Marin Named Among Best Counties To Live In

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Marin County has been named among the 25 best counties in America to live in. That’s according to a new report published this week from the folks at 24/7 Wall St. The authors built an index based on education, poverty and life expectancy to come up with the definitive list.

Marin was the only county in California named among the top 10 best places to live, ranking eighth. Santa Clara County ranked 24th and San Mateo County ranked 23rd.

In Marin, 57.5 percent of people obtain a bachelor’s degree and the poverty rate sits at 8.1 percent. Residents can expect to live 83.8 years years and the median household earns $104,703 a year.

Here’s what the authors had to say:

“County residents are among the most likely to be very wealthy,” the authors noted. “Nearly a quarter of Marin County households earn $200,000 a year or more. That’s nearly four times higher than the comparable national share. Additionally, Marin County’s poverty rate of 8.1% is well below the 14.6% national rate.

“As is often the case in wealthy areas, Marin County residents tend to be relatively healthy. Average life expectancy in the county is 83.8 years, about five years longer than the national average.”

Virginia and Colorado performed very well in the rankings. Both had two cities ranked in the top 5 — and three in the top 10 — making the states attractive destinations for those thinking of a big change. That includes Pitkin County, Colorado, which ranked as the single best county to live in the entire country.

The authors highlighted the county, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, as one of the healthiest and best educated populations in America. Residents can expect to live 86.5 years — more than seven years longer than the national average.

“The county’s near nation-leading average life expectancy is partially attributable to the high educational attainment,” the authors noted. “College graduates live an average of nine years longer than those who have not completed high school, and in Pitkin County, 61.2 percent of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, nearly double the 30.9 percent share nationwide.”

Here are the top 10 counties:

1. Pitkin County, CO
2. Arlington, County, VA
3. Los Alamos County, NM
4. Douglas County, CO
5. Loudoun County, VA
6. Fairfax County, VA
7. Howard County, MD
8. Marin County, CA
9. Williamson County, TN
10. Summit County, CO

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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