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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.

Foster City, CA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Foster City profile


Living in Foster City



Foster City is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 32,026 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Foster City is the 234th largest community in California.

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

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

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Foster City has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

A relatively large number of people in Foster City telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 25.75% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

One of the nice things about Foster City is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Foster City is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Foster City, the average commute to work is 32.41 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the city, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Foster City is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, taxis helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Foster City area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Foster City. 72.54% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Foster City in 2018 was $91,552, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $366,208 for a family of four.

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

Foreign born people are also an important part of Foster City's cultural character, accounting for 47.96% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Foster City is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Langs. of India.