Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 23/100
F
Median home value$775,800
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,110/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households51%
San Francisco 38%
Ashland
Alameda County22,210 residentsSan Lorenzo Unified
46
D
Suburbgrade score
51st of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
46
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ashland yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 46 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Ashland is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ashland against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 36/100
F
Within-state proficiency26th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio22.6
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate88%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index78
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.79%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax10.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 38/100
D−
Mean commute32.7 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes50%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi21
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés89
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks82
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 34/100
F
Median household income$81,702
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment6.7%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations31%
San Francisco 56%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Ashland yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Ashland on housing & affordability
Ashland's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda13 mi from AshlandB 65 C+ Alamo12 mi from AshlandB 69 B− Danville11 mi from AshlandB− 70 B− Lafayette14 mi from AshlandB− 67 C+ San Carlos16 mi from AshlandB− 74 B Moraga10 mi from AshlandC+ 62 C Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Ashland
Is Ashland, CA a good place to live?
Ashland scores 46 out of 100, 51st of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Ashland expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $775,800, 32% below the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.79%. $2,110/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ashland?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Ashland sit at the 26th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 22.6 student–teacher ratio. Ashland is served by San Lorenzo Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ashland?
The mean commute is 32.7 min, with 50% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.9% working from home. Transit density is 21 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ashland?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 89 restaurants and cafés and 82 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Ashland old or new?
The median home in Ashland was built in 1963 — older than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 47% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Ashland
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side