Indian-American wealth in San Mateo County: a small community, a large top tier

San Mateo County, on the Peninsula between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, has about 27,400 residents of Asian Indian descent, up about 8% from the 2015–2019 survey [1][2]. That is a much smaller community than Santa Clara or Alameda counties [1].

But it has the highest share of people at $25M+ of any county in this series: of the 1,289 people we place here at $1M+, 868 are at $5M+ and 219, about 17%, at $25M+ [8] (our calculation).

• 27,366 residents of Asian Indian descent (alone or in combination) in San Mateo County, California, 2020–2024 average [1], or 3.7% of the population [3].
• +8.0% versus the 2015–2019 estimate of 25,346 [1][2] (our calculation).
• 1,289 people in the HeyAlbert database placed in San Mateo County, California at an estimated $1M+, of whom 868 are in our $5M+ bands [8].

Where San Mateo County, California's Indian-American residents live, by place

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 27,366 people who report Asian Indian ancestry, alone or with another group, in San Mateo County, California [1]. Foster City is the largest community, with 18% of the county total [4]–[7] (our calculation).

Place	Asian Indian residents	Share of place
Foster City	4,874	14.9%
San Mateo	4,743	4.6%
Redwood City	2,935	3.6%
Belmont	2,388	8.7%
San Carlos	2,168	7.3%
Burlingame	1,813	5.9%
San Bruno	1,206	2.9%

Asian Indian alone or in any combination. Sources: ACS 5-year estimates [4]–[7]; totals from Table B01003. Change and share are our calculations. Estimates carry margins of error.

Foster City has the largest community, about 4,900, and the highest share, about 15% [4]–[7]. San Mateo, Redwood City, Belmont and San Carlos follow [4]–[7]. Census estimates for small estate towns such as Atherton and Woodside carry wide margins of error, so they are not ranked here.

What the HeyAlbert database shows in San Mateo County, California

HeyAlbert builds profiles of Indian-American individuals with an estimated net worth of $1M or more from public records, and every estimate is tied to a cited source. Our database currently places 1,289 such people in San Mateo County, California [8]. That is a count of people we have found and estimated, not a census of wealthy households: our coverage is partial and uneven.

Estimated net-worth band	People in our database
$1M–5M	421
$5M–15M	649
$25M+ (probable)	79
$25M+ (likely)	140
Total, $1M+	1,289

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Bands are estimates from public evidence; “likely” and “probable” describe our confidence in the $25M+ tier. Cells under 25 are suppressed.

City	$1M+	of which $5M+	of which $25M+
Menlo Park	299	223	64
Hillsborough	155	147	32
Burlingame	125	86	<25
Redwood City	124	61	<25
San Mateo	109	59	<25
Atherton	99	92	33
Foster City	84	<25	<25
Woodside	70	61	<25
San Carlos	61	38	<25
South San Francisco	52	25	<25
Portola Valley	40	36	<25
Belmont	39	<25	<25

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Cities with 25+ people at $1M+; cells under 25 shown as <25. The city is where our sources place the person; for some records it is a workplace rather than a home. Cities in our database are matched by name to the Census places and townships in the county; a few that straddle a county line are counted whole, and large cities that extend well beyond the county are left out.

Menlo Park has the most people in our county set, 299, with 223 at $5M+ and 64 at $25M+ [8]. Hillsborough (155) and Atherton (99) are almost entirely in the $5M+ bands, and Atherton has 33 people at $25M+ [8]. Burlingame, Redwood City, San Mateo and Woodside follow [8].

Why our San Mateo County, California count looks the way it does

Each estimate in our database rests on a primary piece of public evidence. The mix differs from place to place, depending on which records we have been able to process, and it shapes the counts above more than any real difference in wealth does [8].

Primary evidence for the estimate	People	Share
Other public signals (executive roles, company filings, gifts, pay)	891	69%
Patent inventors (with company context)	264	20%
Home value (public assessor or listing records)	84	7%
Public-company insider (SEC filings)	26	2%

Source: HeyAlbert database [8], people at $1M+. Categories under 25 not shown.

Most of our San Mateo estimates rest on executive roles, filings, gifts and pay, and 264 on patents [8]. That evidence points to venture capital, technology and biotech careers, which fits the county's economy.

What it means if you work with these families

San Mateo County is a compact, very high-net-worth market: venture investors, founders and executives in a handful of towns. For private banks and family offices it is one of the densest concentrations of Indian-American $25M+ wealth in our data, and it is heavily competed for.

Methodology

Census figures are American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024 and 2015–2019, Table B02018, using “Asian Indian, alone or in any combination” [1][2]. Total population comes from Table B01003 [3]. The Census Bureau changed how it codes detailed race responses in 2020, so part of the change between the two periods may reflect coding rather than migration. All estimates carry margins of error. Shares and growth rates are our calculations.

HeyAlbert counts are aggregates from our database as of October 2026 [8]. They include people we identified as likely of Indian origin with an estimated net worth of $1M or more, based on public records such as property assessments, professional licenses, patents, SEC filings and donor rolls. Coverage is partial and depends on which public records exist and which we have processed. These counts are not population totals. Any cell under 25 is suppressed, and we publish aggregates only, never individual records.

Related

• Indian-American wealth in the Bay Area
• Where $25M+ Indian-American families live
• How do Indian American venture capitalists build wealth, and who are the leaders?
• How do wealthy Indian Americans run family offices?

HeyAlbert finds Indian-American families worth $1M+ and tells you who to call, with every fact cited. See who is in San Mateo County, California at heyalbert.site.

Sources

1. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
2. ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2019.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
3. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
4. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, places in San Mateo County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US06081$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
5. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, places in San Mateo County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US06081$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
6. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, county subdivisions in San Mateo County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US06081$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
7. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, county subdivisions in San Mateo County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US06081$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
8. HeyAlbert database, aggregate counts (October 2026 snapshot); how we build it is described on our methodology page. HeyAlbert. https://heyalbert.site/research/methodology/