CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2000 CENSUS

San Diego County

California · 2,813,833 residents · 4,210 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the San Diego metro area
Compare
The short version

San Diego County is a county of 2,813,833 people in California. The typical home is worth $212,000. Owners hold 55% of the housing stock. About 30% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $761 a month. Growth has run 13% since 1990, or 315,817 more people.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $42,589
Younger
median age 33.2
US median: 35.2
More educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
More affordable
home values down 14%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
2,813,833
+13%since 1990
from 2,498,016 in 1990
1990 – 2025
Median age
33.2
+7%since 1990
from 31.0 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
4,210 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2.4M2.7M2.9M3.2M3.4M19902000201020202024San Diego County
20243.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 57.1%(198,621)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 97.6%(212,829)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 147.1%(199,669)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 197.1%(199,919)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 248.2%(230,953)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.8%(443,360)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4416.3%(457,263)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5412.5%(352,803)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 647.3%(204,666)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 745.7%(160,059)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 844.2%(117,284)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.3%(36,407)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$47,067
+2%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $35,022 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$22,926
+41%since 1990
from $16,220 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
12.4%
+1.1 ptssince 1990
from 11.3% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$212,000
−14%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $186,200 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$761
−5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $611 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
55.4%
+1.6 ptssince 1990
from 53.8% in 1990
44.6% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic75.1%(1,875,517)
Black6.3%(157,495)
Hispanic / Latino20%(498,578)
Asian8%(198,675)
2000
White, non-Hispanic55%(1,548,833)
Black5.5%(154,487)
Hispanic / Latino26.7%(750,965)
Asian8.7%(245,297)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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
29.5%
+4.2 ptssince 1990
from 25.3% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
82.6%
+0.7 ptssince 1990
from 81.9% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
10.9%
+2.0 ptssince 1990
from 8.8% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.7 min
−29%since 1990
from 23.5 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35%(384,882)
Married54.6%(599,512)
Widowed2%(22,151)
Divorced8.4%(92,056)
Women 15+
Never married25.3%(279,281)
Married54.1%(596,875)
Widowed8.5%(94,364)
Divorced12.1%(133,468)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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+98%
Home value$557,300+163%
Population2,544,916−22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Orange County
Income$116,289+147%
Home value$962,600+354%
Population3,149,507−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Imperial County
Income$57,681+23%
Home value$309,600+46%
Population181,411−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VS
Los Angeles County
Income$90,112+91%
Home value$834,200+293%
Population9,694,934+195%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Diego County, California?

San Diego County, California has about 2,813,833 residents according to the 2000 Census.

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

The typical household in San Diego County, California earns about $47,067 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 $212,000, and the typical rent is about $761 a month.

How educated are people in San Diego County, California?

About 29.5% 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 12.4% 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 315,817 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →