). Households here have a median income of $158,855 and the unemployment rate was 4.0% in August 2026. Population: about 742,340 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in San Mateo County?
Over 2021-2025, the county's police agencies sent the FBI reports of about 2,034 violent and 12,973 property crimes per year. That is 2.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 41% lower than the California rate (4.8), and 24% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 17.9 per 1,000 (California: 21.2; U.S.: 18.1). Aggravated assaults make up 64% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 16 homicide deaths a year in the county (2.1 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | San Mateo County | Per 1,000 | California per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 2,034 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 11 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 237 | 0.33 | 0.37 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 486 | 0.67 | 1.2 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 1,300 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 12,973 | 17.9 | 21.2 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 1,422 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 9,880 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 1,670 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (17 agencies; 98% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in San Mateo County?
Median household income is $158,855, 60% higher than the statewide figure ($99,122). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $1,559,600, and the median rent is $2,922 a month. 5.1% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.4%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.0% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 16,305 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | San Mateo County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 742,340 | 39,287,377 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $158,855 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $1,559,600 | $734,700 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $2,922 | $2,036 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 6.7% | 12.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 5.1% | 12.4% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 53.7% | 37.1% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 58.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 40.9 | 37.9 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 95.7% | 93.5% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 3.8% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in San Mateo County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, San Mateo County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are river flooding (Relatively High), earthquakes (Relatively High) and coastal flooding (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in San Mateo County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 12 high-hazard dams in San Mateo County. 2 are rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 10 Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Ler Crystal Springs (149 ft) and San Andreas (107 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
6 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 437 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
San Mateo County was covered by 5 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Flood 3, Severe Storm 1, Fire 1), not counting COVID-19. EPA air monitors logged 0 days in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 36 community water systems, 1 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 30 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 10 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in San Mateo County?
San Mateo County had 9 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Roads listed: SR 82, SR 84 and I-380. 1 is on interstates. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in San Mateo County?
San Mateo County has 172 public schools (2024-25) and 71 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 16 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 61 fire or EMS stations and 21 police or sheriff stations. 14 state parks or recreation areas: Año Nuevo State Park, Bean Hollow State Beach, Burleigh H. Murray Ranch, Butano State Park and Gray Whale Cove State Beach and 9 more.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in San Mateo County
Gun shops
5 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in San Mateo County, plus 6 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Alfa Pawn (San Mateo), Brian Nussbaum And Associates (Burlingame), City Arms (Pacifica), Peninsula Guns & Tactical (San Bruno) and Xigent Arms (South San Francisco).
Liquor stores
71 liquor stores are on the map in San Mateo County: 5 Star Food & Liquor (South San Francisco), A B&W Market (Redwood City), Al's Liquor (South San Francisco), Atherton U-Save Liquors (Redwood City), Avenue Liquor (Redwood City), Avenue Liquors (San Mateo), Bacchus Consulting Group LLC (Millbrae), Baggys Liquors & Smoke Shop (Burlingame) and 63 more.
Planned Parenthood
One Planned Parenthood health center is on the map in San Mateo County: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (Redwood City).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in San Mateo County?
San Mateo County averaged 2,034 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 2.8 per 1,000 residents, 41% lower than the California rate (4.8). The property-crime rate was 17.9 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in San Mateo County?
$158,855 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $99,122 for California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in San Mateo County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.0% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 16,305 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect San Mateo County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, San Mateo County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are river flooding (Relatively High), earthquakes (Relatively High) and coastal flooding (Relatively High).
Is there road construction in San Mateo County right now?
San Mateo County had 9 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Roads listed: SR 82, SR 84 and I-380. 1 is on interstates.
How many nursing homes are in San Mateo County?
16 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does San Mateo County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 1,649,473 | 8.5 | $129,367 |
| San Francisco County | 830,235 | 6.7 | $140,970 |
| Santa Clara County | 1,902,047 | 4.1 | $164,281 |
| Santa Cruz County | 264,926 | 3.8 | $111,093 |
Cities in San Mateo County with their own page: San Mateo, Daly City, Redwood City, Palo Alto, South San Francisco.
More: California statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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