Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 4.0San Anselmo’s household incomes are higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 7.4% of residents, where California as a whole has 12.0%. The two grades for San Anselmo are B+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.9 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
Getting to work from San Anselmo, in brief
Home offices are common in San Anselmo
35% of San Anselmo workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Three in four San Anselmo workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of San Anselmo’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. The jobs ↓
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.
Why San Anselmo gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Anselmo is better than 69% of U.S. towns, #303 of 847 in California. Household income holds San Anselmo’s grade up ($173,641, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (7.0%, 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, San Anselmo could be anywhere from B to A.
About 30 minutes each way, about the CA average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Anselmo workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,991 commuters (the 35% 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.
What the 2,796 jobs in San Anselmo are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Anselmo, 2013 → 2023: 2,627 → 2,796. 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 San Anselmo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes San Anselmo
On a workday 4,602 residents head out to work, 441 work right here, and 2,355 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in San Anselmo on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.55 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
26% of working residents work in San Francisco
Where San Anselmo clocks in
11% of workers
3% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from San Anselmo
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.
In San Anselmo, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, San Anselmo is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #42 of 847 in California. Both inputs place San Anselmo 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 6,153 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 18% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 4.7% of San Anselmo households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of San Anselmo’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, San Anselmo is 997th 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 995 | Palmer Town MA | 12,367 | $78K | 8.3% | 2.9% | 14% | B+ |
| 996 | Troutdale OR | 15,776 | $89K | 7.4% | 4.9% | 7% | B+ |
| 997 | San Anselmo CA | 12,555 | $174K | 7.4% | 7.0% | 9% | B+ |
| 998 | Mascoutah IL | 9,239 | $97K | 9.8% | 4.1% | 14% | B+ |
| 999 | La Grange KY | 10,669 | $88K | 8.0% | 4.2% | 11% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 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 San Anselmo, the top three, the last and three more from California.
13% of San Anselmo works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to San Rafael (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Anselmo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Anselmo | – | B+ | A+ | 30 min | $173,641 |
| Sleepy Hollow | under 2% | B+ | A− | 47 min | $250,000+ |
| Ross | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 26 min | $250,000+ |
| Fairfax | 2% | B− | A+ | 29 min | $141,653 |
| San Rafael | 11% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $119,435 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Anselmo’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 San Anselmo: questions
What is the median household income in San Anselmo?
$173,641 (±$17,464) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Anselmo?
7.4%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Anselmo?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Anselmo work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (26%, 16 mi), San Rafael (11%, 3 mi), Novato (3%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Anselmo walkable?
San Anselmo is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.3 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Anselmo without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 18% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Anselmo, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Anselmo
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.