Monterey County, CA

County

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2024 Population

437,613

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.5

0.567% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.7%

1.2% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$97,230

2.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$781,000

8.01% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

186,765

0.384% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Monterey County, 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.

79.5% of the residents in Monterey County, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Monterey County, CA are Naval Postgraduate School (2,710 degrees awarded in 2023), California State University-Monterey Bay (2,275 degrees), and Hartnell College (1,923 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Monterey County, CA was $781,000, and the homeownership rate was 52.1%.

Most people in Monterey County, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Monterey County, CA was 2 cars per household.

Monterey County, CA borders Fresno County, CA, Kings County, CA, San Benito County, CA, San Luis Obispo County, CA, and Santa Cruz County, CA.

About the photo: Coast of Northern Big Sur

Photo by Stewart Butterfield

United States California Salinas, CA

Population & Diversity

Monterey County, CA is home to a population of 438k people, from which 79.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 29.6% of Monterey County, CA residents were born outside of the country (130k people).

In 2024, there were 1.42 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (167k people) in Monterey County, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 118k White (Non-Hispanic) and 50.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

79.5%

2024 Citizenship

80%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 79.5% of Monterey County, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Monterey County, CA was 80%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Monterey County, CA

Other (Hispanic)
167k ± 3.83k
White (Non-Hispanic)
118k ± 484
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
50.7k ± 3.58k

61.6%

Hispanic Population

269k people

61.6% of the people in Monterey County, CA are hispanic (269k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,862,617 ± 45,816 people
Philippines
824,246 ± 22,054 people
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.

Foreign-Born Population

29.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

130k people

28.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

125k people

As of 2024, 29.6% of Monterey County, CA residents (130k 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 Monterey County, CA was 28.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,127 ± 343
Gulf War (2001-)
3,360 ± 461
Gulf War (1990s)
1,921 ± 358

Monterey County, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.23 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Monterey County, CA employs 187k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Monterey County, CA were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (26,627 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (21,968 people), and Educational Services (18,232 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($116,250), Finance & Insurance ($102,798), and Public Administration ($86,733).

Employment

Occupations

187k

2024 Value

± 3,628

0.384%

1 Year growth

± 2.76%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Monterey County, CA grew at a rate of 0.384%, from 186k employees to 187k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Monterey County, CA, are Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (19,378 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (17,023 people), and Management Occupations (16,486 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Monterey County, 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

187k

2024 Value

± 3,628

0.384%

1 Year growth

± 2.76%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Monterey County, CA grew at a rate of 0.384%, from 186k employees to 187k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Monterey County, CA, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (26,627 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (21,968 people), and Educational Services (18,232 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Monterey County, CA, though some of these residents may live in Monterey County, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,454

Median earning men ± $1,073

$40,108

Median earning women ± $1,124

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($101,381), Public Administration ($96,917), and Information ($81,439).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($77,718), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,854), and Information ($61,808).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

690
Construction
589
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
536
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$1.44M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$722k
Accommodation and Food Services
$691k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Monterey County, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
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.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

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 California

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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Monterey County, CA awarded 9,085 degrees. The student population of Monterey County, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 12,340 male students and 14,311 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Monterey County, CA are Hispanic or Latino (4,204 and 48.2%), White (3,019 and 34.6%), Asian (494 and 5.66%), and Unknown (400 and 4.59%).

The largest universities in Monterey County, CA by number of degrees awarded are Naval Postgraduate School (2,710 and 29.8%), California State University-Monterey Bay (2,275 and 25%), and Hartnell College (1,923 and 21.2%).

The most popular majors in Monterey County, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,504 and 16.6%), General Business Administration & Management (995 and 11%), and General Psychology (461 and 5.07%).

The median tuition costs in Monterey County, CA are $46,556 for private four year colleges, and $5,742 and $17,622 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Monterey County, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 94.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 8.45%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 26,651 (46.3% men and 53.7% 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 2023 there were 26,651 students enrolled in Monterey County, CA, 46.3% men and 53.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 15,535 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
293 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
241 degrees awarded
Computer Science
207 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Monterey County, CA was General Psychology with 293 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Naval Postgraduate School
2,710 degrees awarded
California State University-Monterey Bay
2,275 degrees awarded
Hartnell College
1,923 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Naval Postgraduate School with 2,710 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 4,432 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Monterey County, CA, which is 0.953 times less than the 4,653 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 4,204 degrees mean that there were 1.39 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 3,019 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

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($46,556) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,695) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,152) 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 Monterey County, CA was $781,000 in 2024, which is 2.35 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $723,100 to $781,000, a 8.01% increase. The homeownership rate in Monterey County, CA is 52.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Monterey County, CA have an average commute time of 25.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Monterey County, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 30.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Monterey County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.541%.

Housing

Property

$781,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,801

$68,993

Median Property Taxes

±$1,767

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

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

Rent vs Own

52.1%

Homeownership

2024

70.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.1% of the housing units in Monterey County, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 52.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Monterey County, 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.

$97,230

Median Household Income

± $1,883

132k

Number of Households

± 2,877

In 2024, the median household income of the 132k households in Monterey County, CA grew to $97,230 from the previous year's value of $94,486.

The following chart displays the households in Monterey County, 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 Monterey County, 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.3%)
Carpooled (9.87%)
Worked At Home (9.85%)

In 2024, 70.3% of workers in Monterey County, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.87%) and those who worked at home (9.85%).

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

25.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Monterey County, CA have a shorter commute time (25.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.94% of the workforce in Monterey County, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 30.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Monterey County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.541%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

12.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Monterey County, CA (53.6k out of 421k 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 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Monterey County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 20.4% of the children was living in poverty in Monterey County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 421 in Monterey County, CA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 70.8 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

90.4% of the population of Monterey County, CA has health coverage, with 38.3% on employee plans, 29.6% on Medicaid, 9.81% on Medicare, 11.3% on non-group plans, and 1.42% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Monterey County, CA see 1,545 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,545 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1357 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 217 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,545 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Monterey County, CA

Primary care physicians in Monterey County, CA see an average of 1,545 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,545 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Monterey County, CA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 35.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.57%

Uninsured

38.3%

Employer Coverage

29.6%

Medicaid

9.81%

Medicare

11.3%

Non-Group

1.42%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Monterey County, CA declined by 3.77% from 9.94% to 9.57%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 42.7 in Monterey County, CA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Monterey County, CA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 32.8% in Monterey County, CA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Monterey County, CA.