On-Line Atlas of the San Francisco Bay Area

San Mateo County Income Levels

The map below gives a feel for the earning and buying power of the communities that make up San Mateo County.  Each neighbourhood on the map is coloured, with the colour representing the median income of all households in the neighbourhood.

Income levels are important for many businesses and organizations, but none more so than for retail stores.  Income is the single most important factor in determining the amount and kind of goods bought by individuals.  A map of income levels for an area can indicate to a new retailer where it ought to locate a new store, or on which neighbourhoods it should concentrate its advertising.

The darkest shade of green covers most of the area of the map. This would appear to indicate that most of the households in the area fall in the highest income bracket, $51,100 to $150,001. However, this map does not show that some of these large, high-income areas are also relatively sparsely populated.  At the same time, some of the smallest, low-income areas have relatively large populations.

Which communities in San Mateo County would you advise a Mercedes dealer to concentrate on?  Where would you put a discount clothing store?  While incomes are important, a look at other factors, such as demographics and education, can also play an important role in retail planning.