Lake Forest, CA

Census Place

Add Comparison
2024 Population
86,281
US Senator
Alex Padilla
Democratic Party
US Senator
Adam Schiff
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
40.2
0.495% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
8.51%
3.07% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$135,175
2.89% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$937,000
6.93% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
46,101
0.811% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Lake Forest, 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.

89% of the residents in Lake Forest, CA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lake Forest, CA was $937,000, and the homeownership rate was 70.5%.

Most people in Lake Forest, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Lake Forest, CA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesCaliforniaOrange County, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAOrange County (Northeast)--Lake Forest, Irvine (North) Cities & Silverado PUMA, CAOrange County (Central)--Irvine City (South) PUMA, CAOrange County (South Central)--Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills Cities PUMA, CAOrange County (Southeast)--Rancho Santa Margarita City & Ladera Ranch PUMA, CA

Population & Diversity

Lake Forest, CA is home to a population of 86.3k people, from which 89% are citizens. As of 2024, 27.4% of Lake Forest, CA residents were born outside of the country (23.6k people).

In 2024, there were 2.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (38.1k people) in Lake Forest, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 9.18k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89%
2024 Citizenship
88.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89% of Lake Forest, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lake Forest, CA was 88.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake Forest, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    38.1k ± 2k
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    17k ± 1.4k
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    9.18k ± 1.52k
27%
Hispanic Population
23.3k people

In 2024, there were 2.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (38.1k people) in Lake Forest, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 9.18k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

27% of the people in Lake Forest, CA are hispanic (23.3k people).

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

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Foreign-Born Population

27.4%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
23.6k people
27.3%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
23.4k people

As of 2024, 27.4% of Lake Forest, CA residents (23.6k 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 Lake Forest, CA was 27.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    718 ± 167
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    684 ± 241
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    281 ± 156

Lake Forest, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.05 times greater than any other conflict.

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

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Lake Forest, CA employs 46.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lake Forest, CA were Manufacturing (5,733 people), Retail Trade (5,625 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,382 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($132,698), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($111,337), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($109,698).

Employment

Occupations

46.1k
2024 Value
± 1,933
0.811%
1 Year growth
± 5.75%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Forest, CA grew at a rate of 0.811%, from 45.7k employees to 46.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lake Forest, CA, are Management Occupations (7,519 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,823 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,821 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lake Forest, CA.

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Industries

Employment by Industries

46.1k
2024 Value
± 1,933
0.811%
1 Year growth
± 5.75%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Forest, CA grew at a rate of 0.811%, from 45.7k employees to 46.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake Forest, CA, are Manufacturing (5,733 people), Retail Trade (5,625 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,382 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lake Forest, CA, though some of these residents may live in Lake Forest, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

View Data
Save Image

Median Earnings by Industry

$84,837
Median earning men ± $7,395
$54,666
Median earning women ± $5,705

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($207,929), Manufacturing ($120,638), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($117,009).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($103,542), Information ($89,583), and Manufacturing ($89,107).

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

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 Lake Forest, 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.

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lake Forest, CA was $937,000 in 2024, which is 2.82 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $876,300 to $937,000, a 6.93% increase. The homeownership rate in Lake Forest, CA is 70.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lake Forest, CA have an average commute time of 25.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lake Forest, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$937,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$27,448
$21,471
Median Property Taxes
±$1,074

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

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

70.5%
Homeownership
2024
70.4%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 70.5% of the housing units in Lake Forest, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 70.7%.

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

View Data
Save Image

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$135,175
Median Household Income
± $4,503
30.5k
Number of Households
± 1,399

In 2024, the median household income of the 30.5k households in Lake Forest, CA grew to $135,175 from the previous year's value of $131,378.

The following chart displays the households in Lake Forest, 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.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lake Forest, 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.

View Data
Save Image

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (65.5%)
  2. Worked At Home (24.4%)
  3. Carpooled (6.47%)

In 2024, 65.5% of workers in Lake Forest, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (24.4%) and those who carpooled to work (6.47%).

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.

View Data
Save Image

Commute Time

25.5 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lake Forest, CA have a shorter commute time (25.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.79% of the workforce in Lake Forest, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.51% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lake Forest, CA (7.31k out of 85.8k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

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

View Data
Save Image

Health

95.9% of the population of Lake Forest, CA has health coverage, with 59.5% on employee plans, 13.1% on Medicaid, 10.8% on Medicare, 11.9% on non-group plans, and 0.52% 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, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.1% under 18 years, 19.9% between 18 and 34 years, 43.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

4.09%
Uninsured
59.5%
Employer Coverage
13.1%
Medicaid
10.8%
Medicare
11.9%
Non-Group
0.52%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lake Forest, CA declined by 5.15% from 4.31% to 4.09%.

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

View Data
Save Image