Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lucas Valley-Marinwood does the important things well, at a cost. Its strongest subject is health: it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns. The town’s overall A− puts it 27th of 841 in California. Nationally, it does better than 84% of U.S. towns. Incomes are a strength too: the median household earns $201K. What counts against it is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 10.6 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Dixie Schoolhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lucas Valley-Marinwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Lucas Valley-Marinwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 6,409 in 1980, 6,259 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1947 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →64.6% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Ordered by what stands out in Lucas Valley-Marinwood.
Lucas Valley-Marinwood keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Its 2,358 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of California towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 847 in California.
Lucas Valley-Marinwood’s trail density comes in at 4.4 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 25 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Marinwood Community Park, at 31 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marinwood Community Park | 1.5 mi | 31 |
| 2. Lucas Valley Park | — | 15 |
| 3. Marin County Parks Field Office | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.45M.
The public schools here belong to the Miller Creek Elementary school district. Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. 4 public schools serve Lucas Valley-Marinwood, with 1,350 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Creek MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 620 | – |
| Marin County Juvenile CourtLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 3 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,048 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lucas Valley-Marinwood’s, it is less healthy than 52%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Lucas Valley-Marinwood, 20% have obesity, below both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (35%). The share of adults in Lucas Valley-Marinwood who report frequent mental distress: 13%. Of 32 CDC measures, Lucas Valley-Marinwood beats the California average on 21 and trails it on 2.
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Lucas Valley-Marinwood | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3 flood insurance claims have been paid in Lucas Valley-Marinwood since 1982. FEMA puts two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 29% to earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lucas Valley-Marinwood has 632 jobs for its 2,459 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 30.6% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Among workers in Lucas Valley-Marinwood, 31% work remotely from home. Commuting out is the norm here: 4% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are San Francisco (25%), San Rafael (12%) and Novato (5%). Jobs based locally fell to 632 in 2023, 63 fewer than in 2013.
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $201,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 41.4°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 75.2°.
Its typical July afternoon high comes in at 75°F. In Lucas Valley-Marinwood, the January low is 41°F, where California’s towns sit at 40°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 41°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 10.6 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 80% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Homes sold in Lucas Valley-Marinwood spent a median 31 days on the market. For Lucas Valley-Marinwood, the midpoint rent is $3,501 a month. In Lucas Valley-Marinwood, 83% of households live in a home they own.
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lucas Valley-Marinwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw18 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw19 mi LandmarkLombard Street
9 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw24 mi MuseumUSS HornetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
Lucas Valley-Marinwood 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.
Where Lucas Valley-Marinwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lucas Valley-Marinwood
About 7 of every 100 Lucas Valley-Marinwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Lucas Valley-Marinwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. It includes the neighborhoods of Lucas Valley and Marinwood. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,259.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lucas Valley-Marinwood.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | #27 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| San Rafael | #380 | C | D− | D | B+ | A− |
| Novato | #236 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A− |
Lucas Valley-Marinwood reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lucas Valley-Marinwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lucas Valley-Marinwood grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #27 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,446,000, 90% above the California typical home. 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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