Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Mill Valley vs Corte Madera

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (2.1× in Mill Valley) and growth since 2010 (+8.1 pts in Corte Madera).

×
Mill Valley, CAHomes around $2.13MCalifornia · 14,012 people
×
Corte Madera, CAHomes around $1.85MCalifornia · 10,077 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,490 more a month in Mill Valley

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Mill Valley$12,050/mo
Typical home $2.13M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,278/mo · Housing →
Corte Madera$10,560/mo
Typical home $1.85M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,490 a month, about $17,900 a year, between Mill Valley and Corte Madera.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Where they are

Mill Valley and Corte Madera share a border

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

Mill ValleyCorte MaderaMill ValleyCorte Madera
Mill Valley ↔ Corte Madera2.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
69 Corte Madera residents work in Mill Valley (1.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Corte Madera →
Report cards

Mill Valley places higher on 12 of 21 CA lists

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.

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 ValleyCorte Madera
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th91st
Outdoors & history
Mill ValleyCorte Madera
Conserved land25.3%37.3%
Settled—1916
National Register places4—
Archive photos125
Famous people born here201
Community
Mill ValleyCorte Madera
Library hours a week55 hrs55 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 ValleyCorte Madera
People
Population 14,012Highest 10,077Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10.5%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 48.7±2.8Highest 28% above CA 45.9±3.1Lowest 21% above CA
Mill Valley and Corte Madera 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% 25.6%±4.6Highest CA: 22%
Corte Madera 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% 18.8%±3.2Lowest CA: 15.7%
Mill Valley and Corte Madera are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 75.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 79.3%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±2.1Highest CA: 7.6% 5%±2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Mill Valley and Corte Madera are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $206,212±$11kLowest 108% above CA $232,763±$37kHighest 135% above CA
Corte Madera and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA $1,755,200±$183kLowest 139% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,278±$682Lowest 61% above CA $3,501Highest 72% 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%±11.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 44.4%±12.1Highest CA: 55.3%
Corte Madera and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.9%Highest CA: 12% 4.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 68.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 18 yrs older than CA 1962Highest 14 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 14% below CA 31 minHighest 8% above CA
Work from home 40%±5.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 44.1%±7.1Highest CA: 17.2%
Corte Madera and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.3%Highest 6.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 mi 11.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.99Lowest 1.49Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (35%)San Francisco (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Corte Madera2% work in Mill Valley
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.3%Lowest 37.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 22.1 miHighest 10.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.6 miHighest 2.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 8Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.9Highest 63.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #48 of 574 in CA#9 of 574 in CA
School district Mill Valley Elementary · Tamalpais Union HighLarkspur-Corte Madera
High school in town Tamalpais HighNone in town
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.

Corte Madera neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Corte Madera’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mill Valley and Corte Madera

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Mill Valley

Towns like Mill Valley

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.

Post to Mill Valley

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in