South San Francisco, San Mateo County, California Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for South San Francisco, California, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in South San Francisco, California. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in South San Francisco, California. The estimated population of South San Francisco, California is 66,331 people, with a median age of 42.1.

We can look at the total population in South San Francisco over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
66,331
-0.82% -1.18%
2020
66,878
-0.79% -
2019
67,408
+0.17%
-
2018
67,294
+0.26%
-
2017
67,120
- -

Population of South San Francisco, California by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
21.5%
18.9%
+13.76%
Black/African American
1.8%
1.9%
-5.26%
Native
0.2%
0.1%
+100.00%
Hispanic
29.8%
33.9%
-12.09%
Asian
42.8%
39.4%
+8.63%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.9%
1.5%
-40.00%
Two Or More Races
2.9%
4.2%
-30.95%
Other
0.2%
0.3%
-33.33%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of South San Francisco, California by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 42.1 +2.93% 40.8 +2% 43.5 +2.59%
2020 40.9 +1.24% 40 +2.3% 42.4 +1.44%
2019 40.4 +1% 39.1 +0.77% 41.8 +1.95%
2018 40 +2.3% 38.8 +3.47% 41 -0.97%
2017 39.1 - 37.5 - 41.4 -

The median age of South San Francisco, California gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 3,685 1.33% 3,626 -16.89% 3,660 3,005
10 to 19 4,030 -20.22% 3,142 +6.18% 3,274 3,303
20 to 29 4,577 -9.52% 4,021 -3.94% 4,096 3,865
30 to 39 5,733 -10.71% 5,632 -13.28% 5,142 4,880
40 to 49 4,057 +24.13% 4,340 +1.24% 5,124 4,360
50 to 59 4,438 +8.59% 4,793 +6.13% 4,761 5,074
60 to 69 4,233 +3.49% 3,940 +10.48% 4,380 4,342
70+ 2,667 +8.55% 4,206 0.1% 2,860 4,205

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of South San Francisco, California is $112,818.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for South San Francisco.

  • Under 25
    $101,206.00
  • 25 to 44
    $147,799.00
  • 45 to 64
    $124,078.00
  • 65 and over
    $75,105.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in South San Francisco, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in South San Francisco, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of South San Francisco, California is currently $148,908.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

25.83% of households in South San Francisco are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of South San Francisco against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    8.50%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    11.27%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    12.54%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.45%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    18.43%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    11.98%
  • $200,000 or more
    25.83%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in South San Francisco is $51,125.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of South San Francisco by the total population of South San Francisco.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in South San Francisco, California, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in South San Francisco to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    11.45%
  • Bachelor's degree
    45.54%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    8.79%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    30.86%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.36%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in South San Francisco that are over the age of 16.

The total population of South San Francisco over the age of 16 is 55,961.

Of those people, a total of 68.40% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in South San Francisco is 66.50%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 2,872 29.20% 5.10%
20 to 24 years 3,542 75.80% 4.20%
25 to 29 years 4,419 85.60% 1.60%
30 to 34 years 5,155 86.20% 2.60%
35 to 44 years 9,379 88.70% 2.70%
45 to 54 years 9,797 92.20% 3.40%
55 to 59 years 5,010 76.00% 1.20%
60 to 64 years 4,793 70.40% 2.40%
65 to 74 years 6,673 27.00% 2.10%
75 years and over 4,321 4.90% 3.30%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in South San Francisco. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 17,320 59.30% 2.50%
Black or African American 1,181 56.60% 5.50%
American Indian and Alaska Native 418 72.00% 23.90%
Asian 24,939 72.30% 2.20%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 361 68.40% 29.60%
Other 7,639 75.30% 2.20%
Two or more races 4,103 74.00% 2.50%
Hispanic or Latino 15,682 70.80% 3.70%
Not Hispanic or Latino 12,457 58.10% 1.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in South San Francisco as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in South San Francisco is 37,241, with median earnings of $53,272.00.

Women in South San Francisco, California earning approximately 86.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 37,241 $53,272.00
Male 19,710 $56,248.00
Female 17,531 $48,490.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 3,791 $87,840.00
Business and Financial 2,772 $96,042.00
Computer and Mathematical 1,667 $110,250.00
Architecture and Engineering 749 $86,625.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 582 $112,222.00
Community and Social Service 434 $65,313.00
Legal 423 $112,321.00
Educational and Library 1,187 $59,653.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 577 $55,926.00
Healthcare Practitioners 2,493 $114,115.00
Healthcare Support 1,504 $29,783.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 485 $49,563.00
Law Enforcement 253 $101,250.00
Food Preparation and Serving 2,130 $22,932.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 1,515 $36,911.00
Personal Care and Service 921 $31,683.00
Sales 3,416 $37,137.00
Office and Administrative Support 5,813 $41,839.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 35 $37,569.00
Construction and Extraction 1,421 $53,301.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 1,124 $66,389.00
Production 1,393 $38,227.00
Transportation and Material Moving 1,257 $51,007.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 2,088 $82,768.00 1,703 $89,823.00
Business and Financial 1,328 $95,475.00 1,444 $96,867.00
Computer and Mathematical 1,266 $120,417.00 401 $80,373.00
Architecture and Engineering 661 $91,488.00 88 $83,000.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 356 $112,083.00 226 $122,647.00
Community and Social Service 338 $40,435.00 96 $107,639.00
Legal 50 $42,500.00 373 $123,021.00
Educational and Library 350 $50,227.00 837 $61,091.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 359 $55,338.00 218 $82,692.00
Healthcare Practitioners 672 $98,214.00 1,821 $124,053.00
Healthcare Support 346 $26,827.00 1,158 $30,313.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 316 $53,239.00 169 $43,125.00
Law Enforcement 118 $27,458.00 135 $143,083.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,111 $32,562.00 1,019 $20,208.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 855 $44,196.00 660 $17,089.00
Personal Care and Service 318 $58,398.00 603 $25,625.00
Sales 1,771 $38,469.00 1,645 $35,758.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,644 $46,827.00 4,169 $39,640.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 35 $37,569.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,398 $53,567.00 23 $11,917.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 1,093 $66,319.00 31 $0.00
Production 1,012 $39,314.00 381 $27,070.00
Transportation and Material Moving 1,145 $50,729.00 112 $87,682.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 21,895 households in South San Francisco, with an average household size of 3 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 16,064 families in South San Francisco with an average family size of 3.44 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 12,125 1,337 2,602 5,831
Average Household Size 3.55 3.58 3.48 1.51
Total Families 12,125 1,337 2,602 0
Average Household Size 3.5 3.28 3.25 0

Poverty

Of the 16,064 families in South San Francisco, 3.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in South San Francisco:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 22,782 housing units in South San Francisco, California.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 21,895 96.11%
Vacant 887 3.89%

35.18% of the total 22,782 housing units in South San Francisco are rental units. This is approximately 8,014 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 13,548 are occupied by the owner - or 59.47% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in South San Francisco is $2,427.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in South San Francisco that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    333
  • Less than $500
    347
  • $500 to $999
    240
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    562
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    1,269
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    1,862
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    1,446
  • $3,000 or more
    2,288

Property Value

The median value of a property in South San Francisco is $965,300.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in South San Francisco that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    233
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    127
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    47
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    18
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    57
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    234
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    6,728
  • $1,000,000 or more
    6,104

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in South San Francisco. The chart below shows the number of properties in South San Francisco that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,573
  • 1940 to 1949
    2,543
  • 1950 to 1959
    6,177
  • 1960 to 1969
    3,792
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,152
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,688
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,313
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,981
  • 2010 to 2013
    563
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in South San Francisco that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,353
  • 1 vehicle available
    5,896
  • 2 vehicles available
    7,664
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    6,982

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in South San Francisco get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in South San Francisco that commute to work in a particular way.

27.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in South San Francisco.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    181
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,824
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    4,465
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    5,241
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    4,745
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    1,598
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    5,160
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    1,015
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    1,581
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    3,385
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    2,683
  • 90 or more minutes
    417

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for South San Francisco, California in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.