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Compare towns

Mountain View vs Martinez

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (9.9× in Martinez) and size (15.3× in Martinez).

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Mountain View, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 2,418 people
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Martinez, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 36,903 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 $930 more a month in Martinez

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.

Mountain View$3,480/mo
Typical home $590K (Census) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $2,018/mo · Housing →
Martinez$4,410/mo
Typical home $754K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,353/mo · Housing →

The difference: $930 a month, about $11,200 a year, between Martinez and Mountain View.

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.

Where they are

Mountain View and Martinez share a border

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

Mountain ViewMartinezMountain ViewMartinez
Mountain View ↔ Martinez0.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
147 Mountain View residents work in Martinez (13% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mountain View →
Report cards

Mountain View places higher on 15 of 23 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
Mountain ViewMartinez
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F42°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)346d346d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th87th
Outdoors & history
Mountain ViewMartinez
Trails—38 mi
Conserved land—13.8%
Settled—1849
National Register places—9
Archive photos518
Famous people born here—36
Community
Mountain ViewMartinez
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.

Mountain ViewMartinez
People
Population 2,418Lowest 36,903Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.5%Highest CA: +6.1% +4.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 39.6±9.9Lowest 4% above CA 42.6±1.1Highest 12% above CA
Martinez and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.8%±6.1Lowest CA: 22% 19.8%±2Highest CA: 22%
Martinez and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.6%±4.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 18.9%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.7%Lowest CA: 37.1% 46.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.7%±4.9 CA: 7.6% 5.7%±0.9 CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $94,046±$21kLowest 5% below CA $127,355±$8kHighest 28% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $590,100±$57kLowest 20% below CA $859,800±$16kHighest 17% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,018±$380Lowest about the CA average $2,353±$87Highest 16% above CA
Martinez and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,606Lowest 10% below CA $6,291Highest 23% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.2%±26.2Highest CA: 55.3% 44.6%±6.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Mountain View and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11%Highest CA: 12% 6.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64.6%Lowest CA: 55.9% 70.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1949Lowest 27 yrs older than CA 1977Highest 1 yr newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 20% above CA 28 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 14.6%±9.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 22.3%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Martinez and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.4%Lowest 11.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 14.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.14Lowest 1.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Martinez (13%)San Francisco (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 13% work in MartinezFew work in Mountain View
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 13.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 38.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 309Highest 83.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #5 of 574 in CA#130 of 574 in CA
School district —Martinez Unified · Mt. Diablo Unified
High school in town —Alhambra Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 21.1
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.

Mountain View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mountain View’s Town Square.

Martinez neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Martinez’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Mountain View

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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