South San Francisco, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
South San Francisco, 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 Above average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 59,175 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1961.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.52% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,988 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in South San Francisco grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 59,175 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in South San Francisco is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.1% of residents. That is 0.4 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,799 18.2% -3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,266 24.1% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 13,517 22.8% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,040 17.0% +1.7 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 49.5% of the people living in South San Francisco and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% California 49.9%
- Men 50.5% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in South San Francisco
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
South San Francisco has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $136,528 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.89% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in South San Francisco is about 38% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,257,030 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,791 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in South San Francisco is about 37.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,791 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in South San Francisco spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.5 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,752 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 36,619 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,385 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in South San Francisco is 22 minutes, shorter 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
South San Francisco has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.92 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
South San Francisco has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | South San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 10.1% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
South San Francisco, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
South San Francisco, CA is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 59,175 residents against a local median of 29,545. South San Francisco, CA's median home price, at $1,257,030, runs 42% below the $2,165,902 typical of the cities around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.3 min against a local median of 27.2 min, 18% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so South San Francisco, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The cities themselves spread $891,886 on median home price, so South San Francisco, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. South San Francisco, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco, CA | 59,175 | $136,528 #4/4 | $1,257,030 #4/4 | 22.3 min #2/4 |
| Burlingame, CA | 29,545 | $169,776 | $2,165,902 | 28.7 min |
| Millbrae, CA | 22,069 | $163,773 | $1,327,183 | 27.2 min |
| San Bruno, CA | 39,357 | $138,567 | $2,219,069 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about South San Francisco, California.
How many people live in South San Francisco, California?
About 59,175 people live in South San Francisco, California, in 19,988 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 40.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is South San Francisco, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, South San Francisco, California has 1,961 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 23 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is South San Francisco, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 9.2 times the median household income ($1,257,030 against $136,528), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,791 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in South San Francisco, California?
Unemployment in South San Francisco, California is only 2.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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