Population

San Rafael

60,604

Huntington Beach

196,010

Median Income

San Rafael

$109,317

Huntington Beach

$119,885

Home Value

San Rafael

$1,246,200

Huntington Beach

$1,047,300

Rent

San Rafael

$2,346

Huntington Beach

$2,424

Crime Rate

San Rafael

5.59

Huntington Beach

2.07

Cost of Living

San Rafael

240.9

Huntington Beach

225.4

Avg Temp

San Rafael

N/A

Huntington Beach

N/A

Unemployment

San Rafael

5.8%

Huntington Beach

5.4%

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How Similar Are San Rafael & Huntington Beach?

Huntington Beach is San Rafael's #25 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

San Rafael

60,604

vs

Huntington Beach

196,010

Different · 69% difference

Huntington Beach (196,010) is about 3.2x larger than San Rafael (60,604).

Violent Crime

San Rafael

5.59

vs

Huntington Beach

2.07

Different · 63% difference
🚨

San Rafael's violent crime is significantly higher than Huntington Beach's — 63% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

San Rafael

24.56

vs

Huntington Beach

19.89

Different · 19% difference

San Rafael has a 19% higher property crime than Huntington Beach.

Political Leaning

San Rafael

16.7%

vs

Huntington Beach

47.1%

Different · 65% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Huntington Beach has a stronger Democratic lean (65% difference).

Unemployment

💼

San Rafael

5.8%

vs

Huntington Beach

5.4%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.

Median Income

San Rafael

$109,317

vs

Huntington Beach

$119,885

Match · 9% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.

Home Values

🏠

San Rafael

$1,246,200

vs

Huntington Beach

$1,047,300

Different · 16% difference

San Rafael has a 16% higher home values than Huntington Beach.

Education

San Rafael

35.4%

vs

Huntington Beach

35.1%

Match · 1% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.

Demographics

🌍

San Rafael

57.1%

vs

Huntington Beach

64.3%

Different · 11% difference

Huntington Beach has a 11% higher demographics than San Rafael.

Cost of Living

San Rafael

240.9

vs

Huntington Beach

225.4

Match · 6% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Rafael and Huntington Beach share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

San Rafael

vsof 8

0

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Huntington Beach leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Huntington Beach scores 135.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 167.1 in San Rafael. Huntington Beach scores 358.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in San Rafael. Huntington Beach has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,236 vs $3,604 in San Rafael (11% lower).

Overall Cost Index

San Rafael240.9
Huntington Beach225.4

Housing Index

San Rafael400.0
Huntington Beach358.1

Food Index

San Rafael133.6
Huntington Beach141.6

Transportation Index

San Rafael167.1
Huntington Beach135.7

Healthcare Index

San Rafael126.8
Huntington Beach133.3

Utilities Index

San Rafael180.1
Huntington Beach176.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

San Rafael$105,980
Huntington Beach$99,177

Living Wage (Family of 4)

San Rafael$250,498
Huntington Beach$234,418

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

San Rafael$2,977
Huntington Beach$2,746

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

San Rafael$3,604
Huntington Beach$3,236

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntington Beach has a median property tax of $6,097 vs $10,001 in San Rafael (64% lower). San Rafael has a vacancy rate of 4.0% compared to 5.2% in Huntington Beach. San Rafael has a median home value of $1,246,200 vs $1,047,300 in Huntington Beach (19% higher).

Median Home Value

San Rafael$1,246,200
Huntington Beach$1,047,300

Median Rent

San Rafael$2,346
Huntington Beach$2,424

Median Property Tax

San Rafael$10,001
Huntington Beach$6,097

Owner-Occupied

San Rafael51.8%
Huntington Beach55.8%

Vacancy Rate

San Rafael4.0%
Huntington Beach5.2%

Single-Family Homes

San Rafael55.5%
Huntington Beach58.9%

Jobs & Economy — Huntington Beach leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntington Beach: 109,588 vs San Rafael: 32,607 for labor force. Huntington Beach has a poverty rate of 7.5% compared to 10.9% in San Rafael. San Rafael has a work from home of 22.9% compared to 19.4% in Huntington Beach.

Median Household Income

San Rafael$109,317
Huntington Beach$119,885

Per Capita Income

San Rafael$67,609
Huntington Beach$62,450

Poverty Rate

San Rafael10.9%
Huntington Beach7.5%

Unemployment Rate

San Rafael5.8%
Huntington Beach5.4%

Labor Force

San Rafael32,607
Huntington Beach109,588

Mean Commute

San RafaelN/A
Huntington Beach23 min

Work from Home

San Rafael22.9%
Huntington Beach19.4%

Private Sector

San Rafael89.3%
Huntington Beach93.3%

Government Sector

San Rafael39.6%
Huntington Beach42.3%

Crime & Safety — Huntington Beach leads

Source: FBI UCR

Huntington Beach has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.19 compared to 3.57 in San Rafael. Huntington Beach has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 1.49 in San Rafael. Huntington Beach has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.07 compared to 5.59 in San Rafael.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael5.59
Huntington Beach2.07

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael24.56
Huntington Beach19.89

Murder Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael0.02
Huntington Beach0.03

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael1.49
Huntington Beach0.51

Assault Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael3.57
Huntington Beach1.19

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael2.64
Huntington Beach2.01

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

San Rafael17.70
Huntington Beach16.44

Violent Crime Clearance

San Rafael44.2%
Huntington Beach42.4%

Property Crime Clearance

San Rafael8.8%
Huntington Beach12.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Avg Annual High

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Avg Annual Low

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Sunny Days per Year

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Annual Rainfall

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Annual Snowfall

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Avg Humidity

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Huntington Beach has a high school diploma or higher of 47.1% compared to 45.3% in San Rafael.

Public Schools

San Rafael0
Huntington Beach0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

San RafaelN/A
Huntington BeachN/A

Colleges & Universities

San Rafael0
Huntington Beach0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

San Rafael35.4%
Huntington Beach35.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

San Rafael45.3%
Huntington Beach47.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntington Beach has a population of 196,010, about 3.2x the size of San Rafael (60,604).

Population

San Rafael60,604
Huntington Beach196,010

Median Age

San Rafael44
Huntington Beach43

Avg Household Size

San Rafael2.5
Huntington Beach2.5

Married Population

San Rafael40.5%
Huntington Beach42.6%

Foreign Born

San Rafael28.1%
Huntington Beach16.4%

White

San Rafael57.1%
Huntington Beach64.3%

Black

San Rafael2.3%
Huntington Beach1.3%

Hispanic

San Rafael34.7%
Huntington Beach19.4%

Asian

San Rafael6.1%
Huntington Beach12.6%

San Rafael

Huntington Beach

Healthcare — San Rafael leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

San Rafael: 3.4 vs Huntington Beach: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). San Rafael: 5 vs Huntington Beach: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

San Rafael5
Huntington Beach5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

San Rafael3.4
Huntington Beach2.5

With Emergency Services

San Rafael5
Huntington Beach4

Transportation & Commute — San Rafael leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Rafael has a public transit of 6.8% compared to 0.5% in Huntington Beach. San Rafael has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.6% in Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach has a drive alone of 70.6% compared to 50.4% in San Rafael.

Mean Commute Time

San RafaelN/A
Huntington Beach23 min

Drive Alone

San Rafael50.4%
Huntington Beach70.6%

Public Transit

San Rafael6.8%
Huntington Beach0.5%

Bicycle

San Rafael0.9%
Huntington Beach0.6%

Work from Home

San Rafael22.9%
Huntington Beach19.4%

Airports

San Rafael0
Huntington Beach0

Cities Similar to San Rafael, CA

Compare San Rafael against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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