Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,334, settled in 1863.
Bolinas’ best subject grades are an A for health and schools and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 30% of the land in Bolinas is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On the outdoors, just 32 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Point Reyes National Seashore, 1,708 acres with 3.5 miles of trail. Bolinas has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bolinas beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Bolinas | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 17.9% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Bolinas is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bolinas. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
6 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw16 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw18 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bolinas is unincorporated, so Marin County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Bolinas.
The median rent for Bolinas comes to $1,924 a month, close to California’s towns ($1,896 a month) and above U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 8.9% in value. The share of households in Bolinas who own their home: 75%.
| Bolinas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,924 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The public schools here belong to the Bolinas-Stinson Union school district. Its one school is below. Bolinas’ only public school teaches 109 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolinas-Stinson ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 109 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Bolinas: 17% of adults get no exercise outside work. Among adults locally, 22% have obesity and 13% report frequent mental distress.
| Bolinas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bolinas | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The FEMA hazard score for Bolinas comes to 96 of 100. The national flood insurance program has paid 117 claims locally since 1978. Expected losses in Bolinas break down as 57% from earthquakes and 21% from inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bolinas once, in 2005.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. For Bolinas, the concentration of trails is 1.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 4, covering 1,835 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Point Reyes National Seashore | 3.5 mi | 1,708 |
| 2. Bolinas Lagoon Preserve | 1.3 mi | 67 |
| 3. Phillip Burton Wilderness | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute in Bolinas is 32 minutes. Most working residents leave Bolinas for work: only 13% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Bolinas dropped by 57, to 231. The top destinations are San Francisco (17%), Stinson Beach (6%) and Oakland (3%).
| Bolinas | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Bolinas
About 7 of every 100 Bolinas residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Bolinas’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Bolinas.
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Bolinas is an unincorporated coastal community in Marin County, California, United States. It is located on the California coast, approximately 13 miles (21 km) (straight line distance) northwest of San Francisco, and 27 miles (43 km) by road. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined the community as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,483.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 14.4 years of the area's median household income ($136,027 across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
3 notable people were born here, including Harmony Korine and Gail Carriger.
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