What percentage of people rent in San Rafael, CA?

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

47.0% (±2.2 points) of the occupied homes in San Rafael, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 10,770 renting households against 12,140 that own their home.

In San Rafael, the share of households that rent went from 50.0% in 2015–2019 to 47.0% in 2020–2024 (−3.0 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 47.0% (±2.2 points)
Renting households: 10,770 (±632)
Median renter income: $76,758 (±$10,262)

Who rents and who owns in San Rafael

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	San Rafael	Marin County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	47.0% (±2.2 points)	35.3% (±1.1 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	10,770 (±632)	36,402 (±1,167)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	12,140 (±617)	66,616 (±1,123)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.7 (±0.2)	2.4 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.4 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$76,758 (±$10,262)	$87,278 (±$4,979)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$184,003 (±$8,239)	$196,165 (±$5,844)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In San Rafael, the renter share is higher than in Marin County (35.3%).

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

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Marin County, San Rafael ranks 5 of 24 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 234 of 1,076.

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

How renting in San Rafael 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	50.0% (±1.9 points)	47.0% (±2.2 points)	−3.0 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,937 (±$63)	$2,377 (±$73)	+22.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$91,742 (±$7,531)	$119,435 (±$8,545)	+30.2%	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 San Rafael

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with San Rafael
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
San Rafael	—	47.0% (±2.2 points)	—
Santa Venetia	1.7 mi	29.6% (±10.4 points)	Lower
Larkspur	3.1 mi	53.5% (±4.8 points)	Higher
Ross	3.2 mi	13.1% (±5.7 points)	Lower
Corte Madera	3.4 mi	31.2% (±6.3 points)	Lower
San Anselmo	3.4 mi	31.6% (±5.0 points)	Lower
Kentfield	4.2 mi	19.1% (±4.3 points)	Lower
Fairfax	4.8 mi	31.1% (±6.7 points)	Lower
Sleepy Hollow	4.9 mi	12.3% (±14.6 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Santa Venetia, CA (29.6%), Ross, CA (13.1%), Corte Madera, CA (31.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Larkspur, CA (53.5%).

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)

Showing 11 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.

What you can do on Seayora in San Rafael

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near San Rafael, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for San Rafael beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near San Rafael, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about San Rafael

How many renters are there in San Rafael?

San Rafael has an estimated 10,770 (±632) renting households, 47.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in San Rafael?

In San Rafael, the share of households that rent went from 50.0% in 2015–2019 to 47.0% in 2020–2024 (−3.0 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in San Rafael?

A renting household in San Rafael has 2.7 people on average, against 2.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in San Rafael?

The median renting household in San Rafael, CA has an income of $76,758 (±$10,262) a year, against $184,003 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 San Rafael city, California (place:68364, 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.