STATE · ADMITTED 1850 · 2020 ACS
California
39,538,223 residents · 58 counties · 1618 cities · 155,779 sq mi · 9,129 census tracts
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The short version
California is a state of 39,538,223 people. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $538,500. The foreign-born share is 27%. 55% of homes are owner-occupied. Median rent is $1,586 a month. The population is up 17% since 2000.
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
155,779 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202439.3M
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.4%(2,137,439)
5 to 96.1%(2,393,219)
10 to 146.6%(2,613,891)
15 to 196.7%(2,644,071)
20 to 246.9%(2,731,553)
25 to 3414.7%(5,826,832)
35 to 4413.5%(5,326,009)
45 to 5412.6%(4,977,255)
55 to 6412.3%(4,870,790)
65 to 749%(3,547,298)
75 to 844.4%(1,745,288)
85 and over1.8%(724,578)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$78,672
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,493 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
52.0%
+11.8 ptssince 2009
from 40.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.4%
Retail trade9%
Wholesale trade6.4%
Other services6%
Finance & insurance5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.8%
Public administration3.8%
Arts, entertainment, food2.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
Construction2%
Education & health services0.7%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$538,500
+80%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $198,900 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
6.8
−14%since 2009
from 7.9 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-Hispanic46.7%(15,816,790)
Black6.4%(2,181,926)
Hispanic / Latino32.4%(10,966,556)
Asian10.8%(3,648,860)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic34.7%(13,714,587)
Black5.4%(2,119,286)
Hispanic / Latino39.4%(15,579,652)
Asian15.1%(5,978,795)
Other4.4%(1,721,966)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican32.1%(12,635,258)
Central American3.6%(1,418,798)
Salvadoran1.8%(719,841)
Guatemalan1.1%(434,671)
South American1%(375,806)
Puerto Rican0.6%(227,838)
Spaniard0.4%(168,020)
Nicaraguan0.3%(112,896)
Peruvian0.3%(110,053)
Cuban0.3%(105,913)
Colombian0.2%(91,707)
Honduran0.2%(91,216)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.1%(53,778)
Ecuadorian0.1%(42,251)
Chilean0.1%(30,531)
Costa Rican0.1%(26,627)
Panamanian0.1%(20,116)
Venezuelan0%(19,181)
Dominican0%(17,808)
Bolivian0%(15,292)
Uruguayan0%(6,620)
Paraguayan0%(1,433)
Asian origin
Chinese3.8%(1,513,688)
Filipino3.3%(1,281,691)
Asian Indian2.1%(810,043)
Vietnamese1.7%(677,507)
Korean1.2%(470,978)
Japanese0.7%(264,054)
Hmong0.3%(99,591)
Cambodian0.2%(92,953)
Taiwanese0.2%(86,674)
Pakistani0.2%(67,044)
Laotian0.1%(56,678)
Thai0.1%(50,885)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Indonesian0.1%(28,980)
Burmese0%(15,899)
Nepalese0%(14,040)
Bangladeshi0%(11,491)
Sri Lankan0%(10,965)
Mongolian0%(6,244)
Malaysian0%(3,479)
Okinawan0%(370)
Bhutanese0%(301)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.2%(91,226)
Samoan0.2%(61,488)
Chamorro0.1%(47,160)
Fijian0.1%(37,227)
Tongan0.1%(25,043)
Marshallese0%(2,079)
Ancestry
German7.1%(2,786,161)
Irish5.9%(2,331,714)
English5.4%(2,140,130)
Italian3.6%(1,414,190)
American2.9%(1,159,580)
French1.6%(622,734)
Scottish1.2%(469,465)
Polish1.2%(462,622)
Russian0.9%(363,634)
Swedish0.9%(357,926)
Norwegian0.9%(354,919)
Portuguese0.8%(333,211)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(313,233)
Subsaharan African0.7%(291,720)
Armenian0.6%(250,733)
British0.6%(220,524)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(207,590)
Iranian0.5%(207,025)
Welsh0.4%(156,623)
Danish0.4%(154,261)
Greek0.3%(129,127)
Ukrainian0.3%(113,054)
Hungarian0.3%(110,288)
French Canadian0.3%(102,244)
Swiss0.2%(96,070)
West Indian0.2%(91,257)
Canadian0.2%(80,682)
Czech0.2%(78,712)
Austrian0.2%(66,810)
Romanian0.2%(60,728)
Lebanese0.2%(60,634)
Egyptian0.1%(52,643)
Finnish0.1%(52,422)
Lithuanian0.1%(46,405)
Croatian0.1%(46,288)
Brazilian0.1%(44,617)
Arab0.1%(42,827)
Nigerian0.1%(41,314)
Jamaican0.1%(36,249)
Ethiopian0.1%(36,129)
Israeli0.1%(30,236)
Turkish0.1%(29,883)
Syrian0.1%(29,307)
Belgian0.1%(24,568)
Slovak0.1%(24,441)
Palestinian0.1%(23,826)
Iraqi0.1%(21,708)
Australian0.1%(21,074)
Serbian0%(18,989)
Jordanian0%(14,630)
Bulgarian0%(13,897)
Haitian0%(12,530)
Slovene0%(10,628)
Latvian0%(10,292)
Moroccan0%(10,180)
Ghanaian0%(7,425)
Kenyan0%(7,112)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(6,384)
Somali0%(4,903)
Guyanese0%(3,979)
Macedonian0%(2,983)
Cape Verdean0%(2,948)
Barbadian0%(1,676)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
83.9%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 76.8% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.5%
US average: 73.3%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.3%
US average: 91.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married41.3%(6,605,672)
Married49.4%(7,904,247)
Widowed2.1%(337,574)
Divorced7.2%(1,154,832)
Women 15+
Never married35.1%(5,697,378)
Married47%(7,618,380)
Widowed7.4%(1,192,387)
Divorced10.5%(1,705,523)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
12.7%
US average: 13.7%
VA health care
1.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
64.3%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
38.0%
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)21.1%(321,457)
Gulf War (1990s)18.7%(285,639)
Vietnam era34.8%(531,254)
Korean War8.7%(132,542)
World War II3.5%(53,807)
Share of the 1,525,746 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
Section 02
Largest cities
1.Los Angeles3,869,089
2.San Diego1,406,106
3.San Jose989,814
4.San Francisco826,079
5.Fresno555,549
6.Sacramento536,449
7.Long Beach450,469
8.Oakland440,838
9.Bakersfield422,165
10.Anaheim341,008
11.Stockton324,597
12.Riverside323,057
13.Irvine318,764
14.Santa Ana315,586
15.Chula Vista275,533
16.Santa Clarita228,430
17.Fremont226,442
18.San Bernardino222,044
19.Fontana221,223
20.Modesto219,652
21.Moreno Valley214,263
22.Oxnard199,651
23.Huntington Beach191,451
24.Glendale187,160
25.Ontario187,013
26.Elk Grove185,007
27.Santa Rosa179,437
28.Rancho Cucamonga177,856
29.Oceanside170,483
30.Garden Grove170,455
31.Lancaster170,084
32.Roseville167,302
33.Palmdale161,845
34.Corona161,734
35.Salinas159,134
36.Hayward157,113
37.Sunnyvale156,577
38.Pomona147,807
39.Visalia146,541
40.Escondido146,030
41.Victorville141,395
42.Fullerton138,675
43.Torrance138,391
44.Orange138,365
45.Pasadena135,804
Section 03
Metropolitan & micropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas (25)
1.Los Angeles12,844,441
2.Riverside4,769,007
3.San Francisco4,630,041
4.San Diego3,282,248
5.Sacramento2,477,274
6.San Jose1,984,473
7.Fresno1,203,383
8.Bakersfield927,068
9.Oxnard830,851
10.Stockton823,815
11.Modesto557,719
12.Santa Rosa486,444
13.Visalia485,146
14.Vallejo455,376
15.Santa Maria442,065
16.Salinas433,729
17.Merced297,260
18.San Luis Obispo282,367
19.Santa Cruz258,852
20.Chico209,211
21.Yuba City187,478
22.Redding181,648
23.El Centro181,411
24.Hanford154,327
25.Napa132,949
Micropolitan areas (9)
1.Eureka131,647
2.Truckee101,911
3.Ukiah88,122
4.Clearlake67,772
5.Red Bluff64,665
6.Sonora53,160
7.Susanville28,117
8.Crescent City26,410
9.Bishop18,158
Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.
Frequently asked
How many people live in California?
California has about 39,538,223 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in California?
The typical household in California earns about $78,672 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is California expensive?
In California, the median home is worth about $538,500, and the typical rent is about $1,586 a month.
How educated are people in California?
About 34.7% of adults age 25 and over in California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in California?
About 12.6% of people in California live below the federal poverty line.
Has California grown since 1990?
Yes, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 9,778,202 residents, a change of about 33 percent over that period.
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All 58 counties
Los Angeles CountySan Diego CountyOrange CountyRiverside CountySan Bernardino CountySanta Clara CountyAlameda CountySacramento CountyContra Costa CountyFresno CountyKern CountyVentura CountySan Francisco CountySan Joaquin CountySan Mateo CountyStanislaus CountySonoma CountyTulare CountySolano CountyPlacer CountySanta Barbara CountyMonterey CountyMerced CountySan Luis Obispo CountySanta Cruz CountyMarin CountyYolo CountyButte CountyEl Dorado CountyShasta CountyImperial CountyMadera CountyKings CountyNapa CountyHumboldt CountyNevada CountySutter CountyYuba CountyMendocino CountySan Benito CountyLake CountyTehama CountyTuolumne CountyCalaveras CountySiskiyou CountyAmador CountyGlenn CountyLassen CountyDel Norte CountyColusa CountyPlumas CountyInyo CountyMariposa CountyTrinity CountyMono CountyModoc CountySierra CountyAlpine CountyDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024