Moving to
North Fair Oaks.

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13,100people live here $104,884median household income▲ 30% above US $2,314median rent per month▲ 64% above US $1,276,900median home value▲ 284% above US

North Fair Oaks is an unincorporated community in San Mateo County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in North Fair Oaks

North Fair Oaks is an unincorporated community in California with household incomes running above the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. North Fair Oaks deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, a population that has been shrinking, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Short commutes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Shrinking population
High student-teacher ratio
High rent burden for renters

How North Fair Oaks compares

Median household income

North Fair Oaks$104,884

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

North Fair Oaks$2,314

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

Median home value

North Fair Oaks$1,276,900

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to North Fair Oaks

Based on North Fair Oaks's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,628

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $92,560 a year
59% of North Fair Oaks renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$255,380

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $127,690
Homes cost 12.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 64% above US

$2,314/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,314 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,276,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,276,900 · 59% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.9% county unemployment

Unemployment in San Mateo County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

San Mateo County (county-wide)

Safety

181 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

North Fair Oaks doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1075/100k · Policed by San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 15% below US

22 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 19% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

62%

Work from home

19%

Carpool

14%

Public transit

2.7%

Other

1.9%

Walk

1.1%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 22% below US

28% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (26 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

North Fair Oaks's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,314/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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