North Fair Oaks

San Mateo County13,100 residents2 school districts
63
C+
Suburbgrade score

23rd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by employment & income.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for North Fair Oaks yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 63 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →

What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.

What North Fair Oaks is like to live in, by category

Bars show North Fair Oaks against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$1,276,900
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,314/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households46%
San Francisco 38%

Schools

18% of the score · 59/100
C
Within-state proficiency63rd pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio18.6
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate86%
San Francisco median 89%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 80/100
B+
Housing cost index93
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.59%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.38%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · CDTFA 2026-09Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Mean commute22.1 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes73%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi14
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles

Amenities

12% of the score · 96/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés230
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries20
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks52
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 31/100
F
Median household income$104,884
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment8.4%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations34%
San Francisco 56%

Residents

12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.

Ask the people who live here

Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for North Fair Oaks yet. If you live here, you can be the first.

Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →

Better than North Fair Oaks on employment & income

North Fair Oaks's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.

Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24

Common questions about living in North Fair Oaks

Is North Fair Oaks, CA a good place to live?

North Fair Oaks scores 63 out of 100, 23rd of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.

Is North Fair Oaks expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $1,276,900, 12% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.59%. $2,314/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in North Fair Oaks?

Schools grade C. The districts serving North Fair Oaks sit at the 63rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 18.6 student–teacher ratio. North Fair Oaks is served by Sequoia Union High and Redwood City Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from North Fair Oaks?

The mean commute is 22.1 min, with 73% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 19% working from home. Transit density is 14 stops per square mile.

Can you walk anywhere in North Fair Oaks?

Within two miles there are 20 groceries, 230 restaurants and cafés and 52 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.

Are the homes in North Fair Oaks old or new?

The median home in North Fair Oaks was built in 1958 — older than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 68% of homes are houses rather than flats.

Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.