Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,176.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Marina del Rey grades B overall, 135th of 841 graded towns in California. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. The median household earns $147K. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 14.4 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Marina del Rey, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Marina del Rey is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. ZUMBROTA (yacht) is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Marina del Rey beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Marina del Rey | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 10.6% |
8,866 counted in 2010 and 11,373 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Marina del Rey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,065 in 1980, 11,373 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 8 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marina del Rey. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw11 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw8 mi MuseumLa Brea Tar Pits
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaIntuit DomeSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · La Brea Tar Pits: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Intuit Dome: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0
Marina del Rey is unincorporated, so Los Angeles 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 Marina del Rey.
Marina del Rey has less no health insurance 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.
At 14.4 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.38M) costs more against local pay than in 91% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.38M, is 14% below its July 2022 peak.
5.6% of Marina del Rey households own their home. The typical Marina del Rey home is worth about $1,378,000, down 1.6% in a year, 81% above the California typical home. Marina del Rey’s median rent is $3,501 a month.
| Marina del Rey | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 5.6% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 3.4% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
9% of adults report frequent physical distress in Marina del Rey. Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Marina del Rey. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Marina del Rey.
| Marina del Rey | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 24% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Marina del Rey | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 17.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 20.5% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Marina del Rey is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, at 138 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burton Chace Park | 0.8 mi | 7 |
| 2. Admiralty Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve | — | 138 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 49.9°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 73.7°.
Marina del Rey has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Among 846 California towns, just 5 have a higher January low than Marina del Rey. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Marina del Rey | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 50°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marina del Rey has about as many jobs (4,879) as working residents, but only 179 people both live and work here. 55% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Marina del Rey for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Marina del Rey has added 777 jobs, to 4,879 in 2023. Only 6 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Marina del Rey.
| Marina del Rey | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $147,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
47 within 15 miles of the center of Marina del Rey
About 2 of every 100 Marina del Rey residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Docks of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The marina, which includes residential, light commercial, and office facilities, is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is North America's largest man-made small-craft harbor with slips for approximately 5,000 boats. The area is a popular tourism destination for both land and water activities, such as paddleboard and kayak rentals, dining cruises, and yacht charters. Land activities include bicycling on several bicycle paths, walking paths along the waterfront, and birdwatching (birding). Wildlife watching …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Marina del Rey grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #135 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and B− 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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