Housing data for Foster City, CA
Foster City, CA has an estimated 32,792 residents and 13,617 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in San Mateo County.
49.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $3,500 or more a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−3.5%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 32,792 (±53)
- Housing units
- 13,617 (±370)
- Households that rent
- 49.2%
- Median gross rent
- $3,500 or more
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −3.5%
What stands out in Foster City
Households that moved in since 2020: 35.7% (±3.1 points) in Foster City, higher than in San Mateo County (23.8%).
Working from home: 34.2% (±2.9 points) in Foster City, higher than in San Mateo County (24.3%).
Median household income: $199,143 (±$11,786) in Foster City, higher than in San Mateo County ($158,855).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 38.6% (±3.3 points) in Foster City, higher than in San Mateo County (28.7%).
- How long people stay in Foster City
- Commute and cars in Foster City
- Income and affordability in Foster City
- Types of homes in Foster City
Housing in Foster City at a glance
- Median rent: $3,500 or more median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $3,500 or more median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 42.1% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 49.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $199,143 median household income
- Home values: $1,838,200 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 38.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 49.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 65.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 6.4% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 56.7% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 29.4 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 68 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −3.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 35.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 4.8% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Foster City against San Mateo County, its state and the nation
| Foster City | San Mateo County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 32,792 (±53) | 742,340 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 13,617 (±370) | 287,184 (±144) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 49.2% (±2.7 points) | 41.5% (±0.7 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $3,500 or more | $2,922 (±$40) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $199,143 (±$11,786) | $158,855 (±$2,851) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $1,838,200 (±$78,375) | $1,559,600 (±$16,159) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $9,519 (±$153) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 65.5% (±3.8 points) | 72.5% (±1.1 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 29.4 minutes (±1.4) | 26.4 minutes (±0.3) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 98.1% (±0.9 points) | 95.7% (±0.4 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.5 years (±1.5) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Foster City covers 3.8 square miles of land, about 8,659 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Foster City has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,997 (±50) | 32,792 (±53) | −3.5% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 13,459 (±328) | 13,617 (±370) | +1.2% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $1,245,800 (±$42,745) | $1,838,200 (±$78,375) | +47.6% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $158,529 (±$5,751) | $199,143 (±$11,786) | +25.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 42.9% (±2.3 points) | 49.2% (±2.7 points) | +6.3 percentage points | Measurable increase |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.1% (±2.0 points) | 6.4% (±2.6 points) | +3.3 percentage points | Measurable increase |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Foster City
In 2025, the Foster City Police Department reported 68 violent and 775 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across San Mateo County, the departments that report recorded 226 violent and 1,396 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Foster City
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94404 | 87% | 35,881 | $3,500 or more | $1,714,400 | $192,332 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Foster City
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | 3.3 mi | $3,077 | $1,618,700 | 50.1% |
| Redwood City | 4.0 mi | $2,968 | $1,801,700 | 51.4% |
| Belmont | 4.2 mi | $2,875 | $2,000,000 or more | 45.2% |
| San Carlos | 4.6 mi | $2,854 | $2,000,000 or more | 32.2% |
| Baywood Park | 5.6 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 10.3% |
| Hillsborough | 5.9 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 6.5% |
| Highlands | 6.1 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 15.3% |
| Burlingame | 6.4 mi | $2,785 | $2,000,000 or more | 51.8% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Foster City, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | $4,832 | $5,439 |
HUD income limits for Foster City, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $44,150 | $73,550 | $117,700 |
| 2 people | $50,450 | $84,050 | $134,500 |
| 3 people | $56,750 | $94,550 | $151,300 |
| 4 people | $63,050 | $105,050 | $168,100 |
| 5 people | $68,100 | $113,500 | $181,550 |
| 6 people | $73,150 | $121,900 | $195,000 |
| 7 people | $78,200 | $130,300 | $208,450 |
| 8 people | $83,250 | $138,700 | $221,900 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $200,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Foster City
What is the average rent in Foster City, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Foster City is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Foster City?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Foster City, CA is $3,280 (±$154) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Foster City rent-burdened?
42.1% of renting households in Foster City pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Foster City?
Foster City has an estimated 6,392 (±361) renting households, 49.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Foster City?
The median household income in Foster City is $199,143 (±$11,786) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Foster City, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $1,838,200 (±$78,375) for owner-occupied homes in Foster City (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Foster City growing?
In Foster City, the number of residents went from 33,997 in 2015–2019 to 32,792 in 2020–2024 (−3.5%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Foster City?
The ZIP code that covers Foster City is 94404.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 94404?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 94404 is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Foster City city, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Foster City Police Department (ORI CA0412000)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Foster City city, California (place:25338, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .