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CITY

Carlsbad

California · 112,260 residents (2025 est.) · 37.812 sq mi
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Part of the San Diego metro area
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Notable rankings
#132Most expensive homesof 6,786$1,257,000#253Highest median rentof 6,764$2,808#268Most work-from-homeof 6,82631.9%
The short version

Carlsbad is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $142,748. Population has grown 46% since 2000. 62% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $1,257,000. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income. Households here earn about 44% more than the California median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
62% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 123%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
114,373
+46%since 2000
from 78,247 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,025 / sq mi
+21%since 2009
from 2,490 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.5
+9%since 2000
from 38.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:112,260 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
58K73K89K105K120K1990201020202024Carlsbad
2024114K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.7%(5,330)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(7,135)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.7%(8,821)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(7,508)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244%(4,592)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.5%(12,053)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.8%(15,769)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.9%(15,887)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.8%(15,820)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410%(11,396)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.8%(7,751)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(2,311)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$142,748
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $65,145 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$72,390
+108%since 2000
from $34,863 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
72.9%
+17.3 ptssince 2009
from 55.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
6.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 5.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.460
+3%since 2010
from 0.447 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services9.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Information9%
US avg: 10.8%
Public administration5.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Arts, entertainment, food3.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Finance & insurance2.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$1,257,000
+123%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $308,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,808
+56%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $989 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
62.9%
−4.5 ptssince 2000
from 67.4% in 2000
37.1% rent
Vacancy rate
6.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
29.5%
−14.7 ptssince 2009
from 44.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
54.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 54.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.8
+12%since 2009
from 7.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
73
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Carlsbad on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.5%(63,013)
Black0.9%(691)
Hispanic / Latino11.7%(9,170)
Asian4.2%(3,271)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic65.7%(75,181)
Black1.3%(1,442)
Hispanic / Latino17.4%(19,871)
Asian8%(9,123)
Other7.7%(8,756)
Diversity Score
66
+36%since 2009
from 48 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican12.8%(14,682)
South American1.5%(1,719)
Peruvian0.5%(598)
Salvadoran0.5%(547)
Puerto Rican0.4%(493)
Spaniard0.3%(367)
Ecuadorian0.2%(281)
Colombian0.2%(272)
Cuban0.2%(198)
Chilean0.2%(195)
Argentine0.1%(167)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Guatemalan0.1%(146)
Venezuelan0.1%(143)
Nicaraguan0.1%(100)
Dominican0%(48)
Bolivian0%(38)
Honduran0%(13)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.1%(2,349)
Chinese2%(2,249)
Filipino1.2%(1,348)
Vietnamese0.7%(857)
Japanese0.7%(830)
Korean0.4%(475)
Kazakh0.1%(137)
Taiwanese0.1%(74)
Pakistani0%(57)
Burmese0%(43)
Thai0%(37)
Cambodian0%(32)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(20)
Hmong0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.3%(311)
Tongan0.1%(89)
Guamanian0%(17)
Samoan0%(16)
Ancestry
German14.3%(16,411)
English13.7%(15,685)
Irish12.4%(14,141)
Italian7.1%(8,142)
American3.6%(4,112)
Swedish2.9%(3,321)
Scottish2.6%(3,021)
Polish2.6%(2,948)
French2.3%(2,662)
Norwegian2.3%(2,590)
Russian2.1%(2,377)
Dutch1.2%(1,354)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.1%(1,294)
British1.1%(1,203)
Scotch-Irish1%(1,117)
Iranian0.8%(911)
Arab0.8%(894)
Ukrainian0.8%(869)
Hungarian0.7%(788)
Lithuanian0.6%(715)
Greek0.6%(666)
Welsh0.4%(498)
Austrian0.4%(484)
Portuguese0.4%(461)
Australian0.4%(448)
Croatian0.4%(439)
Swiss0.4%(419)
Brazilian0.4%(415)
Czech0.3%(370)
Lebanese0.3%(358)
Armenian0.3%(344)
Finnish0.3%(306)
Nigerian0.2%(285)
Egyptian0.2%(264)
Canadian0.2%(233)
Belgian0.2%(217)
Romanian0.2%(195)
Slovak0.2%(195)
Turkish0.2%(189)
Bulgarian0.2%(187)
Syrian0.2%(176)
Latvian0.1%(136)
West Indian0.1%(117)
Serbian0.1%(70)
Jamaican0.1%(69)
Macedonian0.1%(65)
Slovene0%(45)
Moroccan0%(40)
Haitian0%(34)
Iraqi0%(33)
Israeli0%(27)
Ethiopian0%(18)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
62.1%
+16.4 ptssince 2000
from 45.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.3%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 93.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
25.8%
+9.4 ptssince 2000
from 16.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.1 min
+35%since 2000
from 20.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
59.6%
−17.8 ptssince 2009
from 77.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.0%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.8%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
31.9%
+22.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.5%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2011
from 65.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
9.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
61.0%
−12.8 ptssince 2009
from 73.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
14.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 12.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.0%
−40.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
8.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2012
from 7.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.0%
−86.2 ptssince 2013
from 90.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
96.1%
+3.5 ptssince 2017
from 92.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
82.3%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 82.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 8.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.1%(13,836)
Married61.2%(28,081)
Widowed1.7%(793)
Divorced7%(3,198)
Women 15+
Never married23%(10,840)
Married57.3%(27,050)
Widowed5.5%(2,603)
Divorced14.2%(6,686)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Carlsbad to nearby cities

CARLSBAD VS
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Income$94,975−33%
Home value$762,400−39%
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CARLSBAD VS
Encinitas
Income$162,229+14%
Home value$1,646,800+31%
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CARLSBAD VS
San Marcos
Income$109,377−23%
Home value$868,000−31%
Population94,908−15%
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CARLSBAD VS
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Income$97,737−32%
Home value$770,300−39%
Population170,483+52%
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Carlsbad, California?

Carlsbad, California has about 114,373 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Carlsbad, California?

The typical household in Carlsbad, California earns about $142,748 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Carlsbad, California expensive?

In Carlsbad, California, the median home is worth about $1,257,000, and the typical rent is about $2,808 a month.

How educated are people in Carlsbad, California?

About 62.1% of adults age 25 and over in Carlsbad, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Carlsbad, California?

About 6.9% of people in Carlsbad, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Carlsbad, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Carlsbad, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 51,247 residents, a change of about 81 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →