Best Small Places for Business and Careers 2019

San Rafael, CA

San Rafael, CA
the place image

San Rafael, CA

San Rafael, CA
gross metro product
$19.7B
population
259.7K
median household income
$119,392
median home price
$1,306,000
cost of living
83% above nat'l avg
college attainment
58.6%
net migration
50 (year: 2018)
unemployment
2.4%
major industries
Health care, Technology
job growth
0.8% (year: 2018)
As of October 2019
San Rafael is a newly-defined Metropolitan Division that is made up of Marin County and is part of the larger San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Marin County is the wealthiest area in the country as measured by median household income, which tops $100,000. The median home price is nearly $850,000. The area is home to numerous high-tech companies, including Autodesk, which is one of the county's largest private employers. San Rafael became a hub for the entertainment and video game business
after Star Wars-creator George Lucas based his Lucasfilm in the city in the early 1970s. Lucas moved the headquarters to San Francisco in 2005.
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On forbes lists
#203
In Cost of Doing Business
#80
In Job Growth
#1
In Education
#187
In Cost of Doing Business
#30
In Job Growth
#2
In Education
By The Numbers
EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life
Job Growth
0.8% (year: 2018)
Projected Annual Job Growth
1.4%
Unemployment
2.4%
Median Household Income
$119,392
Household Income Growth
4.8%
High-Tech Employment
3%
  • Data is for the metro area
  • Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
  • Numbers as of October 2019


  • a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.
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