Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$3,278/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
San Francisco 38%
Mill Valley
Marin County14,012 residents2 school districts
68
B−
Suburbgrade score
6th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on schools and commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
68
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Mill Valley yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 68 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 Mill Valley is like to live in, by category
Bars show Mill Valley against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 80/100
B+
Within-state proficiency97th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.1
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate95%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index112
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.72%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.25%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Mean commute24.8 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes65%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi5.0
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés72
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks46
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$206,212
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment8.8%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations70%
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.
Nobody has answered for Mill Valley 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 Mill Valley on employment & income
Mill Valley's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Orinda20 mi from Mill ValleyB 65 C+ Lafayette23 mi from Mill ValleyB− 67 C+ Albany12 mi from Mill ValleyB− 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley2 mi from Mill ValleyC+ 70 B− Pacifica21 mi from Mill ValleyC+ 60 C South San Francisco20 mi from Mill ValleyC+ 57 C− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Mill Valley
Is Mill Valley, CA a good place to live?
Mill Valley scores 68 out of 100, 6th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Mill Valley expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $2,000,000+, 75% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.72%. $3,278/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Mill Valley?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Mill Valley sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 19.1 student–teacher ratio. Mill Valley is served by Tamalpais Union High and Mill Valley Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Mill Valley?
The mean commute is 24.8 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 40% working from home. Transit density is 5.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Mill Valley?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 72 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Mill Valley old or new?
The median home in Mill Valley was built in 1958 — 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. 78% 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 Mill Valley
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