Foster City, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Foster City, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A+
Health Top grade
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A+
Income Top grade
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,669 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1647.3 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.34% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.5 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 12,953 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Foster City grew by 5.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,669 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Foster City is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 27.9% of residents. That is 4.2 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,158 15.8% -5.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,103 27.9% +4.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,265 19.2% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,217 16.0% +0.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Foster City and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% California 49.9%
- Men 49.4% California 50.1%
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Economy
Foster City has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $199,575 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.60% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Foster City is about 101% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $876,185 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $3,579 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 50.8% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Foster City is about 20.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $3,579 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Foster City spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 231 hours, about 9.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 231 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,151 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 34.2% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 46,385 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,602 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Foster City is 28 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Foster City has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 70.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Foster City has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Foster City | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 83.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 7.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 6.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Foster City, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Foster City, CA is the 3rd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 32,669 residents against a local median of 54,957. Foster City, CA's commute, at 27.7 min, runs 22% above the 22.7 min typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $876,185 against a local median of $1,105,906, 21% below it. The cities themselves spread 3.3 min on commute, so Foster City, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Foster City, CA has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster City, CA | 32,669 | $199,575 #3/5 | $876,185 #3/5 | 27.7 min #5/5 |
| Redwood City, CA | 82,255 | $156,854 | $2,067,415 | 22.3 min |
| San Mateo, CA | 101,951 | $153,407 | $296,936 | 23.2 min |
| Belmont, CA | 24,586 | $202,176 | $1,749,901 | 25.4 min |
| San Carlos, CA | 27,659 | $205,565 | $461,911 | 22.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Foster City, California.
How many people live in Foster City, California?
About 32,669 people live in Foster City, California, in 12,953 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Foster City, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Foster City, California has 1,647 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 19 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Foster City, California?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($876,185 against $199,575), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $3,579 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Foster City, California have a college degree?
70.9% of adults in Foster City, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 7 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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