METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS
Salinas Metro
Salinas, CA · 1 counties · 355,660 residents · 3,282 sq mi
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The short version
Salinas is a metro area of 355,660 people. The typical home is worth $196,300. 51% of homes are owner-occupied. This skews young, with a median age of 29.8. Renters pay $625 a month at the median. The population has fallen 11% since 2000.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Younger
median age 29.8
US median: 33.0
Average education
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
3,282 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024438K
Age distribution, 1990
Under 58.8%(31,226)
5 to 98%(28,551)
10 to 146.9%(24,607)
15 to 197.3%(25,789)
20 to 249.4%(33,483)
25 to 3419.7%(70,095)
35 to 4414.8%(52,704)
45 to 548.3%(29,637)
55 to 647%(25,054)
65 to 745.9%(20,828)
75 to 842.9%(10,407)
85 and over0.9%(3,279)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$33,520
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $48,305 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$196,300
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $254,800 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic40.3%(162,045)
Black3.5%(14,085)
Hispanic / Latino46.8%(187,969)
Asian5.8%(23,203)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic63.9%(227,262)
Black6.4%(22,679)
Hispanic / Latino32.7%(116,431)
Asian7.8%(27,657)
Other21.9%(78,062)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.
Hispanic origin
Mexican56.3%(246,333)
Central American2.2%(9,596)
Salvadoran1.6%(6,929)
South American0.7%(3,169)
Puerto Rican0.6%(2,419)
Spaniard0.4%(1,617)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,314)
Argentine0.3%(1,205)
Honduran0.2%(886)
Cuban0.2%(751)
Peruvian0.1%(599)
Colombian0.1%(562)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(230)
Chilean0%(200)
Panamanian0%(190)
Uruguayan0%(178)
Dominican0%(164)
Venezuelan0%(109)
Nicaraguan0%(98)
Costa Rican0%(90)
Paraguayan0%(45)
Bolivian0%(41)
Asian origin
Filipino2.6%(11,519)
Chinese0.9%(3,987)
Asian Indian0.5%(2,091)
Japanese0.5%(2,043)
Korean0.4%(1,878)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,475)
Pakistani0.1%(252)
Thai0%(189)
Bangladeshi0%(157)
Hmong0%(155)
Taiwanese0%(152)
Mongolian0%(116)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(116)
Burmese0%(95)
Cambodian0%(94)
Kazakh0%(65)
Indonesian0%(55)
Malaysian0%(27)
Sri Lankan0%(16)
Laotian0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.2%(923)
Samoan0.1%(637)
Chamorro0.1%(610)
Tongan0.1%(503)
Fijian0.1%(492)
Guamanian0.1%(272)
Ancestry
English5.7%(24,888)
German5.6%(24,589)
Irish5%(21,836)
Italian3.5%(15,229)
American1.5%(6,754)
French1.2%(5,319)
Scottish1.2%(5,160)
Portuguese1%(4,470)
Polish0.7%(3,251)
Swedish0.6%(2,423)
Norwegian0.6%(2,415)
Arab0.5%(2,325)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African0.5%(2,087)
Dutch0.5%(2,050)
Swiss0.5%(2,047)
Russian0.5%(1,976)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(1,822)
Danish0.4%(1,621)
Welsh0.3%(1,420)
British0.2%(1,029)
Greek0.2%(759)
Ukrainian0.2%(682)
Czech0.2%(676)
Hungarian0.2%(660)
French Canadian0.1%(619)
Iranian0.1%(593)
Armenian0.1%(578)
Lebanese0.1%(561)
Croatian0.1%(493)
West Indian0.1%(479)
Nigerian0.1%(449)
Austrian0.1%(448)
Brazilian0.1%(400)
Canadian0.1%(399)
Egyptian0.1%(351)
Slovak0.1%(342)
Jamaican0.1%(267)
Finnish0.1%(258)
Belgian0%(207)
Syrian0%(202)
Lithuanian0%(196)
Palestinian0%(180)
Serbian0%(158)
Haitian0%(139)
Romanian0%(136)
Australian0%(119)
Slovene0%(114)
Iraqi0%(98)
Cape Verdean0%(89)
Ethiopian0%(77)
Macedonian0%(74)
Bulgarian0%(54)
Turkish0%(53)
Moroccan0%(52)
Israeli0%(47)
Jordanian0%(46)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(25)
Somali0%(21)
Latvian0%(12)
Ghanaian0%(12)
Barbadian0%(3)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
72.9%
+4.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 68.4% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
No data for the years selected.
Section 08
People & community
No data for the years selected.
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married43.3%(76,377)
Married47.7%(84,130)
Widowed2.1%(3,670)
Divorced6.8%(12,066)
Women 15+
Never married37.2%(62,875)
Married46.9%(79,233)
Widowed6.4%(10,860)
Divorced9.4%(15,957)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).
Direct-purchase
10.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 11.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.6%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 1.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
55.2%
−3.1 ptssince 2020
from 58.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
46.0%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 42.2% 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)25.1%(3,360)
Gulf War (1990s)21.7%(2,899)
Vietnam era33.2%(4,445)
Korean War6.5%(870)
World War II2.3%(302)
Share of the 13,371 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.
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In this metro
Largest cities
SalinasCENTRAL159,134Seaside31,636Monterey28,953Soledad26,357Marina23,256Greenfield21,138Prunedale19,723Pacific Grove14,659King City14,002Gonzales8,313Castroville6,720Carmel Valley4,785Del Monte Forest3,613Las Lomas3,355Aromas3,245Carmel-by-the-Sea3,105Pajaro2,899Pine Canyon2,477Elkhorn1,664Del Rey Oaks1,536Boronda1,351Fort Hunter Liggett1,119Chualar812San Ardo462Sand City323Lockwood CDP (Monterey County)240Spreckels174San Lucas134Bradley112Moss Landing45
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Salinas
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Pop 442,065
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SALINAS VS
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SALINAS VS
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SALINAS VS
Anchorage
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Salinas, CA?
Salinas, CA has about 355,660 residents according to the 1990 Census.
What is the median household income in Salinas, CA?
The typical household in Salinas, CA earns about $33,520 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Salinas, CA expensive?
In Salinas, CA, the median home is worth about $196,300, and the typical rent is about $625 a month.
How educated are people in Salinas, CA?
About 21.5% of adults age 25 and over in Salinas, CA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Salinas, CA?
About 11.6% of people in Salinas, CA live below the federal poverty line.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024