La Mesa, CA

Census Place

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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
9.91% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
30,406
0.673% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in La Mesa, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.6% of the residents in La Mesa, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in La Mesa, CA are California Hair Design Academy (118 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in La Mesa, CA was $812,000, and the homeownership rate was 47.7%.

Most people in La Mesa, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.8 minutes. The average car ownership in La Mesa, CA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesCaliforniaSan Diego County, CASan Diego-Carlsbad, CASan Diego County (Central)--El Cajon & Santee Cities PUMA, CASan Diego County (Central)--San Diego (East Central/Navajo) & La Mesa Cities PUMA, CASan Diego County (South Central)--San Diego City (Central/Mid-City) PUMA, CASan Diego County (South Central)--Lemon Grove City, La Presa & Spring Valley PUMA, CA

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in La Mesa, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    30.9k ± 1.43k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    8.19k ± 1.61k
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    4.69k ± 911
27.9%
Hispanic Population
17k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,862,617 ± 45,816 people
  2. Philippines
    824,246 ± 22,054 people
  3. China
    687,951 ± 20,184 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,862,617 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,246 and China with 687,951.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    2,113 ± 451
  2. Vietnam
    767 ± 195
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Y-Axis
2.57%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for La Mesa, CA. Showing the available data for California.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (58.5%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Alex Padilla
Senator from California3
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.
Adam Schiff
Senator from California1
Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in La Mesa, CA awarded 118 degrees. The student population of La Mesa, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 28 male students and 97 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in La Mesa, CA are Hispanic or Latino (41 and 34.7%), White (34 and 28.8%), Two or More Races (22 and 18.6%), and Black or African American (10 and 8.47%).

The largest universities in La Mesa, CA by number of degrees awarded are California Hair Design Academy (118 and 100%).

The most popular majors in La Mesa, CA are Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (52 and 44.1%), General Cosmetology (43 and 36.4%), and Barbering (20 and 16.9%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 125 students enrolled in La Mesa, CA, 22.4% men and 77.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 47 records, of which 80.9% were women and 19.1% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Cosmetology
    43 degrees awarded
  2. Barbering
    20 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in La Mesa, CA was General Cosmetology with 43 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.

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Universities

Gender
Race
California Hair Design Academy
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
118 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was California Hair Design Academy with 118 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 17 men were awarded degrees from institutions in La Mesa, CA, which is 0.168 times less than the 101 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 41 degrees mean that there were 1.21 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 34 degrees awarded.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for La Mesa, CA is from California.
0.495
2023 Wage GINI in California
0.498
2022 Wage GINI in California

In 2023, the income inequality in California was 0.495 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.573% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (69.9%)
  2. Worked At Home (17.8%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

95.1% of the population of La Mesa, CA has health coverage, with 50% on employee plans, 15.5% on Medicaid, 11.1% on Medicare, 14.8% on non-group plans, and 3.73% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.4% under 18 years, 22.2% between 18 and 34 years, 39.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

4.92%
Uninsured
50%
Employer Coverage
15.5%
Medicaid
11.1%
Medicare
14.8%
Non-Group
3.73%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in La Mesa, CA declined by 6.28% from 5.25% to 4.92%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in La Mesa, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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