City safety & data profile

PacificaCA

Pacifica, CA is a 39K-resident city in San Mateo County with a median household income of $160,523.

San Mateo County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Pacifica, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Pacifica has a population larger than 73% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $1,249,800.

Data updated 2026-07-18

39K
Population
Top 27%
By size
$160,523
Median income
$1,249,800
Median home
5.8%
Poverty rate

The read on Pacifica

Pacifica posts a median household income higher than 95% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 5%
by median income, US cities

Where Pacifica income ranks nationally

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

$160,523 Top 5% higher than 95% 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%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Below this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Pacifica, CA beyond the headline numbers

Pacifica sits inside San Mateo County, California, at roughly 37.61°N, -122.49°W. Population 39,260, $160,523 median household income. Median home value $1,249,800, median rent $3,098. Poverty rate 5.8%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Pacifica's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 29.4%, then short sleep duration at 28.2%.

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

Population
39,260
Pacifica
Median Income
$160,523
+136% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,249,800
+449% vs avg
Median Age
44.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (San Mateo County) - Pacifica'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 Pacifica, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$3,098/mo
Poverty Rate
5.8% -59% vs avg
Unemployment 3.9%
Bachelor's Degree+ 48.9%
Work From Home 23.6%
Public Transit 3.8%

Population

White 52%
African American 1.2%
Asian 22.2%
Two or More Ethnicities 5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
29.4%
Short Sleep Duration
28.2%
Obesity
23.7%
Physical Inactivity
18.5%
Binge Drinking
15.9%
Frequent Mental Distress
14.1%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.2%
Diabetes
9.9%
Current Asthma
9.3%
Current Smoking
8.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 70.3%
Annual Checkup 71.8%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
5.4%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.1%
Stroke
2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Pacifica, CA? ▼
Pacifica, CA has a population of 39,260 people, located in San Mateo County, California.
What is the median household income in Pacifica? ▼
The median household income in Pacifica, CA is $160,523 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 5.8%.
What is the median home value in Pacifica? ▼
The median home value in Pacifica, CA is $1,249,800. Median rent is $3,098/month.
What are the top health concerns in Pacifica? ▼
The top health indicators in Pacifica include High Blood Pressure (29.4%), Short Sleep Duration (28.2%), Obesity (23.7%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Pacifica? ▼
The median age in Pacifica, CA is 44.6 years. 48.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Pacifica, CA is located in San Mateo County, California. With a population of 39K and a $160,523 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Pacifica 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

San Bruno, CA 43K South San Francisco, CA 67K Daly City, CA 107K Millbrae, CA 23K Hillsborough, CA 11K Burlingame, CA 30K Parkside, CA 17K Visitacion Valley, CA 23K
All cities in California → Compare Pacifica vs San Bruno → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Pacifica'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 Pacifica 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 Pacifica 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.