A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    A+
  2. Crime & Safety
    B-
  3. Housing
    C
  4. Nightlife
    A-
  5. Good for Families
    A
  6. Diversity
    A+
  7. Jobs
    B
  8. Weather
    A+
  9. Cost of Living
    D+
  10. Health & Fitness
    A+
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    A
View Full Report Card
Population
101,335

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$778,500
National
$178,600
Median Rent
$1,756
National
$928
Area Feel
Urban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    47%
  • Own
    53%

San Mateo Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B-
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    183
    0
  • Murder
    2
    0
  • Rape
    11
    41
  • Robbery
    59
    0
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    696
    1
  • Theft
    1,068
    2,081
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    197
    0

Residents

Diversity
A+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$90,208
National
$53,889
Children
17%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    18%
    11%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    26%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    16%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    12%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges
Places like San Mateo
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San Mateo Reviews

27 reviews
All Categories
San Mateo's location in the Bay Area is ideal for commuting to the many job opportunities in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and beyond. Easy access to all major freeways and to public transportation make this city a commuter's dream. San Mateo also has a huge variety of restaurants, healthcare professionals, retail stores, and other services.
Review San Mateo
San Mateo, as a part of the Peninsula in the Bay Area, has maintained a curious mixture of a small-town feel with a more urban twist, while simultaneously being 15-20 minutes away from larger cities like San Francisco and San Jose. This is beginning to change, as the exorbitant costs of living and the gentrification in San Francisco begin to push more people further south to settle in the Peninsula, including San Mateo. The downtown area primarily consists of restaurants, many of which have been around for the last fifteen years, and has gotten progressively more busy as the years have passed as tech companies are starting to open offices in the area. Compared to other areas in California, the public transit is quite good. Compared to the East Coast, or even globally, there will need to be major investment in the public transportation to support the growth in population both here and in the rest of the Bay Area. Overall, I like living here.
San Mateo has a little of everything. It has a bustling downtown area with lots of hip restaurants and a big movie theater. It also has some cool up-and-coming sections of town like the Bay Meadows area, with parks and condos and Whole Foods, etc. The city has a lot of diversity and acceptance. There are some very nice suburban parts too. And finally, it has great schools.