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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Atherton, CA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Atherton profile


Living in Atherton



Atherton is a somewhat small town located in the state of California. With a population of 6,898 people and two associated neighborhoods, Atherton is the 466th largest community in California.

Atherton home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Atherton real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Atherton has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Atherton is also a town of artists. Atherton has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Atherton’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 37.63% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Atherton is a college town. There are a lot of students in Atherton attending college, and as a result Atherton provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared to the needs and activities of students.

Because of many things, Atherton is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Atherton really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Atherton perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Atherton, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Atherton is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 85.99% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Atherton in 2018 was $186,810, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $747,240 for a family of four.

Atherton is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Atherton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Atherton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Atherton include English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Italian.

In addition, Atherton has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (20.76%).

The most common language spoken in Atherton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.