La Mesa, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

60,797

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.4

0.809% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.5%

1.24% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$95,028

12.7% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$812,000

Population & Diversity

La Mesa, CA is home to a population of 60.8k people, from which 95.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 12.9% of La Mesa, CA residents were born outside of the country (7.86k people).

In 2024, there were 3.77 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.9k people) in La Mesa, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.19k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 4.69k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.6%

2024 Citizenship

95.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.6% of La Mesa, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in La Mesa, CA was 95.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in La Mesa, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
30.9k ± 1.43k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.19k ± 1.61k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.69k ± 911

27.9%

Hispanic Population

17k people

27.9% of the people in La Mesa, CA are hispanic (17k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in La Mesa, 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

12.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.86k people

14%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.54k people

As of 2024, 12.9% of La Mesa, CA residents (7.86k 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 La Mesa, CA was 14%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
2,113 ± 451
Vietnam
767 ± 195
Gulf War (1990s)
605 ± 274

La Mesa, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.75 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of La Mesa, CA employs 30.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in La Mesa, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,771 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,874 people), and Educational Services (3,155 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($102,207), Utilities ($94,636), and Public Administration ($94,136).

Employment

Occupations

30.4k

2024 Value

± 1,486

−0.673%

1 Year decline

± 6.88%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Mesa, CA declined at a rate of −0.673%, from 30.6k employees to 30.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in La Mesa, CA, are Management Occupations (3,480 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,259 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,685 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of La Mesa, 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

30.4k

2024 Value

± 1,486

−0.673%

1 Year decline

± 6.88%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Mesa, CA declined at a rate of −0.673%, from 30.6k employees to 30.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in La Mesa, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,771 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,874 people), and Educational Services (3,155 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of La Mesa, CA, though some of these residents may live in La Mesa, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$72,798

Median earning men ± $5,594

$51,876

Median earning women ± $2,244

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($101,358), Public Administration ($100,131), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($95,905).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($89,438), Public Administration ($79,185), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($79,028).

Education

The student population of La Mesa, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 24 male students and 74 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in La Mesa, CA are Hispanic or Latino (45 and 44.6%), White (30 and 29.7%), Two or More Races (17 and 16.8%), and Black or African American (6 and 5.94%).

The largest universities in La Mesa, CA by number of degrees awarded are California Hair Design Academy (101 and 100%).

The most popular majors in La Mesa, CA are General Cosmetology (50 and 49.5%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (34 and 33.7%), and Barbering (17 and 16.8%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 98 students enrolled in La Mesa, CA, 24.5% men and 75.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 43 records, of which 88.4% were women and 11.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Cosmetology
50 degrees awarded
Barbering
17 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in La Mesa, CA was General Cosmetology with 50 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in La Mesa, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

California Hair Design Academy

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

101 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was California Hair Design Academy with 101 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 17 men were awarded degrees from institutions in La Mesa, CA, which is 0.202 times less than the 84 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 45 degrees mean that there were 1.5 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 30 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in La Mesa, CA was $812,000 in 2024, which is 2.44 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $738,800 to $812,000, a 9.91% increase. The homeownership rate in La Mesa, CA is 47.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in La Mesa, CA have an average commute time of 23.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in La Mesa, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$812,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,641

$11,933

Median Property Taxes

±$794

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 La Mesa, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

47.7%

Homeownership

2024

73.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 47.7% of the housing units in La Mesa, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 46%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in La Mesa, 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.

$95,028

Median Household Income

± $7,968

25k

Number of Households

± 1,323

In 2024, the median household income of the 25k households in La Mesa, CA grew to $95,028 from the previous year's value of $84,337.

The following chart displays the households in La Mesa, 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for La Mesa, 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 (69.9%)
Worked At Home (17.8%)
Carpooled (6.78%)

In 2024, 69.9% of workers in La Mesa, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.8%) and those who carpooled to work (6.78%).

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

23.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in La Mesa, CA have a shorter commute time (23.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.6% of the workforce in La Mesa, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in La Mesa, CA (6.92k out of 59.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females < 5, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in La Mesa, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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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