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Corte Madera.

All Corte Madera data Compare Corte Madera

10,077people live here $232,763median household income▲ 188% above US $3,500+median rent per monthCensus top category $1,755,200median home value▲ 428% above US

The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

What it's like to live in Corte Madera

Corte Madera is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Corte Madera deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High student-teacher ratio

How Corte Madera compares

Median household income

Corte Madera$232,763

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Corte Madera$3,500+

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

The Census tops out at $3,500+ for rent; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

Median home value

Corte Madera$1,755,200

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Corte Madera

Based on Corte Madera's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$7,002

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $140,040 a year
39% of Corte Madera renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$351,040

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $175,520
Homes cost 7.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingCensus top category

$3,500+/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $3,500+ a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,755,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,755,200 · 39% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Marin County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Marin County (county-wide)

Safety

119 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Corte Madera doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Marin County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 544/100k · Policed by Marin County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 19% above US

31 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.9 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 44% work from home.

How workers get to work

Work from home

44%

Drive alone

39%

Carpool

8.1%

Public transit

3.6%

Other

3.5%

Walk

1.6%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 42°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 120% above US

79% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Muir Woods National Monument (4 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Corte Madera's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. It tends to suit remote workers (44% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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