What percentage of people rent in Novato, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Novato, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

33.9% (±2.9 points) of the occupied homes in Novato, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 6,798 renting households against 13,258 that own their home.

In Novato, the share of households that rent went from 31.9% in 2015–2019 to 33.9% in 2020–2024 (+2.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 33.9% (±2.9 points)
Renting households: 6,798 (±556)
Median renter income: $82,703 (±$8,754)

Who rents and who owns in Novato

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Novato	Marin County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	33.9% (±2.9 points)	35.3% (±1.1 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	6,798 (±556)	36,402 (±1,167)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,258 (±811)	66,616 (±1,123)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.8 (±0.2)	2.4 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$82,703 (±$8,754)	$87,278 (±$4,979)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$150,671 (±$16,332)	$196,165 (±$5,844)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Novato, the renter share is not measurably different from Marin County (35.3%).

It is also lower than in California (44.1%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Marin County, Novato ranks 7 of 24 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 549 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Novato has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	31.9% (±2.4 points)	33.9% (±2.9 points)	+2.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,045 (±$80)	$2,506 (±$127)	+22.5%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$101,342 (±$6,273)	$115,736 (±$10,368)	+14.2%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Novato

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Novato
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Novato	—	33.9% (±2.9 points)	—
Black Point-Green Point	2.4 mi	14.7% (±8.9 points)	Lower
Lucas Valley-Marinwood	3.4 mi	16.7% (±6.5 points)	Lower
Sleepy Hollow	5.5 mi	12.3% (±14.6 points)	Lower
Santa Venetia	6.0 mi	29.6% (±10.4 points)	Not measurably different
Fairfax	7.1 mi	31.1% (±6.7 points)	Not measurably different
San Anselmo	7.2 mi	31.6% (±5.0 points)	Not measurably different
Woodacre	7.4 mi	6.7% (±7.0 points)	Lower
San Rafael	7.5 mi	47.0% (±2.2 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Black Point-Green Point, CA (14.7%), Lucas Valley-Marinwood, CA (16.7%), Sleepy Hollow, CA (12.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: San Rafael, CA (47.0%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Marin County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Marin City	61.3% (±12.5 points)
2	Strawberry	58.5% (±7.2 points)
3	Larkspur	53.5% (±4.8 points)
4	Alto	53.0% (±18.8 points)
5	San Rafael	47.0% (±2.2 points)
6	Sausalito	40.4% (±5.4 points)
7	Novato	33.9% (±2.9 points)
8	Mill Valley	33.8% (±4.5 points)
9	Belvedere	32.1% (±7.6 points)
10	San Anselmo	31.6% (±5.0 points)
11	Corte Madera	31.2% (±6.3 points)
12	Fairfax	31.1% (±6.7 points)
13	Santa Venetia	29.6% (±10.4 points)

Showing 13 of 24 places in Marin County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Novato

How many renters are there in Novato?

Novato has an estimated 6,798 (±556) renting households, 33.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Novato?

In Novato, the share of households that rent went from 31.9% in 2015–2019 to 33.9% in 2020–2024 (+2.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Novato?

A renting household in Novato has 2.8 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Novato?

The median renting household in Novato, CA has an income of $82,703 (±$8,754) a year, against $150,671 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Novato city, California (place:52582, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.