| | San Rafael, CA | San Mateo, CA | United States |
| Population | 61,158 | 105,087 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 50.7% | 50.4% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 49.3% | 49.6% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 43.1 | 37.7 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 57,765 | 97,256 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 56,063 | 92,482 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 48,404 | 85,486 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 4.4% | 10.7% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 20.9% | 19.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 3,691.6 | 8,632.8 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 16.6 | 12.2 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 6.0 | 3.7 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | San Rafael, CA | San Mateo, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 4.6% | 6.7% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.3% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 5.7% | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.5% | 2.7% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.1% | 2.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 4.0% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 17.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 15.4% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.7% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 7.5% | 5.8% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.0% | 5.7% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 8.0% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 6.6% | 4.8% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 3.3% | 2.8% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | San Rafael, CA | San Mateo, CA | United States |
| White | 56.5% | 40.9% | 59.4% |
| Black | 1.6% | 1.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 6.0% | 25.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 1.7% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 3.4% | 5.5% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 31.2% | 24.1% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | San Rafael, CA | San Mateo, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 48.9% | 52.6% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 46.5% | 51.3% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.4% | 1.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 51.1% | 47.4% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 32.3% | 33.0% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.4% | 8.9% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.4% | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.48 | 2.58 | 2.60 |
| Households | 23,816 | 40,233 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 14,054 | 25,420 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 32.1% | 35.1% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 45.3% | 43.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 9,762 | 14,813 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 12.2% | 10.4% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 10.4% | 11.3% | 10.8% |