Lake Forest, CA

Census Place

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake Forest, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
38.1k ± 2k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
17k ± 1.4k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
9.18k ± 1.52k

27%

Hispanic Population

23.3k people

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.

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

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
718 ± 167
Gulf War (2001-)
684 ± 241
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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lake Forest, 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 (65.5%)
Worked At Home (24.4%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

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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