City safety & data profile

East Palo AltoCA

East Palo Alto, CA is a 30K-resident city in San Mateo County with a median household income of $113,493.

San Mateo County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for East Palo Alto, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. East Palo Alto has a population larger than 63% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $1,102,600.

Data updated 2026-07-19

30K
Population
Top 37%
By size
$113,493
Median income
$1,102,600
Median home
10.3%
Poverty rate

The read on East Palo Alto

East Palo Alto posts a median household income higher than 79% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 21%
by median income, US cities

Where East Palo Alto income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$113,493 Top 21% higher than 79% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). This entry sits in this band. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading East Palo Alto, CA beyond the headline numbers

East Palo Alto sits inside San Mateo County, California, at roughly 37.47°N, -122.14°W. Population 29,662, $113,493 median household income. Median home value $1,102,600, median rent $2,244. Poverty rate 10.3%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: East Palo Alto's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 32.9%, then obesity at 30.6%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for East Palo Alto from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
29,662
East Palo Alto
Median Income
$113,493
+67% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,102,600
+384% vs avg
Median Age
36.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (San Mateo County) - East Palo Alto's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
742K+2%
Median Income
$158,855+80%
Median Home Value
$1,559,600+116%
Poverty Rate
6.7%-12%
Unemployment
4.8%-41%

Economics

Economics indicators for East Palo Alto, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,244/mo
Poverty Rate
10.3% -27% vs avg
Unemployment 5.1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 26.8%
Work From Home 14.5%
Public Transit 1.9%

Population

White 18.5%
African American 9.5%
Asian 7.1%
Two or More Ethnicities 6.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
32.9%
Obesity
30.6%
High Blood Pressure
26.5%
Physical Inactivity
26.1%
Binge Drinking
17.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.3%
Lack of Health Insurance
15.5%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.1%
Diabetes
10.9%
Current Smoking
10.5%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 56.5%
Annual Checkup 65.4%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.6%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.4%
Stroke
2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of East Palo Alto, CA? ▼
East Palo Alto, CA has a population of 29,662 people, located in San Mateo County, California.
What is the median household income in East Palo Alto? ▼
The median household income in East Palo Alto, CA is $113,493 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 10.3%.
What is the median home value in East Palo Alto? ▼
The median home value in East Palo Alto, CA is $1,102,600. Median rent is $2,244/month.
What are the top health concerns in East Palo Alto? ▼
The top health indicators in East Palo Alto include Short Sleep Duration (32.9%), Obesity (30.6%), High Blood Pressure (26.5%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in East Palo Alto? ▼
The median age in East Palo Alto, CA is 36.3 years. 26.8% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

East Palo Alto, CA is located in San Mateo County, California. With a population of 30K and a $113,493 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the East Palo Alto area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Palo Alto, CA 67K Menlo Park, CA 33K Stanford, CA 14K North Fair Oaks, CA 15K Los Altos, CA 31K Redwood City, CA 85K Mountain View, CA 80K Newark, CA 45K
All cities in California → Compare East Palo Alto vs Palo Alto → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using East Palo Alto's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the East Palo Alto area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare East Palo Alto against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (San Mateo County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.