Morro Bay, CA

Census Place

Add Comparison
2024 Population
10,692
US Senator
Alex Padilla
Democratic Party
US Senator
Adam Schiff
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
54.3
2.65% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
8.45%
14.9% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$95,843
3.55% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$918,200
6.16% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
4,701
4.51% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Morro Bay, 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.

97.1% of the residents in Morro Bay, CA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Morro Bay, CA was $918,200, and the homeownership rate was 65.4%.

Most people in Morro Bay, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Morro Bay, CA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesCaliforniaSan Luis Obispo County, CASan Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CASan Luis Obispo County (West)--Coastal Region PUMA, CA

Population & Diversity

Morro Bay, CA is home to a population of 10.7k people, from which 97.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.1% of Morro Bay, CA residents were born outside of the country (652 people).

In 2024, there were 13.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.31k people) in Morro Bay, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 627 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 396 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%
2024 Citizenship
96.5%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Morro Bay, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Morro Bay, CA was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Morro Bay, 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 Morro Bay, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    8.31k ± 476
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    627 ± 264
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    396 ± 174
13.5%
Hispanic Population
1.44k people

In 2024, there were 13.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.31k people) in Morro Bay, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 627 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 396 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

13.5% of the people in Morro Bay, CA are hispanic (1.44k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Morro Bay, 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

6.1%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
652 people
5.86%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
628 people

As of 2024, 6.1% of Morro Bay, CA residents (652 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 Morro Bay, CA was 5.86%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    401 ± 161
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    120 ± 72
  3. Korea
    73 ± 57

Morro Bay, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.34 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Morro Bay, CA.

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Morro Bay, CA employs 4.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Morro Bay, CA were Retail Trade (628 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (588 people), and Public Administration (479 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($250,001), Information ($123,648), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($114,306).

Employment

Occupations

4.7k
2024 Value
± 592
−4.51%
1 Year decline
± 18.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Morro Bay, CA declined at a rate of −4.51%, from 4.92k employees to 4.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Morro Bay, CA, are Management Occupations (648 people), Sales & Related Occupations (545 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (365 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Morro Bay, 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

4.7k
2024 Value
± 592
−4.51%
1 Year decline
± 18.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Morro Bay, CA declined at a rate of −4.51%, from 4.92k employees to 4.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Morro Bay, CA, are Retail Trade (628 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (588 people), and Public Administration (479 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Morro Bay, CA, though some of these residents may live in Morro Bay, 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

$80,170
Median earning men ± $16,119
$47,876
Median earning women ± $10,162

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($250,001), Information ($123,878), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($103,472).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($100,542), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($71,528), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,729).

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 Morro Bay, 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 Morro Bay, CA was $918,200 in 2024, which is 2.76 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $864,900 to $918,200, a 6.16% increase. The homeownership rate in Morro Bay, CA is 65.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Morro Bay, CA have an average commute time of 19.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Morro Bay, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$918,200
Median Property Value 2024
±$49,208
$3,343
Median Property Taxes
±$386

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

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

65.4%
Homeownership
2024
66%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 65.4% of the housing units in Morro Bay, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Morro Bay, 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.
$95,843
Median Household Income
± $5,900
5.11k
Number of Households
± 538

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.11k households in Morro Bay, CA grew to $95,843 from the previous year's value of $92,553.

The following chart displays the households in Morro Bay, 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.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Morro Bay, 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 (68.8%)
  2. Worked At Home (21.7%)
  3. Carpooled (6.89%)

In 2024, 68.8% of workers in Morro Bay, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (21.7%) and those who carpooled to work (6.89%).

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

19.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Morro Bay, CA have a shorter commute time (19.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.724% of the workforce in Morro Bay, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Morro Bay, 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 Morro Bay, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Morro Bay, CA have 2 cars.

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.45% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Morro Bay, CA (892 out of 10.6k 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 Males 75+, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Morro Bay, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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

97.7% of the population of Morro Bay, CA has health coverage, with 51% on employee plans, 9.7% on Medicaid, 24.5% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 0.874% 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% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 14.5% under 18 years, 14.7% between 18 and 34 years, 38.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 32.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

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

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

2.27%
Uninsured
51%
Employer Coverage
9.7%
Medicaid
24.5%
Medicare
11.7%
Non-Group
0.874%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Morro Bay, CA grew by 17.2% from 1.94% to 2.27%.

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

View Data
Save Image