What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Downtown?
Downtown is ranked #22 of 25 eligible neighborhoods in San Rafael; #1,405 of 1,814 eligible neighborhoods in CA; and #11,305 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Downtown
San Rafael, CA | Marin County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
39.0
Stability and Strength
46.8
Value Opportunity
38.8
Momentum
27.0
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | San Rafael, CA |
| County | Marin County |
| National rank | #11,305 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #1,405 of 1,814 |
| City rank | #22 of 25 |
| County rank | #44 of 47 |
| National percentile | 24.5 |
| National band | LOWER_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $1,187,059 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -1.2% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.34% |
| Home value to income ratio | 13.89 |
| Median household income | $85,437 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 62.9% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 5.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 16.7% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 7.6% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 67.0% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Downtown
Is Downtown one of the best neighborhoods in San Rafael?
Downtown has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 39.0 and a city ranking of #22 of 25 eligible neighborhoods in San Rafael.
How much are homes worth in Downtown?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Downtown is approximately $1,187,059.
Are home values rising or falling in Downtown?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -1.2% year over year and -0.34% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Downtown?
Downtown has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 27.0. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Downtown?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $85,437.
How affordable is Downtown relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 13.89. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Downtown primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 16.7%.
What is the unemployment rate in Downtown?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 5.0%.
How educated are residents of Downtown?
Approximately 62.9% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Downtown face high rent burden?
Approximately 67.0% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Downtown?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications22
Estimated originations13
Home-purchase applications10
Origination rate58.3%
Home-purchase share44.4%
Average application loan$653,045
Total application loan amount$14,441,945
National application rank#10,312 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 54.8% YoY; originations 40.5% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.