Moving to Woodside
San Mateo County loses about 10.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.
Where people come from and where they go, top counties
Within California, other states or abroad
Income per tax return
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
- 7.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 5.5% 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
- $140,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
- Rent or buy
- Median rent is $3,501 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $4,001 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $2,000,001.
- Getting to work
- 29 minutes each way on average; 30.5% work from home; 5.1% take transit.
- If it is close but not quite
- Glencoe, IL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
All 5 moving measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moved here in the past year1 | 7.4% | 29% above | |
| Moved from another state1 | 5.5% | 179% above | |
| Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure | -10.7 | below (median -0.6) | |
| Income of households moving in8County figure | $167,342 | 137% above | |
| Income of households moving out8County figure | $186,435 | 165% above |
What it costs to live here
High pay has not made renting easy. Household income is higher than in 99% of places we track, yet 68% of renters still spend 30% or more of income on rent.
Could you afford it?
Uses the median rent in Woodside, $3,501 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 Woodside, but easier on the budget
Places that match Woodside 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.
Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Woodside.
All 15 cost and housing measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent1 | $3,501 | 156% above | |
| Rent to income1 | 16.8% | 18% below | |
| Home price to income1 | 8.0x | 111% above | |
| Prices vs US average2Metro figure | 115.6 | 15% above | |
| Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure | $3,697 | 129% above | |
| HUD area median income4County figure | $200,800 | 87% above | |
| Property tax paid (median)1 | $10,001 | 206% above | |
| Median home value1 | $2,000,001 | above (median $319,400) | |
| Home prices, 1-year change5County figure | -0.6% | below (median 3.2%) | |
| Home prices, 5-year change5County figure | 22.5% | 56% below | |
| Homeownership1 | 87.4% | 32% above | |
| Renters paying 30%+1 | 68.4% | 35% above | |
| Owner costs with a mortgage1 | $4,001 | 114% above | |
| Vacant homes1 | 13.5% | 91% above | |
| Median year built1 | 1965 | 1% below |
Work and pay
Income per person is $163,375, 308% above the median place.
All 10 work and pay measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income1 | $250,001 | 211% above | |
| Income per person1 | $163,375 | 308% above | |
| Unemployment1County figure | 4.8% | 2% below | |
| Average annual pay6County figure | $214,295 | 225% above | |
| Pay growth, 1 year6County figure | 9.1% | 146% above | |
| Jobs6County figure | 411,346 | 173% above | |
| Poverty rate1 | 4.5% | 58% below | |
| Mean commute1 | 29 min | 16% above | |
| Works from home1 | 30.5% | 145% above | |
| Commutes by transit1County figure | 5.1% | above (median 0.8%) |
Who lives here
Homes with broadband is 99.0%, 7% above the median place.
More about who lives here, against the typical place
All 9 people measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population1 | 5,126 | 6544th largest | |
| Population change since 20207 | -2.5% | below (median 1.1%) | |
| Median age1 | 46.4 | 19% above | |
| Bachelor's or higher1 | 76.2% | 138% above | |
| High school or higher1 | 99.0% | 7% above | |
| Household size1 | 2.9 | 15% above | |
| Born abroad1 | 15.4% | 75% above | |
| No health insurance1County figure | 3.8% | 41% below | |
| Homes with broadband1 | 99.0% | 7% above |
Life in Woodside
The nearest National Park Service site is San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, about 28 miles away.
5 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia
- Bourn-Roth Estate listed 1975
- Independence Hall listed 1978
- Woodside Store listed 1985
- Green Gables-Fleischhacker, Mortimer, Country House listed 1986
- Folger Estate Stable Historic District listed 2004
Out the door, against the typical place
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 28 miles
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area 29 miles
- Fort Point National Historic Site 29 miles
Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)
Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.
All 18 schools and local life measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public schools13 | 3 | 67% below | |
| Public school students13 | 2,091 | 57% below | |
| Students per teacher13 | 15.4 | 0% above | |
| Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure | 27.2 | 31% above | |
| Shops per 10k9County figure | 24.6 | 19% below | |
| Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure | 4.7 | 15% above | |
| Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure | 23.5 | 16% above | |
| Child care centers per 10k9County figure | 4.8 | 109% above | |
| Parks per 10k10 | 9.8 | 4% below | |
| Playgrounds per 10k10 | 23.4 | 149% above | |
| Grocery stores per 10k10 | 3.9 | 84% above | |
| Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10 | 25.4 | 127% above | |
| Libraries per 10k10 | 3.9 | 348% above | |
| Named paths and bike trails10 | 18.6 | above (median 2.0) | |
| Transit stops per sq mi10 | 0.6 | 190% above | |
| Nearest National Park Service site11 | 28.1 | 9% below | |
| National Park Service sites within 60 miles11 | 9 | 350% above | |
| National Register listings12 | 5 | 62% below |
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 Woodside. Larger places are fetched first.
All 8 weather and risk measures
| Measure | Woodside | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| July average high14County figure | 74°F | 15% below | |
| January average low14County figure | 42°F | 68% above | |
| Average temperature14County figure | 57°F | 4% above | |
| Annual precipitation14County figure | 28.7 in | 34% below | |
| Natural hazard risk15County figure | 99.2 | 7% above | |
| Tornado risk15County figure | 30.6 | 62% below | |
| Wildfire risk15County figure | 92.0 | 50% above | |
| Heat wave risk15County figure | 91.6 | 2% above |
How it is changing
Rent rose 9.4% a year while household income rose 0% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 97% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
Five-year survey estimates, one point per release. Between the 2019 and 2024 releases, which share no survey years, the median rent went from 10.7% to 16.8% of the median income.
Median gross rent
Median household income
Median home value
Population estimate
Citytistics measures
Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas
Woodside in 2030: where the trends point
If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, up from 17% 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, Woodside does better than 38% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 0%.
| Measure | Latest | 2030 projection | Likely range | Avg. per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501/mo (2024) | $4,600/mo | $3,770 to $5,600/mo | +4.6% |
| Median household income | $250,001 (2024) | $309,000 | $261,500 to $366,000 | +3.6% |
| Median home value | $2,000,001 (2024) | $2,638,000 | $1,915,000 to $3,634,000 | +4.7% |
| Population | 5,181 (2025) | 5,180 | 4,970 to 5,400 | −0.0% |
The median home would be worth 8.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 8.0 now.
A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.
Places like Woodside
The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.
| Place | Rent | Income | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough, CA | $3,501 | $250,001 | Compare |
| Alamo, CA | $3,501 | $250,001 | Compare |
| Atherton, CA | $3,501 | $250,001 | Compare |
| Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA | $3,501 | $243,227 | Compare |
Nearby
- Atherton, CA4 mi
- North Fair Oaks, CA5 mi
- Stanford, CA5 mi
- San Carlos, CA5 mi
- Palo Alto, CA7 mi
- Belmont, CA7 mi
Compare Woodside with
Places built like Woodside
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 Woodside performs against places like it.
| Place | Rent to income | Income growth | Pop. change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside, CA | 16.8% | 0.0%/yr | -2.5% | |
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood, CA | 20.9% | 7.8%/yr | n/a | Compare |
| Rolling Hills Estates, CA | 21.9% | 5.0%/yr | -4.1% | Compare |
| Westlake Village, CA | 23.3% | 5.0%/yr | -6.5% | Compare |
| Woodcliff Lake, NJ | 10.6% | 4.6%/yr | 1.1% | Compare |
| Staples, CT | 14.5% | 2.8%/yr | n/a | Compare |
| North Scituate, MA | 13.6% | 5.2%/yr | n/a | Compare |
Common questions
Is Woodside a good place to live?
It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 76 out of 100, better than 76% of the places we rate and 30th of 654 in California. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Lucas Valley-Marinwood, CA, Rolling Hills Estates, CA and Westlake Village, CA), home value growth here is lower: 0% a year against a typical 5.3% a year. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 99 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. On cost, space and class size it scores 81 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.
Is Woodside expensive to live in?
The median rent takes 16.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $2,000,001.
What salary do you need to live in Woodside?
To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $140,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.
What places are similar to Woodside?
On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Hillsborough, CA, Alamo, CA, Atherton, CA and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA.
Sources and methods
The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.
- 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
- Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
- Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
- Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
- House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
- Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
- 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.
- County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
- OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
- National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
- National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
- Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
- 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
- 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); home price to income (B25077, B19013).
What stands out compares Woodside with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Woodside itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/woodside-california
Citytistics. “Woodside, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/woodside-california/
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.