Housing data for Highlands, CA
Highlands, CA has an estimated 2,450 residents and 872 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in San Mateo County.
15.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $3,500 or more a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,450 (±380)
- Housing units
- 872 (±104)
- Households that rent
- 15.3%
- Median gross rent
- $3,500 or more
What stands out in Highlands
Households that rent: 15.3% (±4.9 points) in Highlands, lower than in San Mateo County (41.5%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 8.1% (±6.9 points) in Highlands, lower than in San Mateo County (28.7%).
Working from home: 35.8% (±8.2 points) in Highlands, higher than in San Mateo County (24.3%).
Commuting by public transportation: 0.4% (±0.7 points) in Highlands, lower than in San Mateo County (5.1%).
Housing in Highlands 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 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 33.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 15.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $250,000 or more median household income
- Home values: $2,000,000 or more 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: 8.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 89.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 97.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 19.9% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 82.8% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 24.0 minutes average trip to work
- How long people stay: 16.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Highlands against San Mateo County, its state and the nation
| Highlands | San Mateo County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,450 (±380) | 742,340 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 872 (±104) | 287,184 (±144) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 15.3% (±4.9 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 | $250,000 or more | $158,855 (±$2,851) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $2,000,000 or more | $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 | 97.5% (±13.8 points) | 72.5% (±1.1 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.0 minutes (±2.8) | 26.4 minutes (±0.3) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 99.4% (±1.0 points) | 95.7% (±0.4 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 46.3 years (±3.3) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Highlands covers 1.3 square miles of land, about 1,885 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
Crime reported to police in San Mateo County
Highlands has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for San Mateo County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for San Mateo County recorded 226 violent and 1,396 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Highlands
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94402 | 26% | 25,475 | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | $172,522 |
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 Highlands
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baywood Park | 0.7 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 10.3% |
| Hillsborough | 2.7 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 6.5% |
| Belmont | 2.8 mi | $2,875 | $2,000,000 or more | 45.2% |
| San Mateo | 3.4 mi | $3,077 | $1,618,700 | 50.1% |
| San Carlos | 4.5 mi | $2,854 | $2,000,000 or more | 32.2% |
| Burlingame | 4.9 mi | $2,785 | $2,000,000 or more | 51.8% |
| Emerald Lake Hills | 5.8 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 9.2% |
| Foster City | 6.1 mi | $3,500 or more | $1,838,200 | 49.2% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Highlands, 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 Highlands, 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.
Highlands is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
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 Highlands
What is the average rent in Highlands, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Highlands is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Highlands?
Highlands has an estimated 125 (±40) renting households, 15.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Highlands?
The median household income in Highlands is $250,000 or more a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Highlands, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $2,000,000 or more for owner-occupied homes in Highlands (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Highlands?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Highlands, CA is $4,000 or more a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Highlands?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Highlands, CA is $10,000 or more a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What ZIP codes are in Highlands?
The ZIP code that covers Highlands is 94402.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 94402?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 94402 is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Highlands CDP, 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
- 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 Highlands CDP, California (place:33632, 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 .