CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2020 ACS

San Luis Obispo County

California · 282,424 residents · 3,301 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the San Luis Obispo metro area
Compare
The short version

San Luis Obispo County is a county of 282,424 people in California. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $605,200. Median rent is $1,535 a month. Growth has run 14% since 2000, or 35,743 more people. Households take in $77,948 a year at the median, 18% more than the country as a whole. 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 41.4
US median: 38.8
Average education
36% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 84%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
282,424
+14%since 2000
from 246,681 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
41.4
+11%since 2000
from 37.3 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
3,301 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
211K230K250K270K289K19902000201020202024San Luis Obispo County
2024282K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.4%(12,536)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.9%(13,967)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.3%(15,072)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.2%(17,544)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 249.5%(26,792)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3411.7%(32,916)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.7%(33,134)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5410.6%(29,909)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.9%(39,301)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7413.2%(37,223)
US avg: 10%
75 to 846.1%(17,187)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.4%(6,843)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$77,948
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,428 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$38,686
+77%since 2000
from $21,864 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
51.7%
+16.0 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
11.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2000
from 12.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade8.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade7.4%
US avg: 10%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance4.7%
US avg: 5.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction2.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration2.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.9%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.3%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$605,200
+84%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $218,600 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,535
+42%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $719 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
61.5%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 61.5% in 2000
38.5% rent
Persons per household
2.51 people
+5%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
7.8
−19%since 2009
from 9.6 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.1%(187,840)
Black1.9%(4,743)
Hispanic / Latino16.3%(40,196)
Asian2.6%(6,342)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic65%(183,468)
Black1.5%(4,330)
Hispanic / Latino24%(67,921)
Asian3.5%(10,001)
Other3.8%(10,807)
Segregation Score
25
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
Mexican19.6%(55,483)
Spaniard0.6%(1,836)
Central American0.6%(1,661)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,251)
South American0.4%(1,186)
Guatemalan0.2%(677)
Argentine0.1%(419)
Salvadoran0.1%(378)
Cuban0.1%(293)
Honduran0.1%(220)
Colombian0.1%(195)
Peruvian0.1%(159)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(158)
Costa Rican0.1%(156)
Uruguayan0%(127)
Ecuadorian0%(117)
Dominican0%(87)
Chilean0%(33)
Asian origin
Filipino1.2%(3,326)
Chinese0.8%(2,381)
Asian Indian0.4%(1,046)
Japanese0.3%(875)
Korean0.3%(868)
Vietnamese0.3%(834)
Pakistani0.1%(251)
Cambodian0%(121)
Thai0%(117)
Taiwanese0%(92)
Burmese0%(39)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(30)
Nepalese0%(28)
Hmong0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(316)
Chamorro0%(103)
Tongan0%(18)
Ancestry
German14.9%(42,031)
Irish12.1%(34,215)
English12%(33,990)
Italian5.9%(16,716)
American3.6%(10,106)
French3.2%(8,957)
Scottish2.7%(7,701)
Portuguese2%(5,727)
Polish1.7%(4,850)
Swedish1.7%(4,797)
Norwegian1.7%(4,790)
Dutch1.5%(4,310)
+ 45 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.1%(3,158)
Scotch-Irish1%(2,685)
British0.9%(2,488)
Danish0.9%(2,456)
Welsh0.8%(2,345)
Swiss0.7%(2,062)
Greek0.4%(1,246)
French Canadian0.4%(1,208)
Hungarian0.4%(1,204)
Czech0.4%(1,113)
Austrian0.3%(846)
Canadian0.3%(845)
Armenian0.3%(789)
Croatian0.2%(645)
Finnish0.2%(633)
Iranian0.2%(542)
Ukrainian0.2%(530)
Belgian0.2%(510)
Lithuanian0.2%(447)
Lebanese0.2%(441)
Nigerian0.1%(408)
Serbian0.1%(369)
Romanian0.1%(343)
Syrian0.1%(289)
Australian0.1%(280)
Turkish0.1%(235)
Egyptian0.1%(217)
Bulgarian0.1%(189)
West Indian0.1%(185)
Slovak0.1%(175)
Palestinian0.1%(158)
Brazilian0%(126)
Slovene0%(105)
Arab0%(98)
Iraqi0%(96)
Jordanian0%(74)
Jamaican0%(71)
Moroccan0%(64)
Latvian0%(59)
Israeli0%(40)
Ethiopian0%(36)
Kenyan0%(20)
Barbadian0%(14)
Haitian0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
36.1%
+9.4 ptssince 2000
from 26.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
91.8%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 85.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
13.8%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 9.3% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.0 min
+57%since 2000
from 14.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
72.6%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 73.9% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
3.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.5%
−3.6 ptssince 2011
from 8.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
58.5%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 59.4% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.9%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
39.6%
+5.0 ptssince 2009
from 34.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Female
49.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Foreign born
9.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
6.0%
−7.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.8%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
82.2%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.7%(48,235)
Married49.9%(60,585)
Widowed2.4%(2,871)
Divorced8.1%(9,805)
Women 15+
Never married32.1%(38,442)
Married48.3%(57,941)
Widowed7.5%(8,954)
Divorced12.1%(14,537)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.0%
−7.8 ptssince 2013
from 13.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
57.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
18.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
21.1%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
17.0%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.3%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
74.1%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.1%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.8%(2,363)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)12.7%(2,168)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era45%(7,703)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War12.1%(2,064)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.1%(526)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 17,118 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 Luis Obispo County

Anchorage
Pop 287,155
Cumberland County
Pop 317,222
Shelby County
Pop 238,552
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
Pop 284,015
Places similar to San Luis Obispo County
Head to head

Compare San Luis Obispo County to nearby counties

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VS
Kings County
Income$70,995−9%
Home value$324,300−46%
Population154,327−45%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VS
Santa Barbara County
Income$98,161+26%
Home value$790,700+31%
Population442,065+57%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VS
Monterey County
Income$97,230+25%
Home value$781,000+29%
Population433,729+54%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VS
San Benito County
Income$114,394+47%
Home value$793,400+31%
Population70,082−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Luis Obispo County, California?

San Luis Obispo County, California has about 282,424 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in San Luis Obispo County, California earns about $77,948 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Luis Obispo County, California expensive?

In San Luis Obispo County, California, the median home is worth about $605,200, and the typical rent is about $1,535 a month.

How educated are people in San Luis Obispo County, California?

About 36.1% of adults age 25 and over in San Luis Obispo County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Luis Obispo County, California?

About 11.1% of people in San Luis Obispo County, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has San Luis Obispo County, California grown since 1990?

Yes, San Luis Obispo County, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 65,262 residents, a change of about 30 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 →