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San Rafael, CA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
60,433
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
43.2
years ∙ half population younger than 43.2, half older
Diversity Index
60.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
28.3%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
San Rafael is a city within Marin County, California, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC37.981003° N, 122.506930° W
DMS37° 58′ 51.61″ N, 122° 30′ 24.95″ W
Population Density & area
3,641/sq mi
(1,405/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
49.2%
male
Male
49.2%
Female
50.8%
males per 100 females
San Rafael
96.8
Marin County
96.8
California
99.8
Nativity
28.3%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
San Rafael
28.3%
Marin County
19.6%
California
27%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
43.2
years ∙ half population younger than 43.2, half older
Dependency ratio
66.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
San Rafael
66.8
Marin County
75.9
California
60.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 19.7% | 19.4% | 22% |
| Working age (18-64) | 59.9% | 56.8% | 62.3% |
| Senior (65+) | 20.4% | 23.8% | 15.7% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 66.8 | 75.9 | 60.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 32.9 | 34.1 | 35.2 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 33.9 | 41.8 | 25.1 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
60.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
San Rafael
60.7%
Marin County
53%
California
69.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of San Rafael population
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 35.5% | 19.5% | 40.2% |
| Mexican | 13.2% | 7.9% | 32.3% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Cuban | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 21.7% | 10.9% | 7% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 64.5% | 80.5% | 59.8% |
| One race | 59.9% | 74.6% | 55.4% |
| White | 51.2% | 65.1% | 33.8% |
| Black or African American | 2.2% | 2.1% | 5.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Asian | 4.9% | 6.1% | 15.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Some Other Race | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 4.6% | 5.9% | 4.4% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
59.1%
family
Family
59.1%
Non family
40.9%
% family households
San Rafael
59.1%
Marin County
63.4%
California
67.8%
Average household size
2.54
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of San Rafael population
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 22,910 | 103,018 | 13,548,091 |
| Average houshold size | 2.54 | 2.44 | 2.84 |
| Family households | 13,532 | 65,293 | 9,191,176 |
| Average family size | 3.22 | 3.01 | 3.41 |
| Married couple family | 10,628 | 52,600 | 6,557,184 |
| Other families | 2,904 | 12,693 | 2,633,992 |
| Male householder | 992 | 4,042 | 857,732 |
| Female householder | 1,912 | 8,651 | 1,776,260 |
| Non-family households | 9,378 | 37,725 | 4,356,915 |
| One-person households | 7,280 | 29,804 | 3,289,307 |
| Male householder | 2,373 | 10,304 | 1,493,062 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,046 | 5,358 | 460,668 |
| Female householder | 4,907 | 19,500 | 1,796,245 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 2,778 | 12,462 | 886,142 |
| Other living arrangements | 2,098 | 7,921 | 1,067,608 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
23,909
housing units
San Rafael
23,909
Marin County
112,116
California
14,644,735
Occupancy status
95.8%
occupied
Occupied
95.8%
Vacant
4.2%
vacancy rate
San Rafael
4.2%
Marin County
8.1%
California
7.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
55.7%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1968
Half of houses were built before 1968, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 25.6% | 18.1% | 21% |
| 4–6 rooms | 49.4% | 50.2% | 54.7% |
| 7+ rooms | 25% | 31.8% | 24.4% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 6.1% | 3.9% | 5% |
| 1 bedroom | 17.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 28.2% | 24.3% | 26.9% |
| 3 bedrooms | 27.2% | 33.6% | 32.8% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 20.9% | 25.7% | 22.1% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1968 | 1967 | 1976 |
| Total housing units | 23,909 | 112,116 | 14,644,735 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
53%
owners
Renter-occupied
47%
Owner-occupied
53%
homeownership rate
San Rafael
53%
Marin County
64.7%
California
55.9%
Average household size
2.38
Owner-occupied
2.72
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
San Rafael
2.38
Marin County
2.49
California
2.95
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 22,910 | 103,018 | 13,548,091 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 21.9% | 19.8% | 23.4% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 38.7% | 35.7% | 41.2% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 18.2% | 17.5% | 17% |
| 1999 or earlier | 21.2% | 27% | 18.5% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 90% | 95.6% | 91.8% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 4.9% | 2.5% | 5% |
| 1.51 or more | 5.1% | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 8.7% | 4.9% | 7.1% |
| 1 vehicle | 36.4% | 33.4% | 30.7% |
| 2 vehicles | 36.9% | 39.7% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 18.1% | 22% | 25.8% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 63.6% | 70.6% | 64.4% |
| Electricity | 33.8% | 25.9% | 29.5% |
| Solar | 0.7% | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0% | 0.2% |
| All other fuels | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| No fuel used | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.6% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| No telephone service available | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$1,355,600
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
33.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $1,355,600 | $1,507,300 | $734,700 |
| Under $100,000 | 1.4% | 1.6% | 4.2% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 1.1% | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 1.4% | 1% | 4.3% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 4% | 2.6% | 17.1% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 20.1% | 18.1% | 42.1% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 72% | 75.3% | 29.6% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 65.6% | 66.8% | 67.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 34.4% | 33.2% | 32.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $4,001 | $4,001 | $2,946 |
| Without a mortgage | $1,347 | $1,315 | $829 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $2,377 | $2,668 | $2,036 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
49.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
San Rafael
49.7%
Marin County
61.1%
California
37.1%
Adults without a high school diploma
15.2%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
San Rafael
15.2%
Marin County
7.2%
California
15.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
14,526
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
52.8%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 14,526 | 59,212 | 9,917,839 |
| Nursery / preschool | 6.7% | 7% | 5% |
| K–12 | 64.5% | 67% | 64.9% |
| Kindergarten | 4.9% | 5.2% | 4.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 18.8% | 18.5% | 18.7% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 17.6% | 19.2% | 19.9% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 23.2% | 24.1% | 21.5% |
| College or graduate school | 28.8% | 26% | 30.1% |
| College, undergraduate | 24.7% | 20.8% | 24.3% |
| Graduate, professional school | 4.1% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 52.8% | 50% | 46.8% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 80% | 76% | 85% |
| Private school | 20% | 24% | 15% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
43,093
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 43,093 | 189,753 | 27,073,960 |
| Less than 9th grade | 10.6% | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 4.6% | 2.7% | 6.5% |
| High school diploma or GED | 13.7% | 10.7% | 20.5% |
| Some college, no degree | 15.6% | 15.1% | 19.3% |
| Associate's degree | 5.8% | 5.8% | 7.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49.7% | 61.1% | 37.1% |
| Bachelor's degree | 27.9% | 33.5% | 22.7% |
| Graduate or professional | 21.8% | 27.6% | 14.4% |
| High School or higher | 84.8% | 92.8% | 84.7% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$60,641
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
5.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| San Rafael | Marin County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $60,641 | $83,637 | $56,395 |
| Less than high school graduate | $31,990 | $31,847 | $32,480 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $42,588 | $46,384 | $41,382 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $44,387 | $53,427 | $50,157 |
| Bachelor's degree | $96,653 | $104,657 | $80,933 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $110,599 | $136,006 | $111,188 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 16.5% | 19.1% | 20% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 17.3% | 15.1% | 13.9% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 10% | 9% | 10.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 5.4% | 4.5% | 5% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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