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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-MILL-VALLEY-CA · Mill Valley, CA 14,064 pop · income 98th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Mill Valley
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Mill Valley on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Grass Valley · lowest
48,850
Grass Valley · lowest
48,850 median HH income
23.4% of the leader · rank #1
Saugatuck · near
208,242
Saugatuck · near
208,242 median HH income
99.8% of the leader · rank #2
Brookfield Ce… · near
208,333
Brookfield Ce… · near
208,333 median HH income
99.8% of the leader · rank #3
Mill Valley · this city
208,466
Mill Valley · this city
208,466 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #4
Russell Garde… · near
208,500
Russell Garde… · near
208,500 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #5
Kirtland Hills · highest
208,750
Kirtland Hills · highest
208,750 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Mill Valley on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 14,064.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Mill Valley - the verdict
Mill Valley ranks in the 98th percentile for household income and the 60th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
98th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
60th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Mill Valley, CA
Mill Valley is a small town in California, home to 14,064 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Mill Valley households earn a median of $208,466 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 1.7%. ACS top-codes median home value at $2,000,000 or more, so Mill Valley is published at that ceiling ($2,000,000+) rather than as an exact figure, and the median resident age is 47.2 years. 77.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 56.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 15 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 57% from five years earlier. Mill Valley reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1098.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Mill Valley's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to population change to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Mill Valley, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Mill Valley?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within California, the closest population matches are Grass Valley (14,126 residents, $48,850 income); McFarland (14,138 residents, $51,801 income); East Rancho Dominguez (14,219 residents, $67,645 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are New Ulm, MN (14,066 residents); Lakeland, TN (14,068 residents); Colesville, MD (14,075 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
How far does income reach against housing in Mill Valley?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 9.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the education layer cover for Mill Valley?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 77.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
What does the journey to work look like in Mill Valley?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 49.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Mill Valley growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -407 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 15 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
14,206
2025 estimate
13,799
Period change
-2.9%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Mill Valley?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1098.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 52% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
1098.3
Violent rate
95.2
Property rate
1003.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
Note: Census ACS censors the tails of median household income ($250,000+ / under $2,500) and median home value ($2,000,000+ / under $10,000).
Home value is shown as $2,000,000+ for the same reason.
B
City profile score · Mill Valley, CA
73/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A+
$208,466
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
77.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate A
1.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B
95 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Mill Valley profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $208,466
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 77.1%
Poverty rate: 88/100 (A) · 1.7%
Violent crime: 72/100 (B) · 95 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Mill Valley sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Mill Valley's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Mill Valley highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Mill Valley, CA (this city): home $2,000,000+, crime 1,098/100k
New Ulm, MN : home $192,700, crime 1,090/100k
Bellefontaine, OH : home $163,500, crime 896/100k
Grass Valley, CA : home $458,400, crime 2,687/100k
McFarland, CA : home $245,500, crime 1,199/100k
Hawaiian Gardens, CA : home $509,600, crime 2,839/100k
Auburn, CA : home $642,400, crime 1,043/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Mill Valley compare to other US cities?
Where Mill Valley sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income98% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety60% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Mill Valley ranks #76 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Mill Valley against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Mill Valley near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Mill Valley ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Mill Valley only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#61 of 1,338
95th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#1 of 1,343
95th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#1,133 of 1,450
22nd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#44 of 1,458
97th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
98th percentile nationally for median household income · 60th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Mill Valley's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Mill Valley's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Mill Valley's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$2,000,000+1st percentilemore affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Mill Valley's home-value-to-income ratio: 9.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,319 of 15,516
More affordable than 1% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,275 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 9.6×, Mill Valley sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,319 of 15,516 and #3,275 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$208,466Mill Valley, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Mill Valley, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Mill Valley, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)77.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
14,064
Median Income
$208,466
Median Home Value
$2,000,000+
Median Age
47.2
Poverty Rate
1.7%
Labor force participation
56.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
77.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1098.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
95.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1003.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Mill Valley's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
14,206 residents
2021
14,150 residents
2022
13,974 residents
2023
13,842 residents
2024
13,875 residents
2025
13,799 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
15
housing units authorized
Single-Family
15
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
35
25
10
$23.8M
2020
40
26
14
$28.5M
2021
47
27
20
$33.5M
2022
37
37
0
$42.2M
2023
40
40
0
$27.5M
2024
15
15
0
$8.7M
Permit volume decreased 57% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
49.4%
Carpool
4.7%
Public Transit
2.6%
Walk
5.3%
Work from Home
37.2%
Other
0.8%
Based on 6,405 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Mill Valley. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Mill Valley is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Mill Valley sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Mill Valley compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.