Best PlacesMarinwood, San Rafael, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Marinwood, San Rafael, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Marinwood, San Rafael ranks 686th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Marinwood, San Rafael
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Marinwood, San Rafael's strengths and weaknesses
Where Marinwood, San Rafael ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Household income$180,189 median, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
Where Marinwood, San Rafael ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$2,211 a month, better than only 2% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Marinwood, San Rafael
A household needs to earn about $316,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Marinwood, San Rafael home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $180,189, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Marinwood, San Rafael's effective rate of 0.86%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Marinwood, San Rafael
Marinwood, San Rafael runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Marinwood, San Rafael.
Who works in Marinwood, San Rafael, and how
Work in Marinwood, San Rafael centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 29%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Marinwood, San Rafael
The coast is about 15 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Marinwood, San Rafael, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Marinwood, San Rafael, month by month
Marinwood, San Rafael sees roughly 164 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 50° | 42° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 52° |
| October | 79° | 61° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Marinwood, San Rafael
San Francisco Bay Oakland International sits about 28 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.5 million passengers in 2025, with 64 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Marinwood, San Rafael
Schools across Marinwood, San Rafael average a B, better than 69% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Loma Verde ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- San Jose IntermediateB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Terra Linda HighB+ · 53% proficient
- Novato HighB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Marinwood, San Rafael school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Marinwood, San Rafael measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Marinwood, San Rafael against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Marinwood, San Rafael
Is Marinwood, San Rafael a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Marinwood, San Rafael ranks 686th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on health care access, high incomes, and clean air, and lowest on cell coverage and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Marinwood, San Rafael expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,199,114. The overall cost of living runs about 38% above the national average. Set against a $180,189 median income, cost of living beats 92% of neighborhoods.
Is Marinwood, San Rafael safe?
Yes, Marinwood, San Rafael is safer than 78% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $322 per resident a year.
Compare Marinwood, San Rafael with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Marinwood, San Rafael. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Marinwood, San Rafael represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Marinwood, San Rafael detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Marinwood, San Rafael: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Marinwood, San Rafael: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Marinwood, San Rafael: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Marinwood, San Rafael: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Marinwood, San Rafael detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.