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Key Findings <br />Community Strengths <br />Redwood City’s economy is on the rise. <br />●Ratings for economic development increased from 53% excellent or good in 2024 to 61% in 2025, which was <br />higher than the national benchmark. <br />●The vibrancy of Redwood City’s downtown area also improved significantly, reaching 79% in 2025, higher than <br />both the national benchmark and comparable community ratings. <br />●Reviews for both the variety of business and service establishments (69%) and shopping opportunities (49%) <br />improved from last year by almost 10 percentage points. <br />Governance ratings improved compared to the previous year. <br />●At a time when trust in governance is wavering nationally, ratings for multiple items related to Redwood City <br />governance have increased significantly, including: <br />●The overall quality of services provided by the Redwood City government (up 9 percentage points to 73%) <br />●The overall direction that Redwood City is taking (increase of 10 percentage points to 61%) <br />●Generally acting in the best interest of the community (increase of 10 percentage points from 47% to 57%) <br />●About 6 in 10 community members positively rated the City for being honest (12-point increase), and open and <br />transparent to the public (13-point increase) while over half of residents rated informing residents about issues <br />facing the community (12-point increase) positively. <br />Inclusivity and community engagement surpasses benchmarks. <br />●The city stood out for embracing diversity, with strong ratings for openness and acceptance toward people of <br />diverse backgrounds (76%), valuing and respecting all residents (78%), and success in attracting people from <br />diverse backgrounds (73%), all surpassing both national and custom benchmarks. <br />● Over half of respondents positively rated their connection and engagement with the community, trending upwards <br />since 2024 (from 48% to 56%). <br />●A strong majority of residents appreciated opportunities to attend special events and festivals (74%), while 7 in 10 <br />gave positive marks for opportunities to attend social events and activities in the community (70%), exceeding <br />ratings seen in similar communities. <br />Focus Areas <br />Most items related to safety scored in line with benchmark comparisons. <br />●While reviews for daytime neighborhood safety were strong (89% very safe or somewhat safe), only 6 in 10 <br />residents rated the overall feeling of safety positively, lower than the national benchmark. <br />●A little less than half of residents (49%) rated crime prevention as excellent or good, also falling below national <br />trends. <br />●Positive ratings for fire prevention and education trended downward since 2024, falling from 75% to 64%. <br />Ratings for the local economy are on the rise, but affordability remains a challenge. <br />● In line with national trends, the cost of living remains a concern, with fewer than 2 in 10 rating it positively, lower <br />than the national benchmark. <br />● Positive ratings for the availability of affordable quality housing (16%) and the variety of housing options (40%) <br />also remained low, though both were similar to the benchmarks. <br />Mobility infrastructure may present opportunities for growth. <br />● Though ratings for bus or transit services increased since 2024 (from 41% to 54%) and scored higher than the <br />national benchmark, other mobility services such as street cleaning (53%) and sidewalk maintenance (39%) were <br />rated lower than national averages. <br />● Traffic flow on major streets (36%) and ease of travel by public transportation (43%) remain opportunities for <br />improvement. <br />Other Notable Results <br />●When asked about priorities for the next two years, residents emphasized the importance of meeting housing <br />needs for people of all income levels (79% essential or very important), and creating opportunities for children and <br />youth to grow, learn, and play in safe, healthy environments (91%). <br />● Most residents reported feeling comfortable contacting Redwood City Police in an emergency (83%), with 13% <br />stating they were uncomfortable. <br />Areas of Greatest Change <br />Of the 122 evaluative questions included on both the 2024 and 2025 survey iterations, 96 were statistically similar <br />to previous results. Upward trends were seen in 23 items, while 3 ratings decreased since 2024. The most <br />significant of those trends are listed below. <br />Increases <br />● Overall image or reputation of Redwood City (+17%) <br />● Bus or transit services (+13%) <br />● Being open and transparent to the public (+13%) <br />● Informing residents about issues facing the community (+13%) <br />● Shopping opportunities (+12%) <br />● Being honest (+12%) <br />Decreases <br />● Fire prevention and education (-10%) <br />● Sewer services (-9%) <br />● Cleanliness of Redwood City (-7%) <br />6 <br />11.A. - Page 15 of 43 <br />149