CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.48° N · 122.20° W · GEOID 0651840

North Fair Oaks

San Mateo County, California · part of the San Francisco, CA metro

CaliforniaNorth Fair Oaks, CANorth Fair OaksNorth Fair Oaks

The short answer

North Fair Oaks is home to 13,100 people. Median household income is $104,884 a year and median rent is $2,314 a month, 26.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $1,276,900, about 12.2x annual median household income.

North Fair Oaks stands out on value for money. Home values run 66% above what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area. Also notable: The median home costs 12.2 years of the median household's income, more than in 99% of places its size.

24OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

North Fair Oaks scores better than 24% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 300th of 654 in California.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%7
Economy 20%42
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%61
Education 10%41
Commute 10%69
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$2,314
70% above the median place
Median household income
$104,884
31% above the median place
Median home value
$1,276,900
300% above the median place
Unemployment
8.4%
71% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about North Fair Oaks

  • AffordabilityCompared with the 24 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as East Palo Alto, CA, Hawaiian Gardens, CA and East Franklin, NJ), money left after rent here is higher: $77,600 against a typical $56,500.
01

Moving to North Fair Oaks

San Mateo County loses about 10.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in32,116
Moved out38,878
Net−6,762

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$167K
Leavers$186K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of San Mateo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into San Mateo County report $167,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $186,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$92,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,314 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,665 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $1,276,900.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 18.6% work from home; 5.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
East Franklin, NJ matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.0%
14% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$186,435
165% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$167,342
137% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.0%14% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%24% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-10.7below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$167,342137% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$186,435165% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,351 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 93% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

North Fair Oaks26.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$92,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
26.5%
30% above the median place
Home price to income
12.2x
220% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
26%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$77,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in North Fair Oaks, $2,314 a month, and local prices for everything else (99.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like North Fair Oaks, but easier on the budget

Places that match North Fair Oaks on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
East Franklin, NJ7821.4% vs 26.5%$8,700Compare
Riverdale Park, MD6816.8% vs 26.5%$22,100Compare
Interlaken, CA6221.3% vs 26.5%$9,400Compare
Lexington, NE6017.1% vs 26.5%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in North Fair Oaks.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to North Fair Oaks? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$1,276,900
300% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,665
96% above the median place
Homeownership1
47.7%
28% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,31470% above
Rent to income126.5%30% above
Property tax rate10.6%35% below
Home price to income112.2x220% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure115.615% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$3,697129% above
HUD area median income4County figure$200,80087% above
Property tax paid (median)1$7,492130% above
Median home value1$1,276,900300% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure-0.6%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure22.5%56% below
Homeownership147.7%28% below
Renters paying 30%+159.3%17% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,66596% above
Vacant homes16.3%11% below
Median year built119581% below
03

Work and pay

OpenStreetMap shows 28.4 bus and rail stops per square mile, more than in 96% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Unemployment1
8.4%
71% above the median place
Works from home1
18.6%
50% above the median place
Median household income1
$104,884
31% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$48,734 +22%
Mean commute22 min −11%
Poverty rate13.0% +20%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$104,88431% above
Income per person1$48,73422% above
Unemployment18.4%71% above
Average annual pay6County figure$214,295225% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure9.1%146% above
Jobs6County figure411,346173% above
Poverty rate113.0%20% above
Mean commute122 min11% below
Works from home118.6%50% above
Commutes by transit1County figure5.1%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 41.4%, 369% above the median place.

Born abroad1
41.4%
369% above the median place
High school or higher1
73.0%
21% below the median place
Household size1
3.4
35% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age32.7 −16%
Bachelor's or higher27.9% −13%
No health insurance7.5% +17%
Homes with broadband92.2% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population113,1003344th largest
Median age132.716% below
Bachelor's or higher127.9%13% below
High school or higher173.0%21% below
Household size13.435% above
Born abroad141.4%369% above
No health insurance17.5%17% above
Homes with broadband192.2%0% below
05

Life in North Fair Oaks

OpenStreetMap shows 3 libraries per 10,000 residents, more than in 95% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

64 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.0 −70%
Playgrounds per 10k3.0 −68%
Grocery stores per 10k4.6 2.2×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k26.7 2.4×
Libraries per 10k3.0 3.5×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi28.4 135.4×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park 26 miles
  • Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site 26 miles
  • Golden Gate National Recreation Area 27 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars27.2 +31%
Shops24.6 −19%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.7 +15%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.5 +16%
Child care centers4.8 2.1×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
25.9
16% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
4.8
109% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
27.2
31% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure174above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure82,403above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure20.030% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure27.231% above
Shops per 10k8County figure24.619% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.715% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure23.516% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.8109% above
Parks per 10k93.070% below
Playgrounds per 10k93.068% below
Grocery stores per 10k94.6116% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k926.7140% above
Libraries per 10k93.0251% above
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi928.4above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1025.916% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles109350% above
National Register listings11County figure64392% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 74°F, 15% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached North Fair Oaks. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high13
74°F
15% below the median place
January average low13
42°F
68% above the median place
Natural hazard risk14
99.2
7% above the median place
All 8 weather and risk measures
MeasureNorth Fair OaksAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure74°F15% below
January average low13County figure42°F68% above
Average temperature13County figure57°F4% above
Annual precipitation13County figure28.7 in34% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure99.27% above
Tornado risk14County figure30.662% below
Wildfire risk14County figure92.050% above
Heat wave risk14County figure91.62% above
08

North Fair Oaks in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 26% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 26% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, North Fair Oaks does better than 7% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 18%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,314/mo (2024)$2,950/mo$2,420 to $3,600/mo+4.1%
Median household income$104,884 (2024)$133,500$113,000 to $158,000+4.1%
Median home value$1,276,900 (2024)$1,791,000$1,300,000 to $2,467,000+5.8%

The median home would be worth 13.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 12.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like North Fair Oaks

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
East Palo Alto, CA$2,244$113,493Compare
Haiku-Pauwela, HI$2,538$101,396Compare
Gilroy, CA$2,301$133,107Compare
Costa Mesa, CA$2,446$111,505Compare
Costa Mesa, CAGilroy, CAHaiku-Pauwela, HIEast Palo Alto, CANorth Fair Oaks, CANorth Fair OaksHaiku-PauwelaCosta MesaNorth Fair OaksHaiku-PauwelaCosta Mesa

Places built like North Fair Oaks

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how North Fair Oaks performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
North Fair Oaks, CA26.5%6.1%/yrn/a
East Palo Alto, CA23.7%11.1%/yr-3.9%Compare
Hawaiian Gardens, CA26.7%9.1%/yr-5.5%Compare
East Franklin, NJ21.4%12.4%/yrn/aCompare
Artesia, CA26.4%8.3%/yr-3.7%Compare
Cherryland, CA29.7%4.4%/yrn/aCompare
Holtville, CA15.9%7.1%/yr-0.4%Compare

Common questions

Is North Fair Oaks a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 24 out of 100, better than 24% of the places we rate and 300th of 654 in California. Compared with the 24 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as East Palo Alto, CA, Hawaiian Gardens, CA and East Franklin, NJ), money left after rent here is higher: $77,600 against a typical $56,500. On cost, space and class size it scores 14 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is North Fair Oaks expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 26.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $1,276,900.

What salary do you need to live in North Fair Oaks?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $92,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to North Fair Oaks?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are East Palo Alto, CA, Haiku-Pauwela, HI, Gilroy, CA and Costa Mesa, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares North Fair Oaks with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for North Fair Oaks itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/north-fair-oaks-california

Citytistics. “North Fair Oaks, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/north-fair-oaks-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.