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COUNTY

San Diego County

California · 3,282,248 residents (2025 est.) · 4,210 sq mi
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Part of the San Diego metro area
The short version

With 3,288,774 people, San Diego County is a county in California. The typical home is worth $854,700, having more than tripled since 2000. Few US counties rank higher on income. Renters pay $2,246 a month at the median. Owners hold 55% of the housing stock. 23% of locals were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
43% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 121%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
3,288,774
+17%since 2000
from 2,813,833 in 2000
3,282,248 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
781 / sq mi
+10%since 2009
from 710 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.3
+12%since 2000
from 33.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
4,210 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2.4M2.7M2.9M3.2M3.4M19902000201020202024San Diego County
20243.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(183,613)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(186,786)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(199,717)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(208,240)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247%(229,033)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.9%(522,544)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.3%(471,054)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(396,336)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.7%(383,717)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.1%(297,980)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.6%(149,924)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(59,830)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$106,268
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,067 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$51,976
+127%since 2000
from $22,926 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
64.6%
+22.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.3%
−2.2 ptssince 2000
from 12.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.458
+1%since 2010
from 0.452 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$854,700
+121%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $212,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,246
+62%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $761 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
54.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2000
from 55.4% in 2000
45.4% rent
Vacancy rate
6.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.72 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.76 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
31.9%
−11.8 ptssince 2009
from 43.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
55.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 53.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
8.0
−2%since 2009
from 8.2 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
76
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic55%(1,548,833)
Black5.5%(154,487)
Hispanic / Latino26.7%(750,965)
Asian8.7%(245,297)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic42.4%(1,394,708)
Black4.4%(143,223)
Hispanic / Latino34.6%(1,139,063)
Asian12.1%(397,310)
Other6.5%(214,470)
Diversity Score
85
+8%since 2009
from 79 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
39
−6%since 2020
from 41 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican29.7%(975,588)
Central American1.2%(39,448)
South American1%(33,735)
Puerto Rican0.8%(26,187)
Guatemalan0.6%(18,300)
Spaniard0.4%(14,413)
Colombian0.3%(11,484)
Salvadoran0.3%(10,718)
Cuban0.2%(7,915)
Peruvian0.2%(6,927)
Dominican0.1%(4,125)
Argentine0.1%(3,875)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(3,708)
Ecuadorian0.1%(3,212)
Nicaraguan0.1%(2,866)
Honduran0.1%(2,686)
Venezuelan0.1%(2,560)
Panamanian0.1%(2,477)
Costa Rican0.1%(1,978)
Bolivian0%(1,007)
Uruguayan0%(514)
Paraguayan0%(145)
Asian origin
Filipino4.6%(150,280)
Chinese2%(64,366)
Asian Indian1.5%(47,693)
Vietnamese1.4%(47,640)
Korean0.7%(21,721)
Japanese0.5%(17,115)
Cambodian0.2%(6,900)
Laotian0.2%(6,796)
Taiwanese0.2%(6,175)
Kazakh0.1%(4,171)
Thai0.1%(3,594)
Pakistani0.1%(2,351)
+ 13 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0.1%(1,764)
Indonesian0.1%(1,652)
Burmese0%(1,370)
Nepalese0%(722)
Sri Lankan0%(424)
Malaysian0%(404)
Mongolian0%(323)
Uzbek0%(265)
Mien0%(164)
Okinawan0%(66)
Bhutanese0%(41)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(9,903)
Chamorro0.2%(7,855)
Samoan0.2%(6,833)
Guamanian0%(1,559)
Tongan0%(1,101)
Fijian0%(770)
Chuukese0%(152)
Ancestry
German9.1%(298,305)
English8%(262,576)
Irish7.8%(255,722)
Italian4.2%(137,798)
American2.5%(81,666)
French1.8%(58,643)
Polish1.6%(53,920)
Scottish1.6%(51,677)
Arab1.4%(44,429)
Norwegian1.1%(37,669)
Swedish1.1%(36,039)
Subsaharan African0.9%(30,641)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.9%(28,604)
Dutch0.8%(27,141)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(18,987)
Portuguese0.6%(18,138)
Iranian0.5%(17,138)
Iraqi0.5%(16,369)
British0.5%(15,597)
Welsh0.4%(14,465)
Danish0.4%(13,543)
Greek0.4%(13,020)
Hungarian0.4%(11,971)
West Indian0.4%(11,825)
Ukrainian0.4%(11,730)
French Canadian0.3%(9,478)
Swiss0.2%(8,184)
Czech0.2%(8,134)
Canadian0.2%(6,928)
Lebanese0.2%(6,920)
Brazilian0.2%(6,661)
Lithuanian0.2%(5,691)
Austrian0.2%(5,673)
Armenian0.2%(5,546)
Jamaican0.2%(5,354)
Finnish0.1%(4,364)
Ethiopian0.1%(4,128)
Croatian0.1%(4,126)
Romanian0.1%(4,002)
Syrian0.1%(3,877)
Egyptian0.1%(3,605)
Somali0.1%(3,222)
Serbian0.1%(3,197)
Nigerian0.1%(2,974)
Haitian0.1%(2,945)
Belgian0.1%(2,907)
Turkish0.1%(2,798)
Israeli0.1%(2,745)
Slovak0.1%(2,717)
Palestinian0.1%(2,128)
Bulgarian0.1%(1,779)
Australian0.1%(1,711)
Moroccan0%(1,108)
Slovene0%(1,082)
Kenyan0%(1,003)
Guyanese0%(936)
Latvian0%(687)
Ghanaian0%(660)
Jordanian0%(550)
Macedonian0%(456)
Barbadian0%(267)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
43.2%
+13.6 ptssince 2000
from 29.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.1%
+6.5 ptssince 2000
from 82.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
17.2%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.5 min
+53%since 2000
from 16.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
65.9%
−9.5 ptssince 2009
from 75.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.1%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.9%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
18.7%
+12.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.1%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 8.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2011
from 65.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 73.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
47.8%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 39.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
49.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
22.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 22.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.1%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 9.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.4%
−10.4 ptssince 2013
from 16.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.9%
+8.0 ptssince 2017
from 86.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.6%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 95.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.2%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 85.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
62.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 62.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
24.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 24.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.6%(555,874)
Married50.1%(685,901)
Widowed1.8%(25,326)
Divorced7.5%(102,565)
Women 15+
Never married32.8%(441,929)
Married48.8%(658,612)
Widowed6.9%(92,830)
Divorced11.5%(155,621)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.4%
−10.4 ptssince 2013
from 16.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
55.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 54.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 12.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 20.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 69.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.6% 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)39.4%(72,407)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)29.9%(54,894)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.8%(51,079)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.2%(5,867)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.9%(1,599)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 183,791 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

Places similar to San Diego County

Orange County
Pop 3,149,507
Riverside County
Pop 2,544,916
Maricopa County
Pop 4,689,558
King County
Pop 2,344,939
Places similar to San Diego County
Head to head

Compare San Diego County to nearby counties

SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Riverside County
Income$93,074−12%
Home value$557,300−35%
Population2,544,916−22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Orange County
Income$116,289+9%
Home value$962,600+13%
Population3,149,507−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Imperial County
Income$57,681−46%
Home value$309,600−64%
Population181,411−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Los Angeles County
Income$90,112−15%
Home value$834,200−2%
Population9,694,934+195%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Diego County, California?

San Diego County, California has about 3,288,774 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in San Diego County, California earns about $106,268 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Diego County, California expensive?

In San Diego County, California, the median home is worth about $854,700, and the typical rent is about $2,246 a month.

How educated are people in San Diego County, California?

About 43.2% of adults age 25 and over in San Diego County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Diego County, California?

About 10.3% of people in San Diego County, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Diego County, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Diego County, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 790,758 residents, a change of about 32 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 →

San Diego County, California: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy