California Population and Demographics

Are you tired of spending 10+ hours searching for demographic and population data for California? We have all of the data you need by state, county, city, and zip code that will save you many hours of research!

In this article, we'll explore most of the 190+ data points we have for California, covering popular demographics statistics like household income, race, age and gender, educational attainment, poverty, housing, and transportation.

The data on this page is from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey from the US Census Bureau.

Richest Zip Codes in California

In the table below, we've ranked the richest zip codes in California based on the average (or mean) household income. To do this, we only look at zip codes that have a population of at least 500 people and a reasonable margin of error for the data.

If the margin of error for the mean income is greater than 50% of the estimate, we don't use it. This is to try and make the data less likely to be skewed by outliers with very small population areas or estimates that are not very accurate.

Rank ZIP Code County Mean Income
1 94027 San Mateo County $595,736.00
2 94957 Marin County $451,563.00
3 94024 Santa Clara County $419,080.00
4 94028 San Mateo County, Santa Clara County $415,955.00
5 94022 Santa Clara County $401,497.00
6 94507 Contra Costa County $386,800.00
7 90272 Los Angeles County $382,839.00
8 90077 Los Angeles County $382,344.00
9 95030 Santa Clara County $380,106.00
10 94563 Contra Costa County $370,759.00

To view details demographics data for a specific zip code, click on the link in the table above. You can also read our article here on the richest zip codes in California.

Richest Cities in California

We can also find the same information for the richest cities in California. The table below ranks the top 10 cities in California by average household income by using the same criteria as we did with the zip codes.

Rank City County Mean Income
1 Atherton San Mateo County $594,651.00
2 Hillsborough San Mateo County $539,950.00
3 Rolling Hills Los Angeles County $481,340.00
4 Portola Valley San Mateo County $462,935.00
5 Los Altos Hills Santa Clara County $460,098.00
6 Woodside San Mateo County $445,543.00
7 Belvedere Marin County $437,620.00
8 Ross Marin County $430,034.00
9 Hidden Hills Los Angeles County $423,224.00
10 Monte Sereno Santa Clara County $422,996.00

To view details demographics data for a specific city, click on the link in the table above. You can also read our article here on the richest cities in California.

Median Household Income

According to the latest ACS 5-year survey in 2022, the median household income in California is $91,905.00.

The chart below shows the average household income by age in California.

  • Under 25
    $48,986.00
  • 25 to 44
    $99,703.00
  • 45 to 64
    $108,046.00
  • 65 and over
    $66,282.00

Average Household Income

A very commonly asked question is "what is the average household income in California?". The official term for the average household income is the mean household income. The mean household income is the total income of all households divided by the number of households.

The average (or mean) household income in California is $130,718.00.

17.88% of households in California are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

The difference between a median and an average income

The difference between a median and mean household income is that the median income is the middle point of the set of numbers whereas the mean income is an average of all numbers.

Both metrics are important when looking at the income statistics for California but because the median value doesn't depend on other numbers in the dataset, it doesn't change as much when some of the values are extremely low or extremely high.

Household Income Tiers for California

We can also look at the household income tiers. This lets you see how many households fall into each of the earnings brackets and what percentage that bracket is of the total number of households.

The chart below shows the household income brackets to see which age groups have the highest median income. The actual data is more granular than these brackets, but we've simplified them into bigger categories to make reviewing the data for California easier to view.

You can purchase the raw data above, which will have the full income tiers with smaller jumps in household income.

  • Less than $24,999
    13.20%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    14.67%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    13.74%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.98%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17.80%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    10.73%
  • $200,000 or more
    17.88%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income is the average income of all people in California. This is calculated by dividing the total income of all people in California by the total number of people in California.

It differs from the average or mean household income because it includes all people in California and not just the people who earn an income (i.e. children, retirees, unemployed, etc.).

The per capita income in California is $45,591.00.

Population in California by Race and Ethnicity

The total population in California is currently 39,356,104 people.

The race and ethnicity of the population in California can be very important for social research, economics, and marketing to a multi-culturial society.

Whether you want to target products or services to a particular race or ethnicity, or provide housing and new businesses to improve areas with a larger ethnic minority population, this data is very valuable for discovering suitable areas.

The chart below breaks down the population and percentage for each race and ethnicity in California.

  • 6.50% White
    2,576,014
  • 60.30% Black/African American
    23,738,174
  • 35.20% Native
    13,848,294
  • 25.70% Hispanic
    10,128,193
  • 5.30% Asian
    2,102,510
  • 0.30% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
    114,271
  • 0.30% Two or more races
    135,460
  • 14.90% Other
    5,861,649

Population of California by Age and Gender

Another very important demographics statistic for California is the age and gender of the population. The age and gender of the population can be used to track trends in population growth or decline, and for businesses, the data can be used to identify people important to you and your business need.

In the table below, we show age groups at a 10 year granularity for ease of use. The raw data, which can be purchased above, includes age and gender at a 5 year granularity.

Age Group Male Female
0 to 9 Years 2,368,620 2,257,846
10 to 19 Years 2,669,555 2,542,611
20 to 29 Years 2,889,569 2,708,591
30 to 39 Years 2,963,706 2,767,771
40 to 49 Years 2,570,632 2,496,663
50 to 59 Years 2,485,638 2,463,161
60 to 69 Years 2,047,103 2,172,236
70 Years and over 1,714,124 2,238,278

Education Levels

Educational attainment is a very useful statistic that can give insights into other data such as the average household income, unemployment levels, and literacy.

What this means is that it is likely for areas that have higher levels of education to have higher average household incomes, lower unemployment rates, and higher literacy rates.

The chart below shows the educational attainment of the population in California.

  • Master's degree or higher
    16.11%
  • Bachelor's degree
    38.00%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.19%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    30.98%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.72%

Unemployment Rates

The unemployment rate is the percentage of the population that is actively looking for work but is unable to find a job. The unemployment rate is a very important statistic for California because it can show how many people are actively looking for work and how many people are unable to find a job.

Lower levels of unemployment is generally seen as a positive sign for the economy. It also makes the government in California look good because it shows that they are doing a good job of creating jobs, working to capacity, being efficient, and keeping the economy strong.

The unemployment rate is calculated using the total population in California that are over the age of 16.

The current population in California that are over the age of 16 is 31,601,862 people.

The unemployment rate in California is 6.40%, which means 1,282,055 people are unemployed.

Median Age in California

The median age is an interesting metric because it gives us an idea of the age distribution of people in California. You know when you see a median age that it is the age where half of the population is older and half is younger than it.

For demographic studies, this can be used to infer and compare date to things such as birth rates, the age of parents, and so on.

An increasing median age can be a sign of an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population. This is because older people tend to have fewer children and die more often than younger people.

The median age in California is 37.3 years old.

We can also look at the median age by gender to compare the see how each group compares to the total median age:

Median age by gender in California

37.3

Total

36.3

Male

38.3

Female

Households and Families

There are a total of 13,315,822 households in California, and the average household size is 2.89 people.

For families, the total number is 9,093,707, and the average family size is 3.47 people.

8.50% of those families in California are living below the poverty line.

The table below shows the poverty thresholds for California in .

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Please note that the poverty thresholds shown above are from , while the latest demographics data we have is from 2022.

Households and Families by Marital Status

There are four types of household and family, as defined by the Census Bureau:

  • Married-couple
  • Male householder, no spouse present
  • Female householder, no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

In the table below, you can see the total households and families in California for each type, as well as the average sizes.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 6,545,790 830,462 1,717,455 4,222,115
Average Household Size 3.57 3.59 3.7 1.37
Total Families 6,545,790 830,462 1,717,455 0
Average Household Size 3.52 3.17 3.42 0

Housing Data in California

There are total of 14,424,442 housing units in California. Of those units, 13,315,822 (92.31%) are occupied, and 1,108,620 (7.69%) are vacant.

Rental Rates

Of the 14,424,442 housing units in California, 5,719,244 (39.65%) are occupied by renters. The median rent paid by renters is $1,856.00.

Owner occupied housing units make up the remaining 51.35% of housing units, with 7,407,361 housing units in total.

The table below breaks down how much rent is paid by renters in California.

  • No rent paid
    189,217
  • Less than $500
    223,025
  • $500 to $999
    528,420
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    1,160,165
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    1,329,650
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    1,054,290
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    598,478
  • $3,000 or more
    825,216

Property Values

The median value of a property in California is $659,300.00.

The table below breaks down the range of valuations for all properties in California.

  • Less than $50,000
    184,823
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    127,866
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    117,910
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    139,202
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    479,875
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,491,902
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    3,045,663
  • $1,000,000 or more
    1,820,120

Property Age

We can also look at the number of properties built in a given year to see the spread of property age in California.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,285,818
  • 1940 to 1949
    805,603
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,857,100
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,857,318
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,482,599
  • 1980 to 1989
    2,157,221
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,525,812
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,583,725
  • 2010 to 2013
    810,523
  • 2014 or later
    58,723

Vehicles Available per Household

Finally, we have data on how many vehicles each household in California has. The table below breaks down the number of vehicles available per household.

  • No vehicles available
    922,535
  • 1 vehicle available
    4,011,102
  • 2 vehicles available
    4,889,395
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,492,790

Commuting to Work in California

The time and means of commuting to work are useful metrics to look at because they can be correlated against other data such as income and education level.

Does a longer commuting time indicate a higher average income? If so, has the huge increase in home working during the pandemic changed this?

Using these metrics, we can get a better understanding of the demographics of California, how they commute, and how that correlates to other data points.

The average travel time is 29.2 minutes, and the chart below covers the range of travel times across the population of California.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    311,056
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,192,478
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,933,358
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,381,256
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    2,271,253
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    998,127
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    2,381,423
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    452,815
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    675,604
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,369,281
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    1,248,892
  • 90 or more minutes
    637,084

We can also look at the means of transport in California to see which modes of transport people are using to commute to work.

  • Drove alone
    12,561,068
  • Carpooled
    1,752,222
  • Public transportation
    662,772
  • Walked
    437,430
  • Other means
    439,135
  • Worked from home
    2,500,842

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has given you the demographics data you were looking for in California.

If you need more demographics data, or you need the data listed above in spreadsheet form with more granular grouping, head back to the top of this page where you can purchase the complete demographics data for California.

Link To or Reference This Page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "California Population and Demographics". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 29, 2024. https://namecensus.com/demographics/california/.

  • "California Population and Demographics". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/demographics/california/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • California Population and Demographics. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/demographics/california/.