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Mill Valley vs Alto

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (13.7× in Mill Valley) and jobs per worker (5× in Mill Valley).

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Mill Valley, CAHomes around $2.13MCalifornia · 14,012 people
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Alto, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 1,024 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Mill ValleyHomes around $2.13M
Housing$2.13M typical home179% above the CA typical home Outdoors#25 most trails in CA22 miles of trails across 16 parks and preserves Schools#48 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about Mill Valley →
AltoOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 96%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Alto →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Size13.7×
Mill Valley is the bigger place
Mill Valley 14,012Alto 1,024
Jobs per worker5×
Mill Valley is more of a job hub
Mill Valley 0.99Alto 0.20
Work from home+22.8 pts
More people work from home in Mill Valley
Mill Valley 40%Alto 17.2%
Conserved land+23.7 pts
Mill Valley has more conserved land
Mill Valley 25.3%Alto 1.6%
Age 65++13.7 pts
Mill Valley has more people 65 and up
Mill Valley 23.5%Alto 9.8%
Average commute11 min
Alto has the shorter commute
Mill Valley 25 minAlto 14 min
★ What stands out · Where they are

Mill Valley and Alto share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Mill ValleyAltoMill ValleyAlto
Mill Valley ↔ Alto1.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
26 Alto residents work in Mill Valley (9.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Alto →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
B+Mill ValleySafer than 72% of U.S. towns –AltoNot graded
Schools
AMill ValleyBetter than 92% of districts in the state –AltoNot graded
Health
A+Mill ValleyHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns A+AltoHealthier than 96% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Mill ValleyAlto
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th83rd
Outdoors & history
Mill ValleyAlto
Trails22 mi—
Conserved land25.3%—
National Register places4—
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here20—
Community
Mill ValleyAlto
Library hours a week55 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Mill ValleyAlto
People
Population 14,012Highest 1,024Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 48.7±2.8Highest 28% above CA 42.3±19Lowest 12% above CA
Mill Valley and Alto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.6%±2.5Lowest CA: 22% 24.3%±14.1Highest CA: 22%
Alto and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.5%±3.1Highest CA: 15.7% 9.8%±8.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 75.8%Highest CA: 37.1% 67.1%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±2.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.9%±12.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Alto and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $206,212±$11kHighest 108% above CA $129,191±$123kLowest 30% above CA
Mill Valley and Alto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001 172% above CA —
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,278±$682 61% above CA —
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 95% above CA $10,000+ at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 39.3%±11.9Highest CA: 55.3% 31.8%±30.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
Mill Valley and Alto are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.9%Lowest CA: 12% 26%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 47%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Highest 18 yrs older than CA 1952Lowest 24 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 14% below CA 14 minLowest 51% below CA
Work from home 40%±5.6Highest CA: 17.2% 17.2%±16.6Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 9.3%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.99Highest 0.20Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (35%)San Francisco (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Alto10% work in Mill Valley
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.3%Highest 1.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 22.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.9Highest 48.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #48 of 574 in CA—
School district Mill Valley Elementary · Tamalpais Union High—
High school in town Tamalpais High—
Students per teacherat that high school 19.2 —
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Mill Valley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mill Valley’s Town Square.

Alto neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alto’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Mill Valley

T
+ Compare
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley12,085 people · $1.86M homes
C
+ Compare
Corte Madera10,077 people · $1.76M homes
S
+ Compare
Strawberry5,830 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
Larkspur12,854 people · $2M homes

Towns like Mill Valley

+ Compare
Solana Beach12,823 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
San Anselmo12,679 people · $1.58M homes
+ Compare
Tiburon9,012 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
Calabasas22,669 people · $1.5M homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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