Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 25/100
F
Median home value$668,200
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$1,960/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
San Francisco 38%
Richmond
Contra Costa County115,505 residentsWest Contra Costa Unified
42
D−
Suburbgrade score
55th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
42
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Richmond yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 42 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 Richmond is like to live in, by category
Bars show Richmond against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Within-state proficiency29th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.8
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate82%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index75
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.92%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.75%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 37/100
F
Mean commute34.2 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes45%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi23
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 65/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés32
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks58
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 30/100
F
Median household income$95,391
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment8.3%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations35%
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 Richmond 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 Richmond on housing & affordability
Richmond's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda12 mi from RichmondB 65 C+ Alamo20 mi from RichmondB 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley11 mi from RichmondB 70 B− Danville23 mi from RichmondB− 70 B− Lafayette14 mi from RichmondB− 67 C+ Mill Valley10 mi from RichmondB− 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Richmond
Is Richmond, CA a good place to live?
Richmond scores 42 out of 100, 55th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Richmond expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $668,200, 41% below the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.92%. $1,960/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Richmond?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Richmond sit at the 29th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 21.8 student–teacher ratio. Richmond is served by West Contra Costa Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Richmond?
The mean commute is 34.2 min, with 45% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 23 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Richmond?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 32 restaurants and cafés and 58 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Richmond old or new?
The median home in Richmond was built in 1966 — 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. 69% 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.