Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Larkspur have higher incomes than those in 93% of U.S. towns
7.0% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.0% across California. The two grades for Larkspur are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in San Francisco.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Larkspur at work: what stands out
A lot of Larkspur works from home
33% of Larkspur workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
77% of Larkspur’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 75% of the jobs based in Larkspur. The jobs ↓
Larkspur and San Francisco trade workers both ways
San Francisco is the top workplace for Larkspur residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in Larkspur come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Larkspur
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Larkspur is better than 83% of U.S. towns, #144 of 847 in California. Household income holds Larkspur’s grade up ($140,417, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Larkspur could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
About 28 minutes each way for Larkspur’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Larkspur workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,408 commuters (the 33% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Most jobs in Larkspur are in services
5,944 jobs are based in Larkspur.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Larkspur, 2013 → 2023: 5,574 → 5,944. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Larkspur’s own residents hold wherever they work.
30% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where Larkspur clocks in
8% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The daily commute in and out of Larkspur
On a workday 4,444 residents head out to work, 349 work right here, and 5,595 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.24 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How many miles Larkspur commutes
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Larkspur
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Larkspur is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #45 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Larkspur near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,571 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 80% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 38% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.4% of Larkspur households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Larkspur’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Larkspur is 626th among 2,354 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Piedmont CA | 10,642 | $250K | 4.3% | 1.5% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 79 | Sierra Madre CA | 10,620 | $144K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 126 | Alamo CA | 14,488 | $250K | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 624 | Neshannock Township PA | 9,599 | $83K | 4.2% | 2.2% | 16% | A− |
| 625 | Bardmoor FL | 10,292 | $89K | 8.6% | 2.5% | 2% | A− |
| 626 | Larkspur CA | 12,620 | $140K | 7.0% | 4.4% | 7% | A− |
| 627 | Three Lakes FL | 16,888 | $102K | 9.9% | 2.9% | 7% | A− |
| 628 | Atlantic Beach FL | 13,245 | $119K | 7.7% | 3.2% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Larkspur, the top three, the last and three more from California.
17% of Larkspur works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to San Rafael (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Larkspur workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larkspur | – | A− | A+ | 28 min | $140,417 |
| Kentfield | 3% | A | A+ | 25 min | $249,896 |
| Corte Madera | 4% | A | A+ | 31 min | $232,763 |
| San Rafael | 8% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $119,435 |
| Mill Valley | 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $206,212 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Larkspur’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Larkspur: questions
What is the median household income in Larkspur?
$140,417 (±$33,906) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Larkspur?
7.0%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Larkspur?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Larkspur work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (30%, 13 mi), San Rafael (8%, 3 mi), Novato (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Larkspur walkable?
Larkspur is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.1 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Larkspur without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 38% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Larkspur, from the people who make the trip.
More of Larkspur
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.