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CITY

Santa Monica

California · 90,082 residents (2025 est.) · 8.409 sq mi
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Part of the Los Angeles metro area
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Notable rankings
#60Most expensive homesof 6,786$1,755,500#78Most work-from-homeof 6,82638.4%#100Most densely populatedof 4,89110,713#341Most educatedof 6,82670.7%
The short version

Santa Monica is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $114,885. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 71% 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 $1,755,500. It ranks in the top 5% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.7
US median: 38.9
More educated
71% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 101%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
91,169
+8%since 2000
from 84,084 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
10,842 / sq mi
+5%since 2009
from 10,306 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.7
+9%since 2000
from 39.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:90,082 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
83K86K89K91K94K1990201020202024Santa Monica
202491K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54%(3,687)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.1%(3,696)
US avg: 6%
10 to 143.5%(3,205)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 193.3%(3,025)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.8%(3,480)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3418.9%(17,244)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4416.1%(14,689)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.4%(11,284)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.3%(13,043)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.8%(9,832)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.1%(5,579)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.6%(2,405)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$114,885
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $50,714 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$94,641
+121%since 2000
from $42,874 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
64.8%
+19.5 ptssince 2009
from 45.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.543
+1%since 2010
from 0.540 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Arts, entertainment, food10.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Other services9.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Information6.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Public administration6%
US avg: 4.8%
Retail trade5.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade2%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$1,755,500
+101%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $479,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,402
+66%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $792 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
27.9%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 29.8% in 2000
72.1% rent
Vacancy rate
11.2%
+4.8 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
36.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 38.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.7%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 44.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
15.3
+7%since 2009
from 14.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
66
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Santa Monica on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic71.9%(60,482)
Black3.7%(3,081)
Hispanic / Latino13.4%(11,304)
Asian7.2%(6,043)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic62.1%(56,633)
Black5.2%(4,741)
Hispanic / Latino15.3%(13,937)
Asian10%(9,141)
Other7.4%(6,717)
Diversity Score
72
+26%since 2009
from 57 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
Mexican9.1%(8,329)
Central American1.9%(1,751)
South American1.7%(1,524)
Guatemalan1.1%(971)
Salvadoran0.8%(700)
Argentine0.6%(550)
Puerto Rican0.4%(405)
Spaniard0.4%(375)
Peruvian0.4%(334)
Colombian0.3%(316)
Cuban0.3%(300)
Chilean0.2%(138)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Chinese2.6%(2,405)
Korean1.5%(1,333)
Asian Indian1.4%(1,263)
Japanese1%(893)
Filipino0.7%(654)
Pakistani0.6%(527)
Taiwanese0.5%(483)
Thai0.4%(342)
Vietnamese0.4%(335)
Cambodian0.2%(217)
Indonesian0.1%(95)
Nepalese0.1%(78)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(35)
Kazakh0%(18)
Uzbek0%(6)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0.2%(166)
Chamorro0%(24)
Ancestry
German9.9%(9,060)
English9.8%(8,980)
Irish9.7%(8,882)
Italian5.3%(4,828)
Polish3.8%(3,488)
Russian3.7%(3,352)
American2.8%(2,564)
Iranian2.7%(2,462)
French2.7%(2,426)
Scottish2%(1,783)
Swedish1.6%(1,467)
Dutch1.4%(1,284)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
Ukrainian1.4%(1,251)
Arab1.3%(1,206)
Austrian1%(931)
Armenian1%(885)
Norwegian0.9%(864)
British0.9%(810)
Hungarian0.9%(788)
West Indian0.7%(640)
Greek0.7%(619)
Romanian0.7%(604)
Ethiopian0.6%(561)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(507)
Danish0.5%(497)
Lebanese0.5%(483)
Egyptian0.5%(452)
Lithuanian0.5%(445)
Portuguese0.5%(425)
Czech0.4%(331)
Canadian0.3%(312)
Turkish0.3%(281)
Welsh0.3%(265)
Croatian0.3%(247)
Israeli0.3%(246)
Finnish0.3%(230)
Serbian0.2%(174)
Brazilian0.2%(171)
Swiss0.2%(154)
Jamaican0.2%(139)
Belgian0.1%(126)
Australian0.1%(123)
Latvian0.1%(122)
Bulgarian0.1%(120)
Slovak0.1%(118)
Palestinian0.1%(86)
Haitian0.1%(55)
Slovene0.1%(50)
Guyanese0.1%(47)
Iraqi0%(43)
Barbadian0%(43)
Moroccan0%(29)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
70.7%
+15.9 ptssince 2000
from 54.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.8%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 91.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
30.5%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 23.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.8 min
+47%since 2000
from 16.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
47.0%
−25.8 ptssince 2009
from 72.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
2.8%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.2%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
38.4%
+28.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
11.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.7%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 7.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.2%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 69.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
72.1%
−10.9 ptssince 2009
from 83.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
46.9%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Female
53.1%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Foreign born
23.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 22.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.6%
−45.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.1%
−0.8 ptssince 2012
from 9.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.5%
−85.4 ptssince 2013
from 88.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.1%
+5.8 ptssince 2017
from 88.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
72.2%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 70.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
10.3%
−1.0 ptssince 2016
from 11.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married46.4%(17,452)
Married42.8%(16,088)
Widowed1.5%(549)
Divorced9.4%(3,519)
Women 15+
Never married42.2%(18,155)
Married36.5%(15,676)
Widowed6.9%(2,977)
Divorced14.3%(6,165)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Santa Monica to nearby cities

SANTA MONICA VS
Marina del Rey
Income$146,623+28%
Home value$458,800−74%
Population9,176−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MONICA VS
Los Angeles
Income$81,939−29%
Home value$921,200−48%
Population3,869,089+4195%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MONICA VS
Culver City
Income$117,389+2%
Home value$1,142,900−35%
Population39,452−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MONICA VS
Beverly Hills
Income$132,977+16%
Home value$2,000,001+14%
Population30,764−66%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Monica, California?

Santa Monica, California has about 91,169 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Santa Monica, California?

The typical household in Santa Monica, California earns about $114,885 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Santa Monica, California expensive?

In Santa Monica, California, the median home is worth about $1,755,500, and the typical rent is about $2,402 a month.

How educated are people in Santa Monica, California?

About 70.7% of adults age 25 and over in Santa Monica, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Santa Monica, California?

About 11.2% of people in Santa Monica, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Santa Monica, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Santa Monica, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,264 residents, a change of about 5 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 →