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CITY

San Marcos

California · 94,908 residents (2025 est.) · 24.571 sq mi
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The short version

San Marcos is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $109,377. The city has grown rapidly, with population up 73% since 2000. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $868,000. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.8
US median: 38.9
More educated
44% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 167%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
94,882
+73%since 2000
from 54,977 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,862 / sq mi
+23%since 2009
from 3,145 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
36.8
+15%since 2000
from 32.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:94,908 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
33K50K67K84K101K1990201020202024San Marcos
202495K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(5,801)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.1%(6,692)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.6%(7,224)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.1%(7,731)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.8%(5,514)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413%(12,371)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.2%(14,425)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.5%(11,889)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.3%(10,729)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.8%(7,372)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.5%(3,325)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,809)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$109,377
+31%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,908 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$47,841
+156%since 2000
from $18,657 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
65.4%
+22.4 ptssince 2009
from 43.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.2%
−2.8 ptssince 2000
from 12.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.442
+2%since 2010
from 0.434 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food2.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$868,000
+167%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $178,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,348
+62%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $797 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
63.7%
−2.3 ptssince 2000
from 66.0% in 2000
36.3% rent
Vacancy rate
3.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
32.3%
−14.1 ptssince 2009
from 46.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
61.7%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 63.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.9
+7%since 2009
from 7.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
81
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in San Marcos on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic53.9%(29,617)
Black1.8%(1,001)
Hispanic / Latino36.9%(20,271)
Asian4.6%(2,503)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic43.8%(41,596)
Black1.2%(1,133)
Hispanic / Latino36.8%(34,873)
Asian11.7%(11,055)
Other6.6%(6,225)
Diversity Score
82
+7%since 2009
from 77 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
Mexican31.3%(29,706)
South American1.7%(1,640)
Central American1.6%(1,484)
Chilean0.7%(629)
Salvadoran0.6%(599)
Puerto Rican0.6%(533)
Spaniard0.5%(475)
Guatemalan0.4%(391)
Peruvian0.3%(307)
Honduran0.3%(289)
Cuban0.2%(198)
Venezuelan0.2%(190)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.2%(156)
Ecuadorian0.1%(125)
Colombian0.1%(121)
Panamanian0.1%(107)
Bolivian0.1%(84)
Dominican0%(18)
Asian origin
Filipino3%(2,847)
Asian Indian2.3%(2,170)
Vietnamese1.5%(1,411)
Chinese1.4%(1,317)
Indonesian0.7%(653)
Korean0.5%(476)
Japanese0.5%(461)
Kazakh0.3%(239)
Taiwanese0.2%(221)
Pakistani0.2%(194)
Nepalese0.2%(178)
Laotian0.1%(90)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0.1%(62)
Okinawan0%(40)
Thai0%(30)
Malaysian0%(15)
Uzbek0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.3%(326)
Marshallese0.2%(232)
Chamorro0.1%(68)
Guamanian0%(38)
Ancestry
English9.4%(8,922)
Irish9.2%(8,725)
German9.2%(8,698)
Italian4.3%(4,096)
Scottish2.2%(2,083)
American2.1%(1,973)
French1.9%(1,812)
Polish1.6%(1,565)
Russian1.6%(1,522)
Norwegian1.5%(1,467)
Welsh1%(908)
Dutch0.9%(901)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.8%(777)
Swedish0.8%(738)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(604)
Portuguese0.6%(575)
Danish0.6%(528)
Canadian0.5%(490)
Greek0.5%(484)
Hungarian0.5%(471)
Iranian0.4%(400)
Czech0.4%(334)
Ukrainian0.3%(330)
British0.3%(318)
Serbian0.3%(302)
Armenian0.2%(222)
Brazilian0.2%(219)
Belgian0.2%(191)
Lebanese0.2%(182)
Egyptian0.2%(162)
Lithuanian0.2%(146)
West Indian0.1%(142)
Austrian0.1%(141)
Australian0.1%(140)
Slovak0.1%(139)
Swiss0.1%(123)
Croatian0.1%(119)
Finnish0.1%(76)
Bulgarian0.1%(69)
Iraqi0.1%(59)
Latvian0.1%(54)
Jamaican0%(42)
Syrian0%(39)
Barbadian0%(30)
Romanian0%(26)
Nigerian0%(20)
Moroccan0%(11)
Slovene0%(10)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest German population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
43.8%
+23.8 ptssince 2000
from 20.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.2%
+13.2 ptssince 2000
from 75.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
15.5%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 5.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.5 min
+41%since 2000
from 18.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
67.7%
−8.0 ptssince 2009
from 75.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.0%
−6.6 ptssince 2009
from 14.6% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
20.5%
+16.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 7.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.2%
+4.0 ptssince 2011
from 62.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
11.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
47.0%
−16.6 ptssince 2009
from 63.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Female
51.1%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Foreign born
22.3%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 25.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.8%
−43.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.8%
+2.6 ptssince 2012
from 8.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.1%
−75.4 ptssince 2013
from 82.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.9%
+9.6 ptssince 2017
from 86.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
64.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 64.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
24.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2016
from 25.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.4%(12,367)
Married57.6%(20,681)
Widowed1.7%(614)
Divorced6.3%(2,252)
Women 15+
Never married30.4%(11,934)
Married51.9%(20,384)
Widowed7.2%(2,839)
Divorced10.4%(4,094)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Compare San Marcos to nearby cities

SAN MARCOS VS
Escondido
Income$91,967−16%
Home value$714,500−18%
Population146,030+54%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MARCOS VS
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Income$94,975−13%
Home value$762,400−12%
Population98,274+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MARCOS VS
Carlsbad
Income$142,748+31%
Home value$1,257,000+45%
Population112,260+18%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN MARCOS VS
Encinitas
Income$162,229+48%
Home value$1,646,800+90%
Population60,736−36%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Marcos, California?

San Marcos, California has about 94,882 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in San Marcos, California earns about $109,377 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Marcos, California expensive?

In San Marcos, California, the median home is worth about $868,000, and the typical rent is about $2,348 a month.

How educated are people in San Marcos, California?

About 43.8% of adults age 25 and over in San Marcos, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Marcos, California?

About 9.2% of people in San Marcos, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Marcos, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Marcos, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 55,908 residents, a change of about 143 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 →