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CITY

Novato

California · 51,947 residents (2025 est.) · 27.4 sq mi
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Part of the San Francisco metro area
The short version

Novato is home to 52,546 people in California. The typical home is worth $1,032,500, having roughly tripled since 2000. The median age is 47.5, about 9 years above the US median. That puts it in the top 4% of US cities for household income. Renters pay $2,506 a month at the median. This is an unusually credentialed place: 49% of adults have a four-year degree.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 47.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 55%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
52,546
+10%since 2000
from 47,630 in 2000
51,947 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,920 / sq mi
+2%since 2009
from 1,885 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
47.5
+20%since 2000
from 39.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
27.4 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
47K49K52K54K56K19902000201020202024Novato
202453K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.5%(2,343)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.4%(3,378)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.7%(3,002)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.3%(2,786)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(2,974)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 348.5%(4,483)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.3%(5,952)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.9%(7,285)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.7%(7,731)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7413.2%(6,949)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 848%(4,210)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.8%(1,453)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$115,736
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $63,453 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$65,423
+102%since 2000
from $32,402 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
69.0%
+15.8 ptssince 2009
from 53.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.6%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 5.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.469
+3%since 2010
from 0.454 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade5%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration4.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food3.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$1,032,500
+55%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $364,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,506
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,146 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 67.6% in 2000
33.9% rent
Vacancy rate
4.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.58 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
34.0%
−12.1 ptssince 2009
from 46.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
62.0%
+4.0 ptssince 2009
from 58.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.9
+2%since 2009
from 8.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
46
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.3%(36,336)
Black1.9%(893)
Hispanic / Latino13.1%(6,229)
Asian5.1%(2,442)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic54.6%(28,702)
Black2.4%(1,243)
Hispanic / Latino28%(14,706)
Asian6.9%(3,608)
Other8.2%(4,287)
Diversity Score
76
+28%since 2009
from 60 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%(6,316)
Central American10.6%(5,555)
Guatemalan6.8%(3,589)
South American2.8%(1,482)
Salvadoran2.6%(1,348)
Peruvian1.6%(864)
Nicaraguan0.9%(488)
Colombian0.5%(272)
Dominican0.4%(222)
Spaniard0.3%(181)
Uruguayan0.3%(159)
Puerto Rican0.2%(119)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.2%(107)
Argentine0.2%(91)
Honduran0.1%(78)
Panamanian0.1%(48)
Venezuelan0.1%(38)
Ecuadorian0.1%(27)
Chilean0%(17)
Asian origin
Chinese2.7%(1,420)
Filipino1.1%(558)
Vietnamese0.9%(473)
Japanese0.5%(275)
Asian Indian0.5%(238)
Cambodian0.2%(117)
Korean0.2%(95)
Indonesian0.2%(88)
Nepalese0.1%(51)
Laotian0.1%(48)
Thai0.1%(41)
Taiwanese0%(25)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Malaysian0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0.2%(109)
Ancestry
Irish13.7%(7,190)
English12.4%(6,536)
German11%(5,767)
Italian7.1%(3,739)
Scottish2.5%(1,310)
Polish2.3%(1,209)
French2.2%(1,180)
Swedish2.1%(1,121)
Russian2%(1,035)
Portuguese1.8%(935)
American1.6%(845)
Norwegian1.4%(755)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Arab1.2%(613)
Brazilian1.1%(563)
Iranian1%(540)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(497)
Swiss0.9%(450)
Austrian0.9%(448)
Dutch0.8%(406)
Ukrainian0.7%(371)
Greek0.6%(332)
Lebanese0.6%(330)
British0.6%(295)
Danish0.5%(255)
Welsh0.4%(216)
Hungarian0.4%(204)
West Indian0.4%(185)
Canadian0.3%(175)
Jamaican0.3%(145)
Czech0.3%(133)
Croatian0.2%(129)
Ethiopian0.2%(120)
Finnish0.2%(99)
Lithuanian0.2%(84)
Turkish0.2%(84)
Romanian0.2%(81)
Syrian0.1%(69)
Slovene0.1%(65)
Armenian0.1%(58)
Slovak0.1%(52)
Moroccan0.1%(51)
Belgian0.1%(51)
Bulgarian0.1%(43)
Australian0.1%(36)
Latvian0%(24)
Nigerian0%(24)
Israeli0%(18)
Haitian0%(18)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
48.9%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 37.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.0%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 90.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.3%
+6.1 ptssince 2000
from 12.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.1 min
+2%since 2000
from 27.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
64.0%
−10.2 ptssince 2009
from 74.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.1%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.8%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
19.5%
+12.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.7%
−5.3 ptssince 2011
from 67.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 77.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.0%
+4.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
48.4%
+9.2 ptssince 2009
from 39.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
49.2%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
23.7%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 21.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.2%
+3.0 ptssince 2012
from 9.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.9%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 9.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.7%
+6.8 ptssince 2017
from 87.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.6%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 94.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.5%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 88.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
68.5%
−6.7 ptssince 2016
from 75.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
20.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2016
from 15.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.2%(7,757)
Married56.2%(12,376)
Widowed2.7%(588)
Divorced6%(1,311)
Women 15+
Never married27.9%(6,082)
Married52.2%(11,367)
Widowed7.5%(1,626)
Divorced12.5%(2,716)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.9%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 9.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.1%
−3.0 ptssince 2020
from 61.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 20.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 24.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.2%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
73.0%
−5.7 ptssince 2020
from 78.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.4%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 36.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)10.8%(246)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.3%(394)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era46.4%(1,057)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War12.5%(285)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II3.6%(81)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,279 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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NOVATO VS
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NOVATO VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Novato, California?

Novato, California has about 52,546 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Novato, California?

The typical household in Novato, California earns about $115,736 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Novato, California expensive?

In Novato, California, the median home is worth about $1,032,500, and the typical rent is about $2,506 a month.

How educated are people in Novato, California?

About 48.9% of adults age 25 and over in Novato, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Novato, California?

About 9.6% of people in Novato, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Novato, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Novato, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,961 residents, a change of about 10 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 →