Town guide

Atherton, California

Atherton is a town in San Mateo County, California, home to about 6,993 people across 5.0 square miles. Its ZIP code is 94027.

Homes sold for a median of $2,451 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population6,9931,393 per sq mi
Median home value$2M+Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$2,451Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking46%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Atherton

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Atherton. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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  • History
  • What it’s like to live there
  • Getting around
  • Things to do

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Around Atherton

Distances

Nearest major airportSan Francisco International Airport (SFO)15 miles away
Closer regional airportSan Carlos Airport (SQL)5 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Oakland, CA22 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+Los Angeles, CA318 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Atherton; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Atherton

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Atherton had 7,188 residents in the 2020 census, up 0% since 2000.

It’s the 581st largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.

San Mateo County grew from 12,094 residents in 1900 to 764,442 in 2020.

Atherton population by census2000: 7,194, 2010: 6,914, 2020: 7,1887,19420006,91420107,1882020

San Mateo County, 1900–2020

San Mateo County population, 1900 to 20201900: 12,094, 1910: 26,585, 1920: 36,781, 1930: 77,405, 1940: 111,782, 1950: 235,659, 1960: 444,387, 1970: 556,234, 1980: 587,329, 1990: 649,623, 2000: 707,161, 2010: 718,451, 2020: 764,44212K’00’1037K’20’30112K’40’50444K’60’70587K’80’90707K’00’10764K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 81°F in summer, and winter lows average 40°F. About 19.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near AthertonJan: high 59°F, low 41°F, 3.8 in; Feb: high 62°F, low 43°F, 3.7 in; Mar: high 65°F, low 45°F, 3 in; Apr: high 69°F, low 47°F, 1.2 in; May: high 73°F, low 50°F, 0.5 in; Jun: high 79°F, low 54°F, 0.2 in; Jul: high 81°F, low 57°F, 0 in; Aug: high 81°F, low 57°F, 0 in; Sep: high 79°F, low 54°F, 0.1 in; Oct: high 75°F, low 50°F, 0.9 in; Nov: high 65°F, low 44°F, 1.9 in; Dec: high 59°F, low 40°F, 3.9 in59°41°Jan3.862°43°Feb3.765°45°Mar3.069°47°Apr1.273°50°May0.579°54°Jun0.281°57°Jul0.081°57°Aug0.079°54°Sep0.175°50°Oct0.965°44°Nov1.959°40°Dec3.9Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Redwood City, CA weather station (3 miles away).

Jobs in San Mateo County

477,938 jobs at 21,569 businesses in San Mateo County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in San Mateo CountyInformation: 112,818 jobs; Professional services: 59,007 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 46,206 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 38,716 jobs; Transportation and warehousing: 33,718 jobs; Retail trade: 32,272 jobs; Manufacturing: 24,534 jobs; Finance and insurance: 22,092 jobsInformation 24% Professional services 12% Health care and social assistance 10% Hotels and restaurants 8% Transportation and warehousing 7% Retail trade 7% Manufacturing 5% Finance and insurance 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

51 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Atherton.

Nearest hospitals

  • Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hsp at StanfordChildren’s hospital · no emergency room · Palo Alto1.9 miles
  • Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood CityGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · Redwood City2.7 miles
  • Stanford Health CareGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 5 of 5 · Stanford3.1 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors8
Specialist doctors19
Dentists10
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants4
Mental health providers5
Physical and occupational therapists5

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Atherton

Parks (14 nearby)

  • Holbook Palmer Park · 22 acres0.7 mi
  • Menlo Park Civic Center Complex · 13 acres1.2 mi
  • Cartan Athletic Fields · 12 acres0.3 mi
  • Burgess Park · 12 acres1.3 mi
  • Nealon Park · 9 acres1.2 mi
  • Jack W. Lyle Park · 3 acres1.2 mi

Grocery stores (10 nearby)

  • Chavez Supermarket0.9 mi
  • Draeger's Market1.0 mi
  • Trader Joe's1.0 mi
  • Chavez Supermarket1.0 mi

Pharmacies (3 nearby)

  • Walgreens0.9 mi
  • Milagros de Mexico1.5 mi
  • CVS Pharmacy1.6 mi

Libraries (6 nearby)

  • Bowman Library0.5 mi
  • Atherton Branch San Mateo County Library0.5 mi
  • Garfield Community School Library1.0 mi
  • Menlo Park Central Library1.1 mi
  • USGS Library1.6 mi

Museums (1 nearby)

  • West Bay Model Railroad Association1.1 mi

Theaters and performance venues (3 nearby)

  • Performing Arts Center0.5 mi
  • Guild1.1 mi
  • Menlo Atherton Performing Arts Center1.4 mi

Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Colleges, teams and notable people

Established in 1795.

Notable people born here

  • JB Pritzker (1965) · American businessman and politician (born 1965)
  • Drew Fuller (1980) · American actor and former male model

Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.

Schools in Atherton

Public schools here are run by Redwood City Elementary, Menlo Park City Elementary, Las Lomitas Elementary. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (4)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Adelante Selby Spanish ImmersionAthertonK–5582Public1.1 mi
Encinal ElementaryAthertonK–5604Public1.0 mi
Las Lomitas ElementaryAthertonK–3522Public1.4 mi
Laurel ElementaryAthertonK–5658Public1.7 mi
Private schools (2)
SchoolGradesStudentsAffiliationDistance
Sacred Heart Schools AthertonAthertonPre-K–121,144Roman Catholic0.5 mi
Menlo SchoolAtherton6–12818Nonsectarian0.4 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.