Bolinas, CA Demographics

Population 1,364 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Bolinas, CA map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Bolinas

Household size in Bolinas

Household size, people per household
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–102.242.743.042.68
2010–142.722.793.102.73
2015–192.042.833.092.71
2020–242.052.753.012.65
Change−0.19+0.01−0.03−0.03
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Households in Bolinas are small: just 2.05 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.24 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Bolinas

Median age, years
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–1052.538.635.837.7
2010–1448.839.436.838.6
2015–1962.140.137.939.6
2020–2461.841.339.040.1
Change+9.3+2.7+3.1+2.3
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With a median age of 61.8, Bolinas is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Bolinas

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–106.8%10.3%13.5%12.3%
2010–1412.6%9.9%13.5%12.3%
2015–195.4%9.1%12.3%11.6%
2020–2410.4%8.8%12.3%11.6%
Change+3.6 pts−1.5 pts−1.2 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head about one in ten households in Bolinas (10.4%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. Still, single parents are more common here than in the wider San Francisco area (8.8%).

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Bolinas

Renters in Bolinas

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–1030.6%43.7%42.6%33.3%
2010–1433.6%46.2%45.2%35.6%
2015–1931.2%45.3%45.2%36.0%
2020–2424.2%44.5%44.1%34.8%
Change−6.4 pts+0.8 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Bolinas is largely a place of homeowners: only 24.2% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 58.6% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Bolinas

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–1033.7%8.6%8.7%11.4%
2010–1441.7%7.1%8.1%11.4%
2015–1936.7%6.5%7.5%11.1%
2020–2438.9%7.5%7.3%9.6%
Change+5.1 pts−1.1 pts−1.4 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 38.9% of the housing in Bolinas, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Bolinas

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–101964196419721974
2010–141956196519731975
2015–191962196619741977
2020–241965196819761980
Change+1+4+4+6
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The housing in Bolinas is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1965, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. That is in line with the rest of the San Francisco area.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Bolinas

Rent, per month
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–10$1,142$1,452$1,298$965
2010–14$1,750$1,551$1,379$1,040
2015–19$1,694$2,139$1,721$1,213
2020–24$1,924$2,666$2,229$1,571
Change+$782+$1,214+$931+$606
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The median renter in Bolinas pays $1,924 a month for rent and utilities, well above the national median of $1,571. Still, rents here are lower than in the wider San Francisco area ($2,666). Rent takes 37.1% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Bolinas

Bachelor's degrees in Bolinas

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–1056.8%42.5%29.1%28.4%
2010–1460.2%44.1%30.1%29.6%
2015–1956.9%48.9%32.9%32.1%
2020–2461.0%52.2%36.3%35.6%
Change+4.2 pts+9.7 pts+7.1 pts+7.2 pts
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College graduates are unusually common in Bolinas: 61.0% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Bolinas

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–1099.0%86.8%79.9%84.9%
2010–1492.8%87.5%80.7%86.1%
2015–1998.8%88.8%82.6%87.7%
2020–2499.1%89.1%84.2%89.3%
Change+0.1 pts+2.3 pts+4.3 pts+4.3 pts
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Finishing high school is nearly universal in Bolinas: 99.1% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Bolinas

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodBolinasSan Francisco areaCaliforniaU.S.
2006–102.6%7.8%9.2%8.1%
2010–147.8%8.9%11.3%9.4%
2015–193.2%4.6%6.3%5.6%
2020–242.6%5.8%6.6%5.4%
Change+0.0 pts−2.0 pts−2.6 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Bolinas has been low: just 2.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Bolinas compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Bolinas2.0561.810.4%24.2%38.9%1965$1,92461.0%99.1%2.6%
Stinson Beach1.8169.68.5%5.4%75.1%1979$2,00867.9%99.8%0.4%
Muir Beach2.6040.55.4%29.5%10.5%1963$3,50175.2%96.8%7.6%
Lagunitas1.9553.66.2%24.6%12.7%1959$2,38061.0%96.6%2.4%
Forest Knolls2.0952.25.3%22.7%11.9%1962$2,37060.7%96.6%2.7%
San Geronimo2.4947.56.2%12.8%8.7%1968$2,31685.0%97.7%0.3%
Woodacre2.6454.24.2%11.0%8.1%1956$2,37465.2%94.3%2.6%
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls2.1251.76.2%21.4%11.2%1962$2,36568.8%97.0%1.8%
Fairfax2.3248.37.2%29.7%5.8%1950$2,93769.7%98.9%13.0%
San Anselmo2.4648.28.5%30.1%5.6%1954$3,05069.7%98.0%7.5%
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley2.6245.89.2%16.0%7.1%1966$3,09079.2%98.8%5.5%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Tonica, IL · Beaufort, MO · Walker, IA · Marietta, MS · Frenstat, TX · Prairie, MS · Greenfield, IL · Grovertown, IN · Hahatonka, MO · Hammond Crossroads, SC

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Bolinas. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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