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Compare towns

San Anselmo vs Ross

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (2.6× in San Anselmo) and size (4.9× in San Anselmo).

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San Anselmo, CAHomes around $1.67MCalifornia · 12,679 people
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Ross, CAHomes around $4.16MCalifornia · 2,606 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 $13,930 more a month in Ross

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.

San Anselmo$9,610/mo
Typical home $1.67M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63%+ · or rent about $2,797/mo · Housing →
Ross$23,540/mo
Typical home $4.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $13,930 a month, about $167,200 a year, between Ross and San Anselmo.

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

San Anselmo and Ross share a border

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

San AnselmoRossSan AnselmoRoss
San Anselmo ↔ Ross1.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
10 Ross residents work in San Anselmo (1.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Ross →
Report cards

Ross places higher on 11 of 20 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
San AnselmoRoss
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th98th
Outdoors & history
San AnselmoRoss
Trails6 mi2 mi
Conserved land9.9%6.1%
Settled—1857
National Register places—1
Archive photos123
Famous people born here6—
Community
San AnselmoRoss
Library hours a week44 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

San AnselmoRoss
People
Population 12,679Highest 2,606Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4%Highest CA: +6.1% -3.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 45.6±3.3Highest 20% above CA 42.3±3.8Lowest 12% above CA
San Anselmo and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.7%±3.4Lowest CA: 22% 31.5%±5.7Highest CA: 22%
Ross and San Anselmo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.6%±2.9Highest CA: 15.7% 18.8%±3.3Lowest CA: 15.7%
San Anselmo and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 70.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 83.2%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6% 2.8%±2.4Lowest CA: 7.6%
San Anselmo and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $173,641±$17kLowest 75% above CA $250,001Highest 152% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,576,700±$71kLowest 115% above CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,797±$327Lowest 37% 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 61.3%±10.2Highest CA: 55.3% 33.3%±21.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
San Anselmo and Ross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.4%Highest CA: 12% 4.8%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 86.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Highest 21 yrs older than CA 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 5% above CA 26 minLowest 9% below CA
Work from home 35.1%±5.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 47.9%±9.7Highest CA: 17.2%
Ross and San Anselmo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 8.7%Highest 2.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 mi 15.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.55Lowest 1.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (26%)San Francisco (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Ross2% work in San Anselmo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.9%Highest 6.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 6.4 miHighest 2.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.4 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 17Highest 5Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 138Highest 52.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #52 of 574 in CA—
School district Ross Valley Elementary · Tamalpais Union HighRoss Elementary
High school in town Archie Williams HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 18.0 —
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.

San Anselmo neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Memories of San Anselmo

1 neighbor in San Anselmo can answer.

Ross neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ross’s Town Square.

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Bordering San Anselmo

Towns like San Anselmo

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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