Living in Atherton, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 15.6% above the U.S. average in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Atherton to say.
A safer neighborhood5 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 7.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town15 public schools: 11 elementary, 1 middle and 3 high schools.
A hospital close byKaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City in Redwood City, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Jose is about 24 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Atherton meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Atherton runs into the built-up area around San Francisco (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $2,000,000 or moreU.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 6.7%San Mateo County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $250,000 or moreU.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 88%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 17%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 8%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 115.6U.S. average = 100 (the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 6.7% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, not Atherton alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 6,9602020: 7,163
Median age: 49.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 26%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 83%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%
College students: 14%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (27%); schools, health care and social services (19%); finance, insurance and real estate (17%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 23 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 41%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City, Redwood City, CA, about 3 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

15 public schools in Atherton, run by Redwood City Elementary and Menlo Park City Elementary.

Colleges in or next to town: Stanford University (10,000 to 19,999 students); Menlo College (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 90%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 98%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 40°F
July average high: 81°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 18 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 6 a year
Rain and melted snow: 19 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 66 feet

Weather station: Redwood City (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood CityEmergency room3

Redwood City, CACity of 82,0004

San Jose, CAMetro of 2 million24

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City, Redwood City, San Jose.

San Mateo County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area4 miles
Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site27 miles
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park27 miles
Fort Point National Historic Site28 miles
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park32 miles

Campus life. Check Stanford University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Atherton's history on Wikipedia.

Know Atherton?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

North Fair Oaks, CA13,100 people, 1 miles
West Menlo Park, CA3,600 people, 2 miles
Emerald Lake Hills, CA4,200 people, 4 miles
Woodside, CA5,200 people, 4 miles
Portola Valley, CA4,300 people, 7 miles
Los Altos Hills, CA8,400 people, 7 miles

Smaller places

Ladera, CA (unincorporated)1,297 people, 4 miles
Highlands, CA (unincorporated)2,450 people, 9 miles
Baywood Park, CA (unincorporated)1,580 people, 9 miles
La Honda, CA (unincorporated)1,269 people, 10 miles
Loma Mar, CA (unincorporated)309 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.