Carson, CA vs San Rafael, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Carson

63.8

#1737 nationally

San Rafael

58.5

#1954 nationally

Carson leads in cost of living index (154 vs 213). Carson leads in crime level (11.5 vs 15.3). San Rafael leads in median household income ($113,839 vs $103,045).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Carson, CA	San Rafael, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.8 (#1737)	58.5 (#1954)
Population	91,139	59,555
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$796,912	$1,332,023
Median Household Income	$103,045	$113,839
Average Commute	27.6 min	27.5 min
Walk Score	55	53
Crime Level	11.5	15.3
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	154	213
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+32.9	D+63.9