Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Corte Madera grades A overall, 12th among California's 841 graded towns. It has 11 miles of trail and 37% conserved land. Residents are healthier than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 96% of the state's. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.9 million for a typical one and 13.7 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 79% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Corte Madera, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Corte Madera is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve, at 75 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Corte Madera beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Coastal flooding makes up 22% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Corte Madera is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 607 in 1920, 10,222 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Corte Madera. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw10 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw10 mi LandmarkLombard Street
4 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Corte Madera, and how to reach them.
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 Corte Madera.
Corte Madera has schools in the top 5% of California, has less tooth loss than most of California and keeps more of its land conserved than most of California.
At 13.7 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.87M) costs more against local pay than in 89% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Mill Valley is next at $2.18M.
The median rent in Corte Madera is $3,501 a month. Typical home values rose 10% in the year to September 2026.
| Corte Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #18 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.87M.
Its public schools are run by the Larkspur-Corte Madera school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Cummins ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 451 | A+ |
| Marin Montessori School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–9 | Grades PK–9 | 258 | – |
| CoveTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 275 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its 1,045 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 95% of California towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #22 of 847 in California.
11 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Corte Madera’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Camino Alto Open Space Preserve | 1.5 mi | 56 |
| 2. Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve | 1.3 mi | 75 |
| 3. Corte Madera Town Park | 0.6 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 3.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 562 U.S. towns with household incomes like Corte Madera’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
21% of adults have obesity in Corte Madera. Corte Madera beats the California average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 16% of adults get no exercise outside work in Corte Madera.
| Corte Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Corte Madera | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
127 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 127 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Corte Madera.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 43.6°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 70.9°.
Corte Madera has warm winters and cool summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Corte Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 71°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
44.1% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Corte Madera for work: only 7% work in town. 4.6% of Corte Madera residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Corte Madera has lost 560 jobs, to 5,515 in 2023.
| Corte Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $233,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
27 within 15 miles of the center of Corte Madera
About 5 of every 100 Corte Madera residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
37.3% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
City in California, United States
Corte Madera (, Spanish: [ˈkoɾte maˈðeɾa]; Spanish for "Chop Wood") is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Corte Madera is located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet (12 m). The population was 10,222 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the Spanish imperative command "chop wood", as the area was famous for producing redwood tree lumber which was used in the construction of the city of San Francisco.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Corte Madera.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corte Madera | #12 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Larkspur | #31 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Mill Valley | #20 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Tiburon | #11 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Strawberry | #17 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
Corte Madera, Larkspur and Strawberry report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Corte Madera with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Corte Madera grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #12 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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