Living in San Marino, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 13.6% above the U.S. average in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in San Marino to say.
A safer neighborhood7 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 18 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town11 public schools: 8 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close bySan Gabriel Valley Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityLos Angeles is about 18 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means San Marino meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

San Marino runs into the built-up area around Los Angeles (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $2,000,000 or moreU.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 11%Los Angeles County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $214,167U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 83%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 41%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 113.6U.S. average = 100 (the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 11% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, not San Marino alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 11,9642020: 12,471
Median age: 45.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 22%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 83%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 10%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); professional and business services (13%); finance, insurance and real estate (13%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 28%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, San Gabriel, CA, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

11 public schools in San Marino, run by San Marino Unified and San Gabriel Unified.

Colleges in or next to town: Pasadena City College (20,000 or more students); University of the People (20,000 or more students); California Institute of Technology (1,000 to 4,999 students); Fuller Theological Seminary (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 90%U.S.: 76%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 46°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 64 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 1 a year
Rain and melted snow: 15.7 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 560 feet

Weather station: San Gabriel Fire Dept (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Pasadena, CACity of 136,0003

Los Angeles, CAMetro of 12.8 million18

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Pasadena, Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Edwin Hubble House. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area13 miles

Campus life. Check University of the People's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about San Marino's history on Wikipedia.

Know San Marino?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

East Pasadena, CA5,500 people, 2 miles
Sierra Madre, CA10,600 people, 5 miles
South San Gabriel, CA7,900 people, 5 miles
North El Monte, CA4,100 people, 5 miles
Mayflower Village, CA5,000 people, 6 miles
South El Monte, CA19,000 people, 6 miles

Smaller places

San Pasqual, CA (unincorporated)1,918 people, 1 mile
Bradbury, CA888 people, 9 miles
Rose Hills, CA (unincorporated)2,314 people, 9 miles
Vernon, CA207 people, 10 miles
Industry, CA199 people, 12 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.