San Diego, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

1.39M

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.2

0.556% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11%

0.904% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$108,077

3.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$906,700

Population & Diversity

San Diego, CA is home to a population of 1.39M people, from which 89.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 25% of San Diego, CA residents were born outside of the country (348k people).

In 2024, there were 2.37 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (568k people) in San Diego, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 240k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 165k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.6%

2024 Citizenship

89.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.6% of San Diego, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in San Diego, CA was 89.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in San Diego, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
568k ± 5.65k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
240k ± 4.12k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
165k ± 5.61k

29.8%

Hispanic Population

414k people

29.8% of the people in San Diego, CA are hispanic (414k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in San Diego, 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

25%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

348k people

24.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

341k people

As of 2024, 25% of San Diego, CA residents (348k 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 San Diego, CA was 24.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
28,419 ± 1,539
Vietnam
16,842 ± 936
Gulf War (1990s)
11,741 ± 1,025

San Diego, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.69 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in San Diego, CA.

Economy

The economy of San Diego, CA employs 711k people. In 2024, the largest industries in San Diego, CA were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (108,356 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (94,827 people), and Manufacturing (71,543 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($124,234), Utilities ($103,590), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($101,917).

Employment

Occupations

711k

2024 Value

± 7,441

0.855%

1 Year growth

± 1.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Diego, CA grew at a rate of 0.855%, from 705k employees to 711k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in San Diego, CA, are Management Occupations (87,727 people), Sales & Related Occupations (62,222 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (57,938 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of San Diego, 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

711k

2024 Value

± 7,441

0.855%

1 Year growth

± 1.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Diego, CA grew at a rate of 0.855%, from 705k employees to 711k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in San Diego, CA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (108,356 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (94,827 people), and Manufacturing (71,543 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of San Diego, CA, though some of these residents may live in San Diego, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$69,230

Median earning men ± $1,282

$52,541

Median earning women ± $925

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($106,431), Manufacturing ($103,453), and Public Administration ($97,915).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($79,147), Information ($76,406), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($75,739).

Education

The student population of San Diego, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 92,509 male students and 125,173 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in San Diego, CA are White (17,114 and 34.3%), Hispanic or Latino (14,186 and 28.5%), Asian (8,015 and 16.1%), and Black or African American (4,887 and 9.8%).

The largest universities in San Diego, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-San Diego (12,710 and 23.6%), San Diego State University (10,928 and 20.3%), and Ashford University (8,005 and 14.9%).

The most popular majors in San Diego, CA are General Business Administration & Management (5,606 and 10.4%), General Psychology (2,664 and 4.96%), and General Education (2,123 and 3.95%).

The median tuition costs are $19,512 for private four year colleges, and $6,084 and $18,684 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in San Diego, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 32.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 217,682 (42.5% men and 57.5% 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 2024 there were 217,682 students enrolled in San Diego, CA, 42.5% men and 57.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 66,368 records, of which 60.5% were women and 39.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
3,240 degrees awarded
General Psychology
1,853 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Safety Studies
803 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in San Diego, CA was General Business Administration & Management with 3,240 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of California-San Diego
12,710 degrees awarded
San Diego State University
10,928 degrees awarded
Ashford University
8,005 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of California-San Diego with 12,710 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 21,689 men were awarded degrees from institutions in San Diego, CA, which is 0.676 times less than the 32,071 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 17,114 degrees mean that there were 1.21 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 14,186 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 ($19,512) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,644) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,045) 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 San Diego, CA was $906,700 in 2024, which is 2.73 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $848,500 to $906,700, a 6.86% increase. The homeownership rate in San Diego, CA is 47.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in San Diego, CA have an average commute time of 23.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in San Diego, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$906,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,879

$251,100

Median Property Taxes

±$3,457

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

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

Rent vs Own

47.3%

Homeownership

2024

70.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 47.3% of the housing units in San Diego, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 47.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in San Diego, 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.

$108,077

Median Household Income

± $1,463

530k

Number of Households

± 6,037

In 2024, the median household income of the 530k households in San Diego, CA grew to $108,077 from the previous year's value of $104,321.

The following chart displays the households in San Diego, 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 San Diego, 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 (62.6%)
Worked At Home (21.2%)
Carpooled (7.72%)

In 2024, 62.6% of workers in San Diego, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (21.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.72%).

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

23.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in San Diego, CA have a shorter commute time (23.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.56% of the workforce in San Diego, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in San Diego, CA (148k out of 1.35M 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 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in San Diego, 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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