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CITY

Vista

California · 98,274 residents (2025 est.) · 18.746 sq mi
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The short version

Vista is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $94,975. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $762,400. It sits in the top 10% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
29% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 122%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
99,114
+10%since 2000
from 89,857 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,287 / sq mi
+10%since 2009
from 4,820 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
35.9
+18%since 2000
from 30.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:98,274 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
69K78K86K95K104K1990201020202024Vista
202499K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(6,102)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(6,276)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.2%(7,146)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.2%(7,132)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(7,044)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.5%(14,385)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415.5%(15,324)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(12,541)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.3%(10,238)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748%(7,945)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.7%(3,648)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.3%(1,333)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$94,975
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,594 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,149
+134%since 2000
from $18,027 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
61.3%
+27.3 ptssince 2009
from 34.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.5%
−3.7 ptssince 2000
from 14.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.443
+14%since 2010
from 0.389 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services4.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction2.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Public administration2%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$762,400
+122%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $188,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,249
+57%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $788 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
51.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 54.2% in 2000
48.3% rent
Vacancy rate
3.6%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
31.8%
−14.7 ptssince 2009
from 46.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
57.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 57.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.0
−4%since 2009
from 8.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
71
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Vista on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic49.9%(44,844)
Black3.9%(3,535)
Hispanic / Latino38.9%(34,990)
Asian3.6%(3,206)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic36.2%(35,854)
Black2.7%(2,676)
Hispanic / Latino49.4%(48,933)
Asian5.6%(5,528)
Other6.2%(6,123)
Diversity Score
77
+4%since 2009
from 74 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
Mexican45.1%(44,708)
Central American1.1%(1,112)
Guatemalan0.6%(629)
Puerto Rican0.4%(444)
Cuban0.4%(353)
Spaniard0.3%(327)
Salvadoran0.2%(212)
Colombian0.2%(209)
Honduran0.1%(121)
Argentine0.1%(107)
Peruvian0.1%(96)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(76)
Costa Rican0.1%(64)
Nicaraguan0.1%(55)
Paraguayan0.1%(50)
Uruguayan0%(44)
Chilean0%(37)
Dominican0%(34)
Asian origin
Filipino2%(1,990)
Vietnamese0.9%(923)
Asian Indian0.7%(739)
Chinese0.6%(627)
Japanese0.6%(575)
Korean0.2%(228)
Thai0.2%(206)
Taiwanese0.1%(57)
Laotian0%(40)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.7%(695)
Chamorro0.3%(261)
Guamanian0%(15)
Fijian0%(12)
Ancestry
German7.8%(7,749)
English6.6%(6,579)
Irish5.5%(5,452)
Italian3.5%(3,509)
French2%(1,991)
Swedish1.8%(1,772)
Polish1.4%(1,396)
American1.4%(1,381)
Scottish1.3%(1,324)
Dutch0.9%(860)
Norwegian0.6%(604)
+ 42 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.5%(538)
Danish0.5%(503)
Arab0.5%(500)
Brazilian0.5%(455)
Welsh0.4%(422)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(415)
Greek0.4%(367)
British0.3%(337)
Portuguese0.2%(225)
Swiss0.2%(209)
Lithuanian0.2%(204)
Lebanese0.2%(182)
Ukrainian0.2%(182)
Austrian0.2%(151)
Czech0.1%(147)
Croatian0.1%(141)
Hungarian0.1%(134)
Serbian0.1%(125)
Somali0.1%(121)
Iranian0.1%(116)
Canadian0.1%(113)
Romanian0.1%(104)
Egyptian0.1%(102)
Moroccan0.1%(88)
Finnish0.1%(88)
Belgian0.1%(69)
West Indian0.1%(62)
Slovak0.1%(59)
Ghanaian0%(40)
Turkish0%(29)
Iraqi0%(24)
Haitian0%(16)
Israeli0%(12)
Latvian0%(12)
Syrian0%(7)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
29.3%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 19.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
82.8%
+7.0 ptssince 2000
from 75.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.7 min
+45%since 2000
from 18.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
72.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 72.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.7%
−8.2 ptssince 2009
from 15.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.9%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.2%
+11.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.6%
−3.1 ptssince 2011
from 9.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
68.9%
+4.8 ptssince 2011
from 64.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
9.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.3%
−23.5 ptssince 2009
from 57.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Female
49.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Foreign born
22.5%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 26.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.0%
−44.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
8.9%
−0.5 ptssince 2012
from 9.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.1%
−64.3 ptssince 2013
from 75.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.2%
+9.0 ptssince 2017
from 86.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
60.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 59.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
34.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2016
from 35.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.8%(16,288)
Married48.4%(19,327)
Widowed2.4%(945)
Divorced8.5%(3,397)
Women 15+
Never married34.3%(13,578)
Married48%(19,038)
Widowed6.3%(2,498)
Divorced11.4%(4,519)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Vista to nearby cities

VISTA VS
Oceanside
Income$97,737+3%
Home value$770,300+1%
Population170,483+73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VISTA VS
Carlsbad
Income$142,748+50%
Home value$1,257,000+65%
Population112,260+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VISTA VS
San Marcos
Income$109,377+15%
Home value$868,000+14%
Population94,908−3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VISTA VS
Camp Pendleton South
Income$69,853−26%
Home value$79,300−90%
Population15,766−84%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Vista, California?

Vista, California has about 99,114 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Vista, California?

The typical household in Vista, California earns about $94,975 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Vista, California expensive?

In Vista, California, the median home is worth about $762,400, and the typical rent is about $2,249 a month.

How educated are people in Vista, California?

About 29.3% of adults age 25 and over in Vista, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Vista, California?

About 10.5% of people in Vista, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Vista, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Vista, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 27,242 residents, a change of about 38 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 →