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Compare towns

Tiburon vs Mill Valley

5 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (4.2× in Mill Valley) and jobs per worker (+74% in Mill Valley).

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Tiburon, CAHomes around $3.05MCalifornia · 9,012 people
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Mill Valley, CAHomes around $2.13MCalifornia · 14,012 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.

TiburonHomes around $3.05M
Housing$3.05M typical home299% above the CA typical home Schools#20 for schools in CAof 574 towns HealthHealthier than 99%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Tiburon →
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 →
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.

Street grid4.2×
Mill Valley has the more walkable street grid
Mill Valley 84.9Tiburon 20.1
Jobs per worker+74%
Mill Valley is more of a job hub
Mill Valley 0.99Tiburon 0.57
Average commute4 min
Mill Valley has the shorter commute
Tiburon 29 minMill Valley 25 min
Homeowners+8.7 pts renters
Mill Valley has more renters
Tiburon 74.9%Mill Valley 66.2%
Typical home built12 yrs
Mill Valley’s homes are older
Tiburon 1970Mill Valley 1958
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $5,220 more a month in Tiburon

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.

Tiburon$17,270/mo
Typical home $3.05M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Mill Valley$12,050/mo
Typical home $2.13M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,278/mo · Housing →

The difference: $5,220 a month, about $62,600 a year, between Tiburon and Mill Valley.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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+TiburonSafer than 74% of U.S. towns B+Mill ValleySafer than 72% of U.S. towns
Schools
A+TiburonBetter than 96% of districts in the state AMill ValleyBetter than 92% of districts in the state
Health
A+TiburonHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+Mill ValleyHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns
10Tiburon
10Mill Valley

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #747#329 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #298#25 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #336#202 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #498#253 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #330#131 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #184#288 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #20#48 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #128#91

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Tiburon’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
TiburonMill Valley
Snow a year0″0″
January low44°F—
July high71°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th80th
Outdoors & history
TiburonMill Valley
Trails17 mi22 mi
Conserved land19.2%25.3%
National Register places54
Archive photos1112
Famous people born here420
Community
TiburonMill Valley
Library hours a week49 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.

Where they are

5 miles apart

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

TiburonMill ValleyTiburonMill Valley
Tiburon ↔ Mill Valley4.6 miles apart
Who commutes between them
65 Tiburon residents work in Mill Valley (2.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Tiburon →
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.

TiburonMill Valley
People
Population 9,012Lowest 14,012Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.1%Lowest CA: +6.1% +2.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 51.6±1.6Highest 36% above CA 48.7±2.8Lowest 28% above CA
Tiburon and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.6%±3.2Highest CA: 22% 18.6%±2.5Lowest CA: 22%
Tiburon and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.5%±4.3Highest CA: 15.7% 23.5%±3.1Lowest CA: 15.7%
Tiburon 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+ 80.1%Highest CA: 37.1% 75.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±3.6Highest CA: 7.6% 5.2%±2.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Tiburon 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 $232,969±$37kHighest 135% above CA $206,212±$11kLowest 108% above CA
Tiburon and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001 172% above CA $2,000,001 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501Highest 72% above CA $3,278±$682Lowest 61% 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 38.6%±14.5Lowest CA: 55.3% 39.3%±11.9Highest CA: 55.3%
Mill Valley and Tiburon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.9%Lowest CA: 12% 5.9%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 66.2%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1970Highest 6 yrs older than CA 1958Lowest 18 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest about the CA average 25 minLowest 14% below CA
Work from home 42.7%±8.1Highest CA: 17.2% 40%±5.6Lowest CA: 17.2%
Tiburon and Mill Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.1%Lowest 9.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 11.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.57Lowest 0.99Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (36%)San Francisco (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Mill ValleyFew work in Tiburon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 19.2%Lowest 25.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 17.0 miLowest 22.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miLowest 4.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 20.1Lowest 84.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #20 of 574 in CA#48 of 574 in CA
School district Reed Union ElementaryMill Valley Elementary · Tamalpais Union High
High school in town None in townTamalpais High
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.

Tiburon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tiburon’s Town Square.

Mill Valley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mill Valley’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tiburon and Mill Valley

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

Bordering Tiburon

+ Compare
Belvedere2,345 people · $2M homes
S
+ Compare
Strawberry5,830 people · $2M homes
C
+ Compare
Corte Madera10,077 people · $1.76M homes
S
+ Compare
San Francisco830,235 people · $1.39M homes

Towns like Tiburon

+ Compare
Malibu10,421 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
Solana Beach12,823 people · $2M homes
A
+ Compare
Atherton6,993 people · $2M homes
+ Compare
San Marino12,216 people · $2M 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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