Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town incorporated in 1913, now home to 11,964 people. Public schools that outperform most of California.
Plenty to like here, at a price. Schools are its strong suit: its schools rank ahead of 97% of California towns. Overall, San Marino earns an A−, better than 80% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 46th of 841 in California. What counts against it is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.8 million, 29.1 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On history, just 66 of California’s 1,063 towns do better. 83% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%).
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 San Marino beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Carver Elementary | K–5 | 777 |
| Valentine Elementary | K–5 | 711 |
| SS Felicitas & Perpetua School | PK–8 | 121 |
| Widest gap | San Marino | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.8% | 10.6% |
Where San Marino’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far San Marino is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Edwin Hubble House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 584 in 1920, 12,513 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1921 and 6 maps from 1896 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Marino. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw13 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw24 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaDodger StadiumHollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dodger Stadium: Frederick Dennstedt from los angeles, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in San Marino, 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 San Marino.
San Marino fares better on crime within California than nationally, has schools in the top 5% of California and has less no health insurance than most of California.
At 29.1 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $2.79M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of California towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; South Pasadena is next at $1.68M.
The typical San Marino home is worth about $2,793,000, up 6.5% in a year, 4 times the California typical home. For San Marino, the typical rent is $3,501 a month. In San Marino, 83% of households are owner-occupiers.
| San Marino | 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
That grade ranks #15 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.79M.
The largest public high school is San Marino High, with 886 students. The San Marino Unified school district runs its public schools. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carver ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 777 | A+ |
| San Marino HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 886 | A |
| Valentine ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 711 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
San Marino’s trail network density comes in at 2.4 miles per square mile. Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 9.1 miles. Also worth knowing: the biggest place to walk is Lacy Park, 27 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| San Marino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 10% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lacy Park | 1.1 mi | 27 |
| 2. San Marino Community Center | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 2.8% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide. Against the 797 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Marino’s, it is less healthy than 56%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
San Marino: 13% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among 847 California towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who have obesity than San Marino. Of 32 CDC measures, San Marino beats the California average on 24 and trails it on 2.
| San Marino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | San Marino | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.2% | 7.3% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 42% | 35.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal disaster aid has reached households in San Marino after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 50% come from earthquakes and 50% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
28.4% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Half of commuters travel less than 10 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in San Marino rose by 311, to 3,371. For most workers, San Marino is a place to come home to: only 7% work in town. 28% of workers work remotely from home here.
| San Marino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $214,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 28% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 46.2°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 87.6°.
Snow is a rarity. In San Marino, the January low is 46°F.
| San Marino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 88°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 16.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 84% of California’s graded towns. Its B tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; San Gabriel (C) comes closest.
The violent crime rate here is 0.6 per 1,000 residents. San Marino’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 18 per 1,000 residents.
| San Marino | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
50 within 15 miles of the center of San Marino
About 6 of every 100 San Marino residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
5 places in San Marino on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in San Marino.
City in California, United States
San Marino is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with San Marino.
At #46 in CA, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; South Pasadena (B) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marino | #46 | A− | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Pasadena | #421 | C | D− | D | B | A− |
| San Gabriel | #336 | C | D− | C | B+ | B |
| East San Gabriel | #169 | B− | D− | — | A− | B+ |
| San Pasqual | — | — | D− | — | B | A+ |
| South Pasadena | #120 | B | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Alhambra | #299 | C+ | D− | C | A− | B+ |
San Pasqual has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. East San Gabriel and San Pasqual report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare San Marino with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. San Marino grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #46 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. The typical home is worth about $2,793,000, 267% above the California typical home and up 6.5% in a year. 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 David Lindley and Kaitlyn Chen.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
