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CITY

San Juan Capistrano

California · 35,119 residents (2025 est.) · 14.4 sq mi
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Part of the Los Angeles metro area
The short version

San Juan Capistrano is home to 35,095 people in California. Home values have more than tripled since 2000, reaching $993,800. At a median age of 46.2, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Few US cities rank higher on income. 81% of homes are owner-occupied. Median rent is $2,438 a month.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 46.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
43% 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
35,095
+4%since 2000
from 33,826 in 2000
35,119 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,432 / sq mi
+2%since 2009
from 2,396 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
46.2
+27%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
14.4 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
25K28K31K34K37K19902000201020202024San Juan Capistrano
202435K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.7%(1,303)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.8%(2,388)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(2,136)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.7%(2,351)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(2,093)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.2%(3,564)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 449.7%(3,413)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.9%(4,868)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.4%(5,418)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.8%(4,153)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.5%(2,648)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.2%(760)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$129,457
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $62,392 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$63,646
+113%since 2000
from $29,926 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
74.4%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 55.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.3%
−2.4 ptssince 2000
from 10.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.469
−11%since 2010
from 0.527 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services10.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade9.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information8.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration5.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing4%
US avg: 2.2%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.8%
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
$993,800
+99%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $274,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,438
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $1,006 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
81.0%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 78.9% in 2000
19.0% rent
Vacancy rate
6.3%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.84 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.96 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
32.8%
−15.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.3%
−6.7 ptssince 2009
from 53.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.7
+3%since 2009
from 7.5 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
57
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic62.3%(21,084)
Black0.4%(151)
Hispanic / Latino33.1%(11,206)
Asian1.9%(634)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic55.4%(19,453)
Black0.4%(146)
Hispanic / Latino34.6%(12,139)
Asian4.5%(1,572)
Other5.1%(1,785)
Diversity Score
71
+7%since 2009
from 67 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
Mexican28.9%(10,128)
Colombian1%(358)
Spaniard0.7%(263)
Argentine0.5%(161)
Puerto Rican0.4%(132)
Salvadoran0.3%(96)
Ecuadorian0.2%(82)
Guatemalan0.1%(49)
Peruvian0.1%(47)
Bolivian0.1%(28)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(20)
Venezuelan0.1%(18)
Honduran0%(12)
Chilean0%(11)
Asian origin
Filipino1.1%(374)
Chinese0.9%(304)
Asian Indian0.7%(251)
Korean0.5%(160)
Japanese0.4%(132)
Vietnamese0.3%(101)
Thai0.1%(45)
Taiwanese0.1%(34)
Indonesian0.1%(24)
Pakistani0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.5%(158)
Ancestry
German12%(4,204)
English11.5%(4,028)
Irish10.8%(3,776)
Italian8.7%(3,045)
American3.7%(1,310)
Polish3.2%(1,110)
Scotch-Irish2.4%(852)
French2%(714)
Russian1.5%(518)
Scottish1.4%(490)
Swedish1.4%(485)
Norwegian1.3%(468)
+ 32 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(266)
Danish0.6%(218)
Iranian0.6%(207)
Arab0.5%(182)
Hungarian0.5%(172)
Welsh0.3%(119)
Greek0.3%(110)
Austrian0.2%(84)
Swiss0.2%(82)
Czech0.2%(81)
British0.2%(79)
Iraqi0.2%(73)
Finnish0.2%(61)
Slovak0.2%(61)
Croatian0.1%(41)
Ukrainian0.1%(41)
Brazilian0.1%(40)
Canadian0.1%(36)
Syrian0.1%(31)
Belgian0.1%(28)
Lebanese0.1%(27)
Armenian0.1%(27)
Latvian0.1%(23)
Portuguese0.1%(23)
Ghanaian0.1%(18)
Jordanian0%(11)
Romanian0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
43.4%
+12.6 ptssince 2000
from 30.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.7%
+8.1 ptssince 2000
from 81.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.7%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.5 min
+57%since 2000
from 16.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
66.2%
−11.6 ptssince 2009
from 77.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
17.3%
+9.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.9%
+2.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.6%
−3.9 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
63.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2011
from 63.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.0%
+4.4 ptssince 2020
from 65.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
8.7%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
42.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 41.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
Female
50.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
Foreign born
17.4%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 22.3% 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
10.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2012
from 10.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.1%
−15.8 ptssince 2013
from 21.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.7%
+8.9 ptssince 2017
from 86.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
98.0%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 95.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.8%
+4.1 ptssince 2020
from 88.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
69.0%
+4.9 ptssince 2016
from 64.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
27.0%
−5.7 ptssince 2016
from 32.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married29.9%(4,302)
Married60.9%(8,762)
Widowed2.7%(394)
Divorced6.4%(918)
Women 15+
Never married24.5%(3,646)
Married55.5%(8,271)
Widowed6.8%(1,012)
Divorced13.2%(1,963)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.1%
−15.8 ptssince 2013
from 21.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.9%
−5.3 ptssince 2020
from 55.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
22.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 21.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 18.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
17.3%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
68.7%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 72.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.6%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 31.9% 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)2.3%(35)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)5.6%(84)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era45.4%(684)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.5%(53)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.3%(19)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,506 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
Drill deeper

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO VS
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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in San Juan Capistrano, California?

San Juan Capistrano, California has about 35,095 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in San Juan Capistrano, California?

The typical household in San Juan Capistrano, California earns about $129,457 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Juan Capistrano, California expensive?

In San Juan Capistrano, California, the median home is worth about $993,800, and the typical rent is about $2,438 a month.

How educated are people in San Juan Capistrano, California?

About 43.4% of adults age 25 and over in San Juan Capistrano, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Juan Capistrano, California?

About 8.3% of people in San Juan Capistrano, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Juan Capistrano, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Juan Capistrano, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 8,912 residents, a change of about 34 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 →