Marin County Civic Center · Photo: Fizbin at en.wikipedia · Public domainHousehold incomes in San Rafael top those of 88% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in San Rafael; the top destination outside it is San Francisco (22%, 15 miles). 11.7% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. 26% of workers work from home; California has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in San Rafael, in a few figures
A lot of San Rafael works from home
26% of San Rafael workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in San Rafael pay over $40,000 a year
73% of the jobs based in San Rafael pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), 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.
What’s behind San Rafael’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, San Rafael is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #334 of 847 in California. Household income holds San Rafael’s grade up ($119,435, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, San Rafael could be anywhere from B to A−.
From San Rafael, about 25 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of San Rafael workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 22,022 commuters (the 26% 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.
73% of the jobs in San Rafael pay over $3,333 a month
32,648 jobs are based in San Rafael.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in San Rafael, 2013 → 2023: 33,875 → 32,648. 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 Rafael’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who commutes out of San Rafael, and who commutes in
On a workday 18,243 residents head out to work, 4,315 work right here, and 28,333 people come in from elsewhere.
About 70,000 people are in San Rafael on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.45 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The places San Rafael commutes to
Where San Rafael clocks in
5% 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.
How far it is to work from San Rafael
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.
San Rafael is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 29,866 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 78% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 11.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% 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). 8.7% of San Rafael households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of San Rafael’s commuters take a bus or train.
San Rafael places 372nd of 730 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 42,000 to 80,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 370 | St. Clair Shores MI | 57,872 | $74K | 8.4% | 4.4% | 9% | B+ |
| 371 | Hamden CT | 61,824 | $98K | 9.3% | 5.8% | 11% | B+ |
| 372 | San Rafael CA | 59,410 | $119K | 11.7% | 5.4% | 19% | B+ |
| 373 | Bloomington IL | 78,804 | $77K | 11.0% | 2.7% | 46% | B+ |
| 374 | Bloomington City Township IL | 78,804 | $77K | 11.0% | 2.7% | 46% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 730 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Rafael, the top three, the last and three more from California.
San Rafael and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Larkspur (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | San Rafael workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Rafael | – | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $119,435 |
| Santa Venetia | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 26 min | $126,833 |
| Ross | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 26 min | $250,000+ |
| Larkspur | 2% | A− | A+ | 28 min | $140,417 |
| San Anselmo | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 30 min | $173,641 |
| Kentfield | 1% | A | A+ | 25 min | $249,896 |
| Lucas Valley-Marinwood | under 2% | A+ | A | 25 min | $200,761 |
| Sleepy Hollow | under 2% | B+ | A− | 47 min | $250,000+ |
| Richmond | under 2% | B− | A+ | 34 min | $95,391 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of San Rafael’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 Rafael: questions
What is the median household income in San Rafael?
$119,435 (±$8,545) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in San Rafael?
11.7%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from San Rafael?
25 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in San Rafael work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are San Francisco (22%, 15 mi), Novato (5%, 8 mi), Oakland (3%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is San Rafael walkable?
San Rafael is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 15% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around San Rafael without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from San Rafael, from the people who make the trip.
More of San Rafael
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.