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CITY

Lake Forest

California · 86,333 residents (2025 est.) · 16.714 sq mi
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Part of the Los Angeles metro area
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Notable rankings
#315Highest median rentof 6,764$2,672#324Most expensive homesof 6,786$937,000
The short version

Lake Forest is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $135,175. Population has grown 47% since 2000. 51% 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 $937,000. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income. Households here earn about 36% more than the California median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
51% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 99%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
86,281
+47%since 2000
from 58,707 in 2000
2000 – 2025
Population density
5,162 / sq mi
+15%since 2009
from 4,504 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.2
+15%since 2000
from 35.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:86,333 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 2000 – 2024
56K64K72K81K89K2000201020202024Lake Forest
202486K
2000201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(5,269)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.7%(5,774)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.4%(4,630)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.7%(4,022)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.3%(5,431)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.8%(11,003)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.3%(13,241)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5415%(12,916)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413%(11,219)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.6%(8,247)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.3%(2,879)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,650)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$135,175
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $67,967 in 2000
US average: $82,259
2000 – 2024
Per capita income
$60,633
+112%since 2000
from $28,583 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
75.0%
+14.1 ptssince 2009
from 60.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.5%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 5.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.419
+11%since 2010
from 0.378 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade12.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services8.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance5.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade4.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.1%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$937,000
+99%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $258,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
2000 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,672
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,085 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
70.5%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 72.0% in 2000
29.5% rent
Vacancy rate
4.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
28.7%
−12.3 ptssince 2009
from 41.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
60.4%
+14.4 ptssince 2009
from 46.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
6.9
+6%since 2009
from 6.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Lake Forest on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic66.7%(39,161)
Black1.7%(998)
Hispanic / Latino18.6%(10,913)
Asian9.6%(5,647)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic44.1%(38,065)
Black2.4%(2,086)
Hispanic / Latino27%(23,253)
Asian19.7%(16,970)
Other6.8%(5,907)
Diversity Score
86
+21%since 2009
from 71 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
Mexican19.9%(17,138)
South American2.2%(1,877)
Central American2.1%(1,821)
Puerto Rican1.1%(965)
Guatemalan1%(843)
Salvadoran0.8%(651)
Colombian0.7%(581)
Peruvian0.4%(358)
Spaniard0.3%(301)
Ecuadorian0.3%(285)
Bolivian0.3%(258)
Argentine0.3%(255)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.2%(160)
Panamanian0.2%(156)
Cuban0.2%(132)
Venezuelan0.1%(98)
Dominican0.1%(50)
Chilean0%(42)
Asian origin
Chinese4.6%(4,002)
Filipino3.4%(2,936)
Vietnamese2.8%(2,443)
Asian Indian2.3%(1,977)
Korean2%(1,713)
Japanese1.1%(974)
Pakistani0.7%(639)
Taiwanese0.7%(582)
Laotian0.3%(286)
Thai0.3%(260)
Indonesian0.3%(237)
Cambodian0.1%(61)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0.4%(318)
Chamorro0.1%(67)
Tongan0.1%(47)
Samoan0.1%(45)
Ancestry
German10%(8,602)
English9.1%(7,860)
Irish7.5%(6,440)
Italian4.3%(3,753)
American3%(2,604)
Iranian2.3%(2,021)
Scottish1.9%(1,676)
Polish1.8%(1,593)
French1.8%(1,525)
Arab1.3%(1,110)
Norwegian1.2%(1,002)
Swedish1.2%(994)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.1%(985)
Dutch1.1%(964)
Egyptian0.8%(668)
Portuguese0.7%(609)
Welsh0.6%(545)
Swiss0.5%(414)
British0.5%(397)
Greek0.5%(395)
Danish0.3%(293)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(290)
Ukrainian0.3%(274)
Canadian0.3%(249)
Croatian0.3%(233)
Hungarian0.2%(189)
Czech0.2%(187)
Austrian0.2%(181)
Turkish0.2%(169)
Lebanese0.2%(165)
West Indian0.2%(154)
Australian0.2%(142)
Romanian0.1%(117)
Finnish0.1%(103)
Syrian0.1%(93)
Lithuanian0.1%(65)
Kenyan0.1%(64)
Serbian0.1%(57)
Palestinian0.1%(51)
Belgian0.1%(45)
Jordanian0%(42)
Armenian0%(39)
Jamaican0%(37)
Slovene0%(35)
Slovak0%(34)
Israeli0%(28)
Latvian0%(18)
Barbadian0%(15)
Brazilian0%(11)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Chinese population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
50.8%
+16.9 ptssince 2000
from 33.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.0%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 88.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.6%
+8.8 ptssince 2000
from 9.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.5 min
+47%since 2000
from 17.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
65.5%
−15.4 ptssince 2009
from 80.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.5%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.4%
+19.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
2.4%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 6.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.6%
−4.3 ptssince 2011
from 73.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
53.4%
−18.0 ptssince 2009
from 71.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Female
49.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Foreign born
27.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.5%
−45.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
8.8%
+2.4 ptssince 2012
from 6.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.1%
−83.5 ptssince 2013
from 87.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
97.1%
+6.1 ptssince 2017
from 91.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
63.4%
−6.1 ptssince 2016
from 69.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
16.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 16.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.6%(11,374)
Married60.2%(20,979)
Widowed1.4%(480)
Divorced5.8%(2,009)
Women 15+
Never married26%(9,294)
Married56.5%(20,214)
Widowed6.6%(2,349)
Divorced10.9%(3,909)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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LAKE FOREST VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Lake Forest, California?

Lake Forest, California has about 86,281 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lake Forest, California?

The typical household in Lake Forest, California earns about $135,175 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lake Forest, California expensive?

In Lake Forest, California, the median home is worth about $937,000, and the typical rent is about $2,672 a month.

How educated are people in Lake Forest, California?

About 50.8% of adults age 25 and over in Lake Forest, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lake Forest, California?

About 8.5% of people in Lake Forest, California live below the federal poverty line.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →