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Compare towns

Mill Valley vs Larkspur

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: household income (+47% in Mill Valley) and homeowners (+19.7 pts renters in Larkspur).

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Mill Valley, CAHomes around $2.13MCalifornia · 14,012 people
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Larkspur, CAHomes around $2.13MCalifornia · 12,854 people
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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 →
LarkspurHomes around $2.13M
Housing$2.13M typical home179% above the CA typical home Schools#43 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#61 most trails in CA10 miles of trails across 11 parks and preserves All about Larkspur →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Household income+47%
Households in Mill Valley earn more
Mill Valley $206,212Larkspur $140,417
Homeowners+19.7 pts renters
Larkspur has more renters
Mill Valley 66.2%Larkspur 46.5%
Trails2.1×
Mill Valley has more miles of trail
Mill Valley 22.1 miLarkspur 10.4 mi
Growth since 2010+7.1 pts
Larkspur has grown faster since 2010
Larkspur +9.5%Mill Valley +2.4%
Typical home built12 yrs
Mill Valley’s homes are older
Larkspur 1970Mill Valley 1958
★ What stands out · Where they are

Mill Valley and Larkspur share a border

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

Mill ValleyLarkspurMill ValleyLarkspur
Mill Valley ↔ Larkspur2.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
93 Mill Valley residents work in Larkspur (1.9% of its workers)
79 Larkspur residents work in Mill Valley (1.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mill Valley →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Larkspur$12,060/mo
Typical home $2.13M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,001/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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.

Report cards

Mill Valley places higher on 14 of 24 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.

Safety
B+Mill ValleySafer than 72% of U.S. towns –LarkspurNot graded
Schools
AMill ValleyBetter than 92% of districts in the state A+LarkspurBetter than 96% of districts in the state
Health
A+Mill ValleyHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns A+LarkspurHealthier than 96% of U.S. towns
14Mill Valley
6Larkspur

Lists won, of 24 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #526#206 Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 117 towns #10#48 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #13#140 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #202#322 Most library borrowingLibraries · 117 towns #4#29 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #253#399 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #329#189 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #131#24

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Mill Valley’s rankings →

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 ValleyLarkspur
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th92nd
Outdoors & history
Mill ValleyLarkspur
Trails22 mi10 mi
Conserved land25.3%24%
Settled—1857
National Register places44
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here20—
Community
Mill ValleyLarkspur
Library hours a week55 hrs29 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 ValleyLarkspur
People
Population 14,012Highest 12,854Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +9.5%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 48.7±2.8Lowest 28% above CA 51.2±1.9Highest 35% above CA
Larkspur and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.6%±2.5Highest CA: 22% 16.6%±2.3Lowest CA: 22%
Mill Valley and Larkspur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.5%±3.1Lowest CA: 15.7% 25.4%±3Highest CA: 15.7%
Larkspur and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 75.8%Highest CA: 37.1% 67.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±2.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.5%±2.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Larkspur 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 $140,417±$34kLowest 42% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA $1,996,600±$171kLowest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,278±$682Highest 61% above CA $3,001±$204Lowest 47% above CA
Mill Valley and Larkspur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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% 53%±6.9Highest CA: 55.3%
Larkspur 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%Lowest CA: 12% 7%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 46.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 18 yrs older than CA 1970Highest 6 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 14% below CA 28 minHighest 4% below CA
Work from home 40%±5.6Highest CA: 17.2% 32.9%±5.1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Mill Valley and Larkspur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.3%Highest 7.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 12.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.99Lowest 1.24Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (35%)San Francisco (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Larkspur2% work in Mill Valley
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.3%Highest 24%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 22.1 miHighest 10.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.6 miHighest 3.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 11Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.9Lowest 110Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #48 of 574 in CA#43 of 574 in CA
School district Mill Valley Elementary · Tamalpais Union HighLarkspur-Corte Madera · Tamalpais Union High
High school in town Tamalpais HighRedwood High
Students per teacherat that high school 19.2Lowest 19.3Highest
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.

Larkspur neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Larkspur’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mill Valley and Larkspur

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

Bordering Mill Valley

T
+ Compare
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley12,085 people · $1.86M homes
C
+ Compare
Corte Madera10,077 people · $1.76M homes
A
+ Compare
Alto1,024 people
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+ Compare
Strawberry5,830 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
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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