Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,195, settled in 1850.
A town of contrasts. The weak point is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 8.4 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. At B− overall, Marin City is better than 46% of U.S. towns and ranks 238th of 841 in California. It lags on incomes as well — the median household income is $69K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Its strongest subject is walkability: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Schools are another plus: its public schools beat 85% of California towns on state tests and graduation. Marin City Public Housing is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Marin City beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy | K–8 | 262 |
2,666 counted in 2010 and 2,993 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Marin City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 323 in 1850, 262,321 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 4 maps from 1897 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marin City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw6 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw7 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
3 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw9 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 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Marin City 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 Marin City.
Marin City has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, sends most of its workers to San Francisco and beyond and pairs an A for schools with high home prices.
The density of trails in Marin City is 3.0 miles per square mile. 1.5 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. George Rocky Graham Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.14M.
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Sausalito Marin City school district. The town’s only public school teaches 262 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 262 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Marin City has 294 jobs for its 1,096 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 427 in 2013 to 294.
3.8% of working residents work locally in Marin City. The mean commuting time for Marin City comes to 22 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Employers in Marin City shed 133 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 294. Half of commuters travel less than 9 miles.
| Marin City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
One claim on flood insurance has been paid out in Marin City since 1998. Just over half of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 47%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 44.2°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 69.5°.
In Marin City, the peak summer temperature is 70°F. Also worth knowing: the January low for Marin City comes to 44°F, above both California’s towns (40°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Snow is almost unheard of.
| Marin City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 70°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). In Marin City, 17% of residents are under 18. College graduates make up nearly two in five adults 25 and older, against 37% across California.
| Marin City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.4 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Marin City | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.2% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Two figures for adults in Marin City: 22% worry about having enough food, 27% have obesity. This California town does better than the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 7. For adults locally, the share who had a checkup this year is 72%.
| Marin City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Marin City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.2% | 10.6% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 63.8% | 57.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.8% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Marin City’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,335 a month. Among households here, 39% are owner-occupiers.
| Marin City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,335 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
32 within 15 miles of the center of Marin City
About 6 of every 100 Marin City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Marin City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 notable people were born in Marin City.
County in California, United States
Marin County ( mə-RIN) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,321. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area and the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland combined statistical area. Marin County's natural sites include the Muir Woods redwood forest, the Marin Headlands, Stinson Beach, the Point Reyes National Seashore, and Mount Tamalpais. Marin is one of the highest-income counties by per capita income and median household inco…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Marin City.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marin City | #238 | B− | C− | — | A | B− |
| Tamalpais-Homestead Valley | #21 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
Marin City and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Marin City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Marin City grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #238 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,143,000, 50% 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 C−.
8 notable people were born here, including Melissa Rosenberg and Marielle Heller.
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