Larkspur

Marin County12,854 residents5 school districts
67
C+
Suburbgrade score

11th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Larkspur yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Larkspur is like to live in, by category

Bars show Larkspur against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median home value$1,996,600
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$3,001/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households42%
San Francisco 38%

Schools

18% of the score · 77/100
B
Within-state proficiency91st pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.3
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate94%
San Francisco median 89%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index112
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.74%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · CDTFA 2026-09Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Mean commute27.5 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes54%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi6.2
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles

Amenities

12% of the score · 81/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés87
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks46
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 58/100
C
Median household income$140,417
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment4.4%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations58%
San Francisco 56%

Residents

12% of the score · inactive
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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.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for Larkspur yet. If you live here, you can be the first.

Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →

Better than Larkspur on housing & affordability

Larkspur's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.

Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24

Common questions about living in Larkspur

Is Larkspur, CA a good place to live?

Larkspur scores 67 out of 100, 11th 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 Larkspur expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,996,600, 75% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.74%. $3,001/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in Larkspur?

Schools grade B. The districts serving Larkspur sit at the 91st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 19.3 student–teacher ratio. Larkspur is served by Tamalpais Union High, Larkspur-Corte Madera, Kentfield Elementary, San Rafael City High and San Rafael City Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from Larkspur?

The mean commute is 27.5 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 33% working from home. Transit density is 6.2 stops per square mile.

Can you walk anywhere in Larkspur?

Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 87 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.

Are the homes in Larkspur old or new?

The median home in Larkspur was built in 1970 — close to 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. 44% 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.