METRO AREA
San Luis Obispo Metro
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA · 1 counties · 282,367 residents (2025 est.) · 3,301 sq mi
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The short version
San Luis Obispo is a metro area of 281,555 people. The typical home is worth $824,700, having more than tripled since 2000. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. Renters pay $1,992 a month at the median. 34,874 more people live here than in 2000. Density works out to 85 people per square mile.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $97,446, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 107%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about San Luis Obispo
Among the 34 metro and micro areas based in California
- 11th in household income$97,446
- 6th in share with a bachelor's degree39.8%
- 7th in home value$824,700
- 28th in diversity score64.6
Section 01
Population & growth
281,555
+14%since 2000
from 246,681 in 2000
282,367 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
3,301 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024282K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.4%(12,304)
5 to 94.8%(13,434)
10 to 145.1%(14,447)
15 to 198.2%(22,949)
20 to 2410%(28,069)
25 to 3411%(31,107)
35 to 4411.7%(32,802)
45 to 5410.4%(29,187)
55 to 6412.4%(34,918)
65 to 7413.1%(36,972)
75 to 846.7%(18,744)
85 and over2.4%(6,622)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$97,446
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,428 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
60.8%
+25.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.9%
Wholesale trade7.8%
Retail trade7.7%
Finance & insurance4.6%
Other services4.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.3%
Construction3.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.8%
Public administration2.3%
Education & health services1.8%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$824,700
+107%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $218,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
8.5
−12%since 2009
from 9.6 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
73
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
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%
2024
White, non-Hispanic64.5%(181,605)
Black1.1%(3,058)
Hispanic / Latino25%(70,318)
Asian3.4%(9,614)
Other6%(16,960)
65
+22%since 2009
from 53 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
25
−1%since 2020
from 25 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
Mexican21%(59,002)
Central American0.7%(2,023)
Spaniard0.6%(1,822)
South American0.5%(1,349)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,199)
Salvadoran0.3%(830)
Cuban0.2%(683)
Guatemalan0.2%(493)
Peruvian0.2%(464)
Colombian0.1%(350)
Honduran0.1%(291)
Nicaraguan0.1%(210)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(146)
Argentine0%(132)
Costa Rican0%(116)
Panamanian0%(83)
Chilean0%(71)
Venezuelan0%(71)
Dominican0%(56)
Uruguayan0%(11)
Bolivian0%(6)
Asian origin
Filipino0.8%(2,343)
Chinese0.8%(2,336)
Japanese0.5%(1,319)
Korean0.4%(1,085)
Asian Indian0.3%(975)
Vietnamese0.2%(698)
Taiwanese0.1%(218)
Pakistani0%(140)
Thai0%(136)
Cambodian0%(67)
Laotian0%(62)
Hmong0%(49)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(319)
Native Hawaiian0.1%(304)
Chamorro0%(87)
Guamanian0%(45)
Fijian0%(7)
Ancestry
German14.9%(41,942)
English14.4%(40,667)
Irish12.7%(35,627)
Italian6.3%(17,780)
Scottish2.8%(7,949)
French2.5%(7,153)
American2.2%(6,323)
Portuguese2.1%(5,983)
Norwegian1.8%(5,059)
Polish1.8%(4,972)
Swedish1.6%(4,601)
Dutch1.5%(4,245)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1%(2,834)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(2,618)
Danish0.8%(2,305)
Welsh0.8%(2,193)
Arab0.7%(1,838)
British0.6%(1,791)
Swiss0.6%(1,607)
Hungarian0.5%(1,368)
Greek0.4%(1,049)
Croatian0.3%(849)
Ukrainian0.3%(813)
French Canadian0.3%(788)
Czech0.3%(769)
Finnish0.3%(723)
Austrian0.3%(717)
Lebanese0.2%(662)
Subsaharan African0.2%(633)
Canadian0.2%(629)
Armenian0.2%(614)
Lithuanian0.2%(509)
Iranian0.2%(478)
Belgian0.1%(375)
Syrian0.1%(362)
Australian0.1%(359)
Serbian0.1%(338)
Slovak0.1%(310)
Egyptian0.1%(274)
Romanian0.1%(265)
West Indian0.1%(253)
Turkish0.1%(198)
Brazilian0.1%(179)
Palestinian0.1%(160)
Slovene0.1%(156)
Nigerian0.1%(145)
Moroccan0%(117)
Jamaican0%(101)
Bulgarian0%(86)
Israeli0%(49)
Latvian0%(47)
Guyanese0%(29)
Barbadian0%(23)
Ghanaian0%(21)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(16)
Macedonian0%(13)
Haitian0%(6)
Cape Verdean0%(3)
Ethiopian0%(3)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
92.2%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 85.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.0%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 94.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
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
Direct-purchase
18.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 18.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.3%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 74.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.1%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 36.1% 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)17.8%(2,591)
Gulf War (1990s)16.1%(2,350)
Vietnam era41.4%(6,022)
Korean War8.2%(1,196)
World War II0.9%(134)
Share of the 14,563 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
Over time
San Luis Obispo, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 217,162 | $74,796 | $511,695 | 22.9% | 39.8 |
| 2000 | 246,681 | $77,289 | $398,214 | 26.7% | 49.0 |
| 2010 | 269,637 | $82,524 | $739,282 | 30.6% | 56.2 |
| 2020 | 282,424 | $94,476 | $733,526 | 36.1% | 64.7 |
| 2024 | 281,555 | $97,446 | $824,700 | 39.8% | 64.6 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
In this metro
Largest cities
San Luis ObispoCENTRAL50,636El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)CENTRAL31,626Atascadero29,464Arroyo Grande18,123Nipomo17,516Los Osos14,166Grover Beach12,456Morro Bay10,613Templeton9,580California Polytechnic State University7,915Pismo Beach7,911Oceano7,128Cambria5,978Lake Nacimiento3,339San Miguel CDP (San Luis Obispo County)3,227Cayucos2,427Callender2,230Woodlands2,061Los Ranchos1,467Avila Beach1,303Shandon1,169Santa Margarita1,149Blacklake983Edna330Whitley Gardens244Garden Farms241San Simeon217Los Berros145Oak Shores128Creston0
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
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Compare San Luis Obispo side by side
SAN LUIS OBISPO VS
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SAN LUIS OBISPO VS
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SAN LUIS OBISPO VS
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SAN LUIS OBISPO VS
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Frequently asked
How many people live in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA has about 281,555 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
The typical household in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA earns about $97,446 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA expensive?
In San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA, the median home is worth about $824,700, and the typical rent is about $1,992 a month.
How educated are people in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
About 39.8% of adults age 25 and over in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
About 12.9% of people in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA live below the federal poverty line.
Has San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA grown since 1990?
Yes, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 64,393 residents, a change of about 30 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024