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Compare towns

Pacifica vs Martinez

34 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5.1× in Martinez) and home values (+45% in Pacifica).

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Pacifica, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 37,261 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 $2,830 more a month in Pacifica

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.

Pacifica$7,250/mo
Typical home $1.26M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $3,098/mo · Housing →
Martinez$4,410/mo
Typical home $754K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,353/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,830 a month, about $34,000 a year, between Pacifica and Martinez.

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.

Report cards

Pacifica places higher on 13 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
PacificaMartinez
Snow a year0″0″
January low45°F42°F
July high69°F88°F
Growing season (days)365d346d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th87th
Outdoors & history
PacificaMartinez
Conserved land42.7%13.8%
Settled—1849
National Register places29
Archive photos1218
Famous people born here636
Community
PacificaMartinez
Library hours a week57 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.

Where they are

34 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pacifica ↔ Martinez34 miles apart
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.

PacificaMartinez
People
Population 37,261Highest 36,903Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +4.1%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 44.6±1.4Highest 18% above CA 42.6±1.1Lowest 12% above CA
Pacifica and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.2%±1.7Lowest CA: 22% 19.8%±2Highest CA: 22%
Martinez and Pacifica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.4%±1.7Highest CA: 15.7% 18.9%±1.5Lowest CA: 15.7%
Pacifica and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 46.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6% 5.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Pacifica and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $160,523±$13kHighest 62% above CA $127,355±$8kLowest 28% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,249,800±$36kHighest 70% above CA $859,800±$16kLowest 17% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,098±$184Highest 52% above CA $2,353±$87Lowest 16% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,933Highest 55% above CA $6,291Lowest 23% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.4%±7.1Highest CA: 55.3% 44.6%±6.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Pacifica and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.8%Lowest CA: 12% 6.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.7%Lowest CA: 55.9% 70.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 10 yrs older than CA 1977Highest 1 yr newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 5% below CA 28 minHighest about the CA average
Work from home 23.6%±2.5Highest CA: 17.2% 22.3%±3.4Lowest CA: 17.2%
Pacifica and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 8.1%Lowest 11.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 14.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.27Lowest 1.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (33%)San Francisco (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MartinezFew work in Pacifica
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 42.7%Highest 13.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 42.1 miHighest 38.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.4 miHighest 2.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 17Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.7Lowest 83.7Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #75 of 574 in CA#130 of 574 in CA
School district Jefferson Union High · PacificaMartinez Unified · Mt. Diablo Unified
High school in town Terra Nova HighAlhambra Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.0Lowest 21.1Highest
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.

Pacifica neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pacifica’s Town Square.

Martinez neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Martinez’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pacifica and Martinez

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

Bordering Pacifica

Towns like Pacifica

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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