Atherton is a somewhat small town located in the state of California. With a population of 6,823 people and two associated neighborhoods, Atherton is the 466th largest community in California. Atherton home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Atherton real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.Atherton is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 97.83% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Atherton is a town of managers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Atherton who work in management occupations (27.33%), business and financial occupations (17.61%), and computer science and math (7.58%). Also of interest is that Atherton has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, Atherton is also a town of artists. Atherton has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Atherton’s character. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 39.64% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.Because there are quite a few people attending college in Atherton, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Atherton provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities. Because of many things, Atherton is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Atherton really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Atherton perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Atherton. 85.92% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%. The per capita income in Atherton in 2022 was $203,138, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $812,552 for a family of four. Atherton is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Atherton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Atherton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Atherton also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.72% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Atherton include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish. Foreign born people are also an important part of Atherton's cultural character, accounting for 20.71% of the town’s population. The most common language spoken in Atherton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.
