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CITY · INCORPORATED 1850 · 2020 ACS

San Diego

California · 1,386,932 residents · 326 sq mi
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The short version

San Diego is a city of 1,386,932 people in California. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $629,500. Owners hold 46% of the housing stock. 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. 26% of locals were born outside the United States. Renters pay $1,770 a month at the median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.8
US median: 38.8
More educated
47% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 90%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,386,932
+13%since 2000
from 1,223,400 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.8
+10%since 2000
from 32.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
326 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.1M1.2M1.3M1.3M1.4M19902000201020202024San Diego
20241.4M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55%(69,341)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.2%(72,307)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.4%(75,138)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.2%(85,913)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.9%(124,030)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3417.8%(246,736)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.1%(195,882)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412%(165,765)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.3%(157,014)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.3%(114,846)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844%(56,159)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.7%(23,801)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$83,454
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,733 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,090
+83%since 2000
from $23,609 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
54.6%
+12.9 ptssince 2009
from 41.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
11.8%
−2.8 ptssince 2000
from 14.6% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade9.6%
US avg: 10%
Information9.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services6.6%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade4.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance4%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food2.3%
US avg: 2%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$629,500
+90%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $220,000 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,770
+54%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $763 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
46.3%
−3.2 ptssince 2000
from 49.5% in 2000
53.7% rent
Persons per household
2.69 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
7.5
−12%since 2009
from 8.6 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic49.4%(603,892)
Black7.6%(92,830)
Hispanic / Latino25.4%(310,752)
Asian13.5%(164,895)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic40.7%(565,128)
Black5.6%(77,542)
Hispanic / Latino29.7%(411,286)
Asian17.6%(243,438)
Other5%(68,946)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican25.9%(366,394)
South American0.9%(13,288)
Central American0.9%(12,951)
Puerto Rican0.8%(11,088)
Spaniard0.5%(6,456)
Guatemalan0.4%(5,102)
Colombian0.3%(4,075)
Salvadoran0.3%(3,597)
Cuban0.2%(3,523)
Peruvian0.2%(2,344)
Chilean0.2%(2,316)
Argentine0.1%(1,711)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0.1%(1,354)
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,307)
Dominican0.1%(1,278)
Honduran0.1%(1,175)
Nicaraguan0.1%(1,130)
Venezuelan0.1%(847)
Uruguayan0%(400)
Bolivian0%(183)
Asian origin
Filipino5.5%(77,612)
Chinese3.2%(45,556)
Vietnamese2.6%(36,509)
Asian Indian2.1%(30,207)
Korean1%(14,809)
Japanese0.7%(9,349)
Laotian0.3%(4,898)
Cambodian0.3%(4,838)
Taiwanese0.2%(3,246)
Thai0.1%(1,710)
Pakistani0.1%(1,343)
Burmese0.1%(1,265)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(596)
Indonesian0%(478)
Nepalese0%(159)
Sri Lankan0%(147)
Malaysian0%(27)
Mongolian0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(4,268)
Chamorro0.3%(4,142)
Samoan0.2%(2,560)
Fijian0%(427)
Tongan0%(207)
Ancestry
German8.2%(115,745)
Irish7%(98,350)
English5.9%(82,959)
Italian4.2%(59,237)
American2.4%(33,633)
Polish1.8%(25,603)
French1.7%(24,290)
Scottish1.4%(19,671)
Subsaharan African1.1%(15,526)
Swedish1.1%(15,371)
Russian1.1%(15,168)
Norwegian1.1%(15,007)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(10,765)
British0.7%(10,600)
Portuguese0.7%(10,189)
Iranian0.7%(9,267)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(8,040)
Welsh0.5%(6,782)
Hungarian0.4%(6,231)
Danish0.4%(5,733)
Greek0.4%(5,639)
Ukrainian0.3%(4,501)
French Canadian0.3%(4,045)
Brazilian0.3%(3,628)
Czech0.3%(3,576)
Swiss0.2%(3,319)
Canadian0.2%(3,092)
Austrian0.2%(2,928)
Finnish0.2%(2,854)
Somali0.2%(2,831)
West Indian0.2%(2,773)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,662)
Ethiopian0.2%(2,616)
Armenian0.2%(2,507)
Lebanese0.2%(2,443)
Slovak0.1%(1,950)
Turkish0.1%(1,846)
Romanian0.1%(1,763)
Arab0.1%(1,722)
Croatian0.1%(1,698)
Israeli0.1%(1,461)
Bulgarian0.1%(1,237)
Belgian0.1%(1,224)
Jamaican0.1%(1,211)
Syrian0.1%(1,113)
Serbian0.1%(1,085)
Egyptian0.1%(1,071)
Nigerian0.1%(1,037)
Palestinian0.1%(974)
Iraqi0.1%(776)
Haitian0.1%(729)
Moroccan0%(669)
Australian0%(583)
Slovene0%(556)
Jordanian0%(377)
Latvian0%(315)
Ghanaian0%(271)
Kenyan0%(163)
Barbadian0%(110)
Guyanese0%(103)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
46.7%
+11.7 ptssince 2000
from 35.0% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
88.8%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 82.8% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
19.2%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 13.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.5 min
+70%since 2000
from 14.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
72.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 75.8% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 8.4% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2011
from 67.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.3%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
49.3%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Female
49.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Foreign born
25.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 25.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
7.5%
−9.1 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
96.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
83.1%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married44.8%(266,698)
Married46.3%(275,477)
Widowed1.7%(9,962)
Divorced7.2%(42,597)
Women 15+
Never married37.3%(216,942)
Married45.4%(263,827)
Widowed6.3%(36,596)
Divorced10.9%(63,478)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.5%
−9.1 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.4%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
14.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
19.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
31.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)35%(28,989)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)27.7%(23,000)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era29%(23,996)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6%(4,979)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.5%(2,034)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 82,884 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
Explore

Neighborhoods in San Diego

Allied GardensBalboa ParkBarrio LoganBay HoBay ParkBay TerracesBlack Mountain RanchCarmel MountainCarmel ValleyCastleClairemont Mesa EastClairemont Mesa WestColina del SolCollege EastCollege WestCore-ColumbiaCorridorDel CerroEastEgger HighlandsEncantoGolden HillHillcrestJomacha-LomitaKensingtonLa JollaLake MurrayLincoln ParkLinda VistaLogan HeightsMarinaMidtownMidway DistrictMira MesaMiramar Ranch NorthMission Bay ParkMission HillsMission Valley EastMorenaMountain ViewNestorNormal HeightsNorth CityNorth ClairemontNorth ParkOak ParkOcean BeachOcean CrestOtay MesaOtay Mesa WestPacific BeachParadise HillsPark WestPoint Loma HeightsRancho BernardoRancho PenasquitosRoseville - Fleet RidgeSabre SpringsSan YsidroScripps RanchSerra MesaSorrento ValleySouthcrestTalmadgeTierrasantaTorrey PinesUniversity CityUniversity HeightsValencia ParkNeighborhoods in San Diego
Drill deeper

Places similar to San Diego

Austin
Pop 1,002,632
Phoenix
Pop 1,665,481
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Pop 1,329,491
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Head to head

Compare San Diego to nearby cities

SAN DIEGO VS
La Mesa
Income$95,028+14%
Home value$812,000+29%
Population59,914−96%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO VS
Lemon Grove
Income$88,009+5%
Home value$705,400+12%
Population27,936−98%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO VS
Santee
Income$113,394+36%
Home value$727,200+16%
Population58,205−96%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO VS
El Cajon
Income$67,511−19%
Home value$681,700+8%
Population101,755−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Diego, California?

San Diego, California has about 1,386,932 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in San Diego, California?

The typical household in San Diego, California earns about $83,454 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Diego, California expensive?

In San Diego, California, the median home is worth about $629,500, and the typical rent is about $1,770 a month.

How educated are people in San Diego, California?

About 46.7% of adults age 25 and over in San Diego, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Diego, California?

About 11.8% of people in San Diego, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Diego, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Diego, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 276,383 residents, a change of about 25 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 →