Marin County, California
Population 257,969 · San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley
- Overall cost of living: +15.6% vs the US average, the highest in the US.
- Median home price: $1,507,300, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median rent: $2,668, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+15.6% | the highest in the US |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $1,507,300 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Median rent | $2,668 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $176/mo | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $22,534/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.66% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7.25% | the highest in the US |
| State income tax | 9.3% | the highest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $10,001 | the highest in the US |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $149,091 | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -6.3% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 407.9 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈284 days | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 77°F | lower than 97% of US counties |
| January low | 42°F | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in | the lowest in the US |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 20 days | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 3 days | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 21.1% of weeks | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈52.4°F | lower than 86% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 35.3 in | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $326/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $191/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $119/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.26/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $4.9/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.7 µg/m³ | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 6.1 mi | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,229.9 ft | higher than 78% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.8% | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 61.1% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 27.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 50 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 19.9:1 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 90.3% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.43 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.24 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.24 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.8 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 147/100k | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 18 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.3★ | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 84.3 yrs | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 4.5% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 980/100k | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 127/100k | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 97.5% | higher than 96% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 52 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 52 min | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 27 min | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 95.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 3.6% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 31.5% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 43 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 82 per sq mi | higher than 94% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.8 per 1k | lower than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 16 per 1k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Population | 257,969 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Median age | 47.4 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -11.1 per 1k/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 80.6% Dem | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 16.7% Rep | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % White | 65.1% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 19.5% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Black | 2.1% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Asian | 6.1% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 5.9% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 1.2% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 896 parks | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 22 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 11.2 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 23 min | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.9% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 59 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 107 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 2,365 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 48 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 464 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 511 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 135 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 65 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 453 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 90 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 9 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 187 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 72 km | higher than 79% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data