Salinas, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

161,761

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.4

0.935% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.6%

4.34% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$91,908

3.09% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$654,100

Population & Diversity

Salinas, CA is home to a population of 162k people, from which 72.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 37.5% of Salinas, CA residents were born outside of the country (60.6k people).

In 2024, there were 4.38 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (87.3k people) in Salinas, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 19.9k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 19.6k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

72.1%

2024 Citizenship

72.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 72.1% of Salinas, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Salinas, CA was 72.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Salinas, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Salinas, CA

Other (Hispanic)
87.3k ± 2.96k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
19.9k ± 2.22k
White (Hispanic)
19.6k ± 2.42k

80.9%

Hispanic Population

131k people

80.9% of the people in Salinas, CA are hispanic (131k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Salinas, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

37.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

60.6k people

36.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

58.8k people

As of 2024, 37.5% of Salinas, CA residents (60.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Salinas, CA was 36.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Salinas, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
706 ± 164
Gulf War (2001-)
542 ± 171
Gulf War (1990s)
482 ± 168

Salinas, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Salinas, CA.

Economy

The economy of Salinas, CA employs 69.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Salinas, CA were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (13,003 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,409 people), and Retail Trade (7,363 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($88,958), Utilities ($86,727), and Public Administration ($84,213).

Employment

Occupations

69.9k

2024 Value

± 2,279

0.231%

1 Year growth

± 4.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salinas, CA grew at a rate of 0.231%, from 69.8k employees to 69.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Salinas, CA, are Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (9,791 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,592 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (6,242 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Salinas, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

69.9k

2024 Value

± 2,279

0.231%

1 Year growth

± 4.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salinas, CA grew at a rate of 0.231%, from 69.8k employees to 69.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Salinas, CA, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (13,003 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,409 people), and Retail Trade (7,363 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Salinas, CA, though some of these residents may live in Salinas, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,158

Median earning men ± $1,869

$37,991

Median earning women ± $1,970

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($105,598), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,521), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($58,713).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($71,853), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,375), and Information ($61,686).

Education

The student population of Salinas, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 5,995 male students and 6,126 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Salinas, CA are Hispanic or Latino (2,253 and 84.3%), White (144 and 5.39%), Unknown (127 and 4.75%), and Asian (85 and 3.18%).

The largest universities in Salinas, CA by number of degrees awarded are Hartnell College (2,164 and 81%), Central Coast College (315 and 11.8%), and CET-Salinas (151 and 5.65%).

The most popular majors in Salinas, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,078 and 40.3%), Medical Assistant (217 and 8.12%), and General Psychology (111 and 4.15%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2018 in Salinas, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 73.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 12,121 (49.5% men and 50.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 12,121 students enrolled in Salinas, CA, 49.5% men and 50.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 9,343 records, of which 55.6% were women and 44.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
294 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
111 degrees awarded
General Psychology
111 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Salinas, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 294 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Salinas, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Hartnell College
2,164 degrees awarded
Central Coast College
315 degrees awarded
CET-Salinas
151 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Hartnell College with 2,164 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 885 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Salinas, CA, which is 0.495 times less than the 1,787 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 2,253 degrees mean that there were 15.6 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 144 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 2-year ($1,380) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($24) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($938) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Salinas, CA was $654,100 in 2024, which is 1.97 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $610,900 to $654,100, a 7.07% increase. The homeownership rate in Salinas, CA is 47%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Salinas, CA have an average commute time of 26.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Salinas, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$654,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,147

$20,491

Median Property Taxes

±$1,030

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Salinas, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Salinas, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

47%

Homeownership

2024

71.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 47% of the housing units in Salinas, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 47%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Salinas, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$91,908

Median Household Income

± $2,961

43.6k

Number of Households

± 1,733

In 2024, the median household income of the 43.6k households in Salinas, CA grew to $91,908 from the previous year's value of $89,150.

The following chart displays the households in Salinas, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Salinas, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (74.2%)
Carpooled (10.9%)
Other (8.21%)

In 2024, 74.2% of workers in Salinas, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.9%) and those who used some unspecified means to get work (8.21%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Salinas, CA have a longer commute time (26.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.26% of the workforce in Salinas, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Salinas, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Salinas, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Salinas, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Salinas, CA (21.8k out of 160k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Salinas, CA is Hispanic, followed by Other and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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