Foster City, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

32,792

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

39.5

0.504% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

4.1%

11.5% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$199,143

2.85% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$1.84M

Population & Diversity

Foster City, CA is home to a population of 32.8k people, from which 75% are citizens.

As of 2024, 49.3% of Foster City, CA residents were born outside of the country (16.2k people).

In 2024, there were 1.88 times more Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.8k people) in Foster City, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.48k White (Non-Hispanic) and 1.67k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

75%

2024 Citizenship

75.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 75% of Foster City, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Foster City, CA was 75.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Foster City, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Foster City, CA

Asian (Non-Hispanic)
17.8k ± 858
White (Non-Hispanic)
9.48k ± 749
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.67k ± 369

7.13%

Hispanic Population

2.34k people

7.13% of the people in Foster City, CA are hispanic (2.34k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Foster City, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

49.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

16.2k people

48.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

15.9k people

As of 2024, 49.3% of Foster City, CA residents (16.2k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Foster City, CA was 48.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Foster City, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
229 ± 96
Gulf War (2001-)
102 ± 63
Korea
80 ± 79

Foster City, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.25 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Foster City, CA.

Economy

The economy of Foster City, CA employs 16.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Foster City, CA were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (4,711 people), Manufacturing (2,263 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,816 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($250,001), Information ($225,141), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($167,725).

Employment

Occupations

16.8k

2024 Value

± 863

0.0656%

1 Year growth

± 7.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Foster City, CA grew at a rate of 0.0656%, from 16.8k employees to 16.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Foster City, CA, are Computer & Mathematical Occupations (3,473 people), Management Occupations (3,351 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,497 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Foster City, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

16.8k

2024 Value

± 863

0.0656%

1 Year growth

± 7.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Foster City, CA grew at a rate of 0.0656%, from 16.8k employees to 16.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Foster City, CA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (4,711 people), Manufacturing (2,263 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,816 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Foster City, CA, though some of these residents may live in Foster City, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$147,445

Median earning men ± $9,533

$117,784

Median earning women ± $9,485

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($250,001), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($192,431), and Manufacturing ($166,146).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($186,204), Wholesale Trade ($143,036), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($141,622).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Foster City, CA was $1.84M in 2024, which is 5.53 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $1.77M to $1.84M, a 3.59% increase. The homeownership rate in Foster City, CA is 50.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Foster City, CA have an average commute time of 29.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Foster City, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.84M

Median Property Value 2024

±$78,375

$6,606

Median Property Taxes

±$410

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Foster City, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Foster City, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

50.8%

Homeownership

2024

66.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 50.8% of the housing units in Foster City, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 51.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Foster City, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$199,143

Median Household Income

± $11,786

13k

Number of Households

± 662

In 2024, the median household income of the 13k households in Foster City, CA grew to $199,143 from the previous year's value of $193,633.

The following chart displays the households in Foster City, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Foster City, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (51.8%)
Worked At Home (34.2%)
Carpooled (7.53%)

In 2024, 51.8% of workers in Foster City, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (34.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.53%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

29.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Foster City, CA have a longer commute time (29.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.07% of the workforce in Foster City, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Foster City, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Foster City, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Foster City, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

4.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Foster City, CA (1.33k out of 32.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Foster City, CA is Asian, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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