Attachment A
1 Palo Alto Boards, Committees, and Commissions
Demographic Data Survey 2024
Conducted Spring 2024
Response Rate: A total of 37 participants responded to the survey. This is an increase from the 2021 survey where 34 respondents participated in the survey. The total number of possible respondents in 2024 was 52 (it was a total of 50 possible respondents in 2021). This equates to a 71% response rate in 2024, up from the 68% response rate in 2021.
Brief Methodology: The survey was created as a form through the City’s Open Cities web platform. The survey link was shared via email with all members of every Palo Alto Board, Committee, and Commission (BCCs). Staff sent a few reminders throughout the data collection period of February 23-March 20. The results reflect aggregate voluntary information received from BCC members.
Summary of Data Format: Most questions show the table and chart results as percentages. 2021 Data and Palo Alto context are also shared as relevant.
Survey Results:
Question 1: How many years have you lived in Palo Alto? # of Years Percent
2024 2021
0-5 years 14% 3%
6-10 years 5% 9%
11-15 years 8% 9%
16-20 years 5% 6%
21+ years 59% 71%
Not a Palo Alto
resident 8% 3%
Grand Total 100% 100%
14%
5% 8% 5%
59%
8%
3%
9% 9% 6%
71%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
0-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21+ years Not a Palo Alto resident
Q1: How many years have you lived in Palo Alto?
2024 2021
Attachment A
2 Question 2: What was the primary reason you initially located to Palo Alto?
Reason Percent
I (or my partner) moved here to
attend Stanford 11%
Liked the community 16%
Moved here to live near family 8%
Moved here to live near work 16%
Moved here to raise a family 14%
Palo Alto is my hometown (I was
born or raised here as a child) 24%
Schools 5%
Not a Palo Alto Resident 5%
Grand Total 100%
Question 3: Housing - Do you own or rent your current residence? (For the purpose of the survey, you own your home even if you have an outstanding debt that you owe on your mortgage loan).
Own/Rent Percent
2024 2021
Own 81% 85%
Rent 19% 12%
Not a Palo Alto Resident 16% 3%
Grand Total 100% 100%
Palo Alto context: the percentage of
homeowners in Palo Alto is 56% and renters in
Palo Alto is 44% according to the 2020 US
Census Data.
11%
16%
8%
16% 14%
24%
5% 5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Question 2: What was the primary reason
you initially located to Palo Alto?
81%
19% 16%
85%
12%
3%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Own Rent Not a Palo Alto ResidentQ3: Housing - Do you own or rent your current residence?
2024 2021
Attachment A
3 Question 4: What is your gender identity?
(Note: The 2021 BCC survey had less
categories. That survey showed 50%
Female and 50% Male).
Palo Alto Context: the US Census only shows “Female persons” and lists it as 51.7% of the Palo Alto population.
Question 5: Please identify which of the following describes your sexual orientation.
This is a new question in the
2024 BCC survey regarding
sexual orientation.
Gender Percent
Woman 68%
Transgender Woman 0%
Man 32%
Transgender Man 0%
Genderqueer/gender-fluid 0%
Non-binary 0%
Two-spirit 0%
Prefer not to answer 0%
Other 0%
Grand Total 100%
68%
0%
32%
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Q4: What is your gender identity?
0% 3%
78%
0% 0% 3% 0% 0%
16%
0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Q5: Sexual Orientation
Attachment A
4 Question 6: What is your age group?
Note: in the 2021 BCC Survey, this age question did not include the age 18-24 category. The US Census Bureau does not separate age groups in the same way as the BCC Survey. But shows 27.2% of age 18 and under; 53.5% of ages 19-64; and 19.3% of age 65 and older.
Question 7: Please specify your race and ethnicity (check all that apply) 2024 2021 Palo Alto*
American Indian or Alaskan Native 0% 0% 0.3%
Asian 22% 9% 34.8%
Black or African American 5% 0% 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino/Latinx and White 0% 6% 7.3%
Two or More Races 5% 3% 8.9%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
White 62% 71% 48.7%
Prefer not to answer 5% 12% 0.0%
Other 0% 0% 0.0%
* Source: US Census Bureau
3%
11%
35%
51%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
18-24 25-39 40-59 60+ Prefer Not to
AnswerQ6: Age Group Age Group Percent
18-24 3%
25-39 11%
40-59 35%
60+ 51%
Decline to state 0%
Grand Total 100%
0%
22%
5% 0% 5% 0%
62%
5% 0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Q7: Race and Ethnicity (check all that apply)
2024
2021
Census Palo Alto
Attachment A
5 Question 8: Education - What is your highest level of school completed? If currently enrolled, mark "Student."
Note: There were less categories in the 2021 BCC survey. That survey showed that 21% had a Bachelor’s degree; 44% had a Master’s degree; 32% had a Doctorate degree; 0% student; and 3% declined to state.
Question 9: What is your Employment Status
Status Percent
2024 2021
Employed full-time 51% 35%
Retired 32% 35%
Employed part-time 3% 15%
Seeking opportunities 3% 9%
A homemaker 5% 3%
Self-employed 5% 3%
Grand Total 100% 100%
Education Percent
GED 0%
Some college 0%
Associate’s Degree 0%
Bachelor's Degree 27%
Master's degree 54%
Doctorate degree (e.g.,
PhD, EdD, MD, etc.)
19%
Student 0%
Prefer not to answer 0%
Grand Total 100%
GED Some
college
Associate’
s Degree
Bachelor'
s Degree
Master's
degree
Doctorate
degree
(e.g. PhD,
EdD, MD,
etc.)
Student Prefer not
to answer
2024 0% 0% 0% 27% 54% 19% 0% 0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Q8: Education - Highest level of school completed
51%
32%
3% 3% 5% 5%
35% 35%
15%
9%
3% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Employed full-
time
Retired Employed
part-time
Seeking
opportunities
Homemaker Self-employed
Q9: What is your employment status?
2024 2021
Attachment A
6 Question 10: What is your household income?
Income Percent
$150k or less 22%
$150k-$250k 16%
$250k-$350K 24%
$350k or higher 24%
Retired 14%
Grand Total 100%
Note: The 2021 BCC survey did
not record household income.
Questions 10 and question 11
seek to assess socio-economic
status of BCC members.
Question 12: How many children (if any) under the age of 18 live in your household?
67%
31%
3%
65%
26%
9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
0 1-2 3 or more
Question 12: Children under the age of 18 in your
household
2024 2021
22%
16%
24% 24%
14%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
$150k or less $150k-$250k $250k-$350K $350k or higher Retired Q10: Household Income
Question 11 further assessed the retired BCC members and responses show that 100% of the retired respondents do not own properties other than their primary residence and 0% of retired respondents do own properties other than your primary residence. This is additional contextual socioeconomic information.
Attachment A
7 Question 13: How did you hear about the opportunity to join your current Board/Commission/ Committee? (Check all that apply)
Question 14: Are you a member of a Board/Commission/Committee that conducts quasi-judicial hearings (Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources Board, or Planning Transportation Commission)?
No 51%
Yes 49%
Grand Total 100%
Question 15: Do you have any additional comments? [Open-ended responses are provided below]
It'd be interesting to collect neighborhood information (to make sure neighborhoods are well- represented) and whether people live in multi-family housing.
Jewish
I would love to see more board business conducted after core business hours.
I think the city may be missing out on candidates for boards that meet during the day who do not have flexibility during business hours.
Will the Commissions learn the results of this survey?
2%
33%
13%
19%
8%
15%
4%
4%
2%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Nextdoor
Word of mouth
City's website
Other
City Clerk
City Council member
Social Media
Newsletter
Newspaper or other media
Q13. How did you hear about the opportunity to
join your BCC?