Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mill Valley’s strongest subject is health: it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. The town ranks 20th of 841 in California, with an A overall. It comes out better than 86% of U.S. towns. Schools are another plus (A+): its schools rank ahead of 97% of California towns. The catch is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $2.2 million, 16 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Just over three quarters of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 59 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on walkability.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where Mill Valley beats most towns.
25.3% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Mill Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,551 in 1910, 14,231 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mill Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
in town National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw10 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mill Valley, 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 Mill Valley.
Mill Valley fares better on crime within California than nationally, has schools in the top 5% of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 16 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $2.18M) costs more against local pay than in 93% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Homes sold in Mill Valley spent a median 17 days on the market. Typical home values rose 10% in the year to September 2026. The typical rent for Mill Valley comes to $3,278 a month.
| Mill Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,278 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade ranks #10 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.18M.
Its public schools are run by the Mill Valley Elementary school district. Two of the 7 schools are below, and why each made the list. The 4 public schools in Mill Valley teach 1,682 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Valley MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 721 | – |
| Tamalpais HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,470 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #22 of 847 in California.
Count the trails in 16 parks and preserves and they come to 23 miles. The biggest place to walk is Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve, 275 acres with 5.5 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve | 5.5 mi | 275 |
| 2. Camino Alto Open Space Preserve | 2.9 mi | 110 |
| 3. Horse Hill Open Space Preserve | 1.3 mi | 62 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 949 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mill Valley’s, it is healthier than 64%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
13% of Mill Valley adults report frequent mental distress. The town does better than the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2.
| Mill Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mill Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1978, 144 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mill Valley. Federal aid has come to Mill Valley households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022. 53% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 41%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 93% of California’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
Mill Valley’s property crime rate is 7.9 per 1,000 residents. For Mill Valley, the violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Mill Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 43.1°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 71.6°.
Snow is almost unheard of. Also worth knowing: the peak summer temperature here is 72°F.
| Mill Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 72°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mill Valley has about as many jobs (4,867) as working residents, but only 455 people both live and work here. 40% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Only 9% of working residents stay in Mill Valley for work; the rest commute out. Mill Valley’s middle household income stands at $206,000. Two in five workers work remotely from home here. Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles.
| Mill Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 40% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $206,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
16 within 15 miles of the center of Mill Valley
About 5 of every 100 Mill Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
4 places in Mill Valley on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Mill Valley.
City in California, United States
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about 14 miles (23 km) north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and 52 miles (84 km) from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 census. Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay, and the eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. Beyond the flat coastal area and marshlands, it occupies narrow wooded canyons, mostly of second-growth redwoods, on the southeastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. The Mill Valley 94941 ZIP Code also includes the following adjacent unincorporated communities: Almonte, Alto, Homestead Valley, Tamalpais Valley, and Strawberry. The Muir Woods National…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Mill Valley.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Valley | #20 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Tamalpais-Homestead Valley | #21 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Corte Madera | #12 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Alto | — | — | — | — | A+ | A+ |
| Strawberry | #17 | A | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Larkspur | #31 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Kentfield | #14 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
Alto has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Corte Madera, Alto, Strawberry, Larkspur and Kentfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mill Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mill Valley grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #20 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B+ for safety 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−.
11 notable people were born here, including Eve Arden and Mariel Hemingway.
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