San Luis Obispo, CA

Census Place

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2022 Population
47,529
0.576% 1-year growth
US Senator
Alex Padilla
Democratic Party
US Senator
Laphonza Butler
Democratic Party
2022 Median Age
25.2
3.08% 1-year decrease
2022 Poverty Rate
31.5%
6.41% 1-year increase
2022 Median Household Income
$65,000
5.07% 1-year growth
2022 Median Property Value
$841,700
17% 1-year growth
2022 Employed Population
25,061
0.02% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, San Luis Obispo, CA had a population of 47.5k people with a median age of 25.2 and a median household income of $65,000. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of San Luis Obispo, CA grew from 47,257 to 47,529, a 0.576% increase and its median household income grew from $61,862 to $65,000, a 5.07% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in San Luis Obispo, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (70.4%), White (Hispanic) (8.72%), Two+ (Hispanic) (5.64%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (5.15%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.65%).

None of the households in San Luis Obispo, 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.

96.1% of the residents in San Luis Obispo, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in San Luis Obispo, CA are Laurus College (171 degrees awarded in 2022) and Central California School of Continuing Education (36 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in San Luis Obispo, CA was $841,700, and the homeownership rate was 38%.

Most people in San Luis Obispo, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.4 minutes. The average car ownership in San Luis Obispo, CA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: La Familia Ranch, San Luis Obispo, CA

Population & Diversity

San Luis Obispo, CA is home to a population of 47.5k people, from which 96.1% are citizens. As of 2022, 8.05% of San Luis Obispo, CA residents were born outside of the country (3.82k people).

In 2022, there were 8.07 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (33.5k people) in San Luis Obispo, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.15k White (Hispanic) and 2.68k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

96.1%
2022 Citizenship
95.7%
2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 96.1% of San Luis Obispo, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in San Luis Obispo, CA was 95.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in San Luis Obispo, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    33.5k ± 851
  2. White (Hispanic)
    4.15k ± 812
  3. Two+ (Hispanic)
    2.68k ± 541
17.9%
Hispanic Population
8.52k people

In 2022, there were 8.07 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (33.5k people) in San Luis Obispo, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.15k White (Hispanic) and 2.68k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

17.9% of the people in San Luis Obispo, CA are hispanic (8.52k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in San Luis Obispo, CA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,899,021 ± 46,015 people
  2. Philippines
    824,230 ± 22,055 people
  3. China
    685,370 ± 20,148 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,899,021 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,230 and China with 685,370.

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Foreign-Born Population

8.05%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
3.82k people
8.09%
2021 Foreign-Born Population
3.83k people

As of 2022, 8.05% of San Luis Obispo, CA residents (3.82k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in San Luis Obispo, CA was 8.09%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    664 ± 143
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    235 ± 123
  3. Korea
    234 ± 133

San Luis Obispo, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.83 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of San Luis Obispo, CA employs 25.1k people. The largest industries in San Luis Obispo, CA are Educational Services (3,631 people), Accommodation & Food Services (3,533 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,405 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($118,281), Finance & Insurance ($98,378), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($69,921).

Males in California have an average income that is 1.26 times higher than the average income of females, which is $75,777. The income inequality in California (measured using the Gini index) is 0.498, which is higher than than the national average.

Occupations

25.1k
2022 Value
± 1,288
0.02%
1 Year growth
± 7.29%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in San Luis Obispo, CA grew at a rate of 0.02%, from 25.1k employees to 25.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in San Luis Obispo, CA, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (2,853 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,572 people), and Management Occupations (2,379 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of San Luis Obispo, CA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

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.

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Employment by Industries

25.1k
2022 Value
± 1,288
0.02%
1 Year growth
± 7.29%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in San Luis Obispo, CA grew at a rate of 0.02%, from 25.1k employees to 25.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in San Luis Obispo, CA, are Educational Services (3,631 people), Accommodation & Food Services (3,533 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,405 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of San Luis Obispo, CA, though some of these residents may live in San Luis Obispo, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$38,606
Median earning men ± $3,465
$27,173
Median earning women ± $3,159

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Public Administration ($92,361), Wholesale Trade ($91,375), and Information ($88,594).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Construction ($72,690), Information ($58,250), and Wholesale Trade ($49,405).

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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.

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Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 63.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (34.3%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.07%).

Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler 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.

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.
Laphonza Butler
Senator from California1
Assumed office on October 3, 2023
Appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler 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.

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US Representatives from California

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for California have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

In 2022, universities in San Luis Obispo, CA awarded 207 degrees. The student population of San Luis Obispo, CA in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 417 male students and 306 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in San Luis Obispo, CA are Hispanic or Latino (66 and 31.9%), followed by White (58 and 28%), Asian (49 and 23.7%), and Black or African American (22 and 10.6%).

The largest universities in San Luis Obispo, CA by number of degrees awarded are Laurus College (171 and 82.6%) and Central California School of Continuing Education (36 and 17.4%).

The most popular majors in San Luis Obispo, CA are General Business Administration & Management (80 and 38.6%), Computer Support Specialist (40 and 19.3%), and Medical Insurance Specialist (35 and 16.9%).

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 723 students enrolled in San Luis Obispo, CA, 57.7% men and 42.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 212 records, of which 63.2% were women and 36.8% men.

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Concentrations

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in San Luis Obispo, CA was Medical Insurance Specialist with 35 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. 171 degrees awarded
  2. 36 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Laurus College with 171 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2022, 102 men were awarded degrees from institutions in San Luis Obispo, CA, which is 0.971 times less than the 105 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 66 degrees mean that there were 1.14 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 58 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Average Net Price by Sector

Private for-profit, 2-year ($9,820) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($75) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Measure

In 2022, 2.08% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 2.26% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were Some college (6.9M), High School or Equivalent (6.8M), and Bachelors Degree (6.36M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in San Luis Obispo, CA was $841,700 in 2022, which is 2.99 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $719,300 to $841,700, a 17% increase. The homeownership rate in San Luis Obispo, CA is 38%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in San Luis Obispo, CA have an average commute time of 15.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in San Luis Obispo, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in San Luis Obispo, CA is $65,000. In 2022, the place with the highest median household income in San Luis Obispo, CA was Census Tract 116 with a value of $136,020, followed by Census Tract 110.01 and Census Tract 113, with respective values of $100,396 and $87,167.

Property

$841,700
Median Property Value 2022
±$19,065
$7,320
Median Property Taxes
±$513

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

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

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Rent vs Own

38%
Homeownership
2022
73.1%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2022

In 2022, 38% of the housing units in San Luis Obispo, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 39.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in San Luis Obispo, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity
Highest Median Household Income (Total)
  1. Census Tract 116
  2. Census Tract 110.01
  3. Census Tract 113

In 2022, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in San Luis Obispo, CA was Census Tract 116 with a value of $136,020, followed by Census Tract 110.01 and Census Tract 113, with respective values of $100,396 and $87,167.

The following map shows all of the places in San Luis Obispo, CA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$65,000
Median Household Income
± $5,241
19.3k
Number of Households
± 956

In 2022, the median household income of the 19.3k households in San Luis Obispo, CA grew to $65,000 from the previous year's value of $61,862.

The following chart displays the households in San Luis Obispo, 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 < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for San Luis Obispo, CA is from California.
0.498
2022 Wage GINI in California
0.497
2021 Wage GINI in California

In 2022, the income inequality in California was 0.498 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.107% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.478. 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.

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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022
  1. Drove Alone (64%)
  2. Worked At Home (14%)
  3. Carpooled (7.24%)

In 2022, 64% of workers in San Luis Obispo, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14%) and those who carpooled to work (7.24%).

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.

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Commute Time

15.4 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in San Luis Obispo, CA have a shorter commute time (15.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 1.26% of the workforce in San Luis Obispo, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty & Diversity

31.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in San Luis Obispo, CA (14.6k out of 46.3k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

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

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Health

95% of the population of San Luis Obispo, CA has health coverage, with 56.9% on employee plans, 11.1% on Medicaid, 9.34% on Medicare, 17.1% on non-group plans, and 0.576% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in San Luis Obispo County, CA see 1191 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.98% decrease from the previous year (1215 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1128 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 145 patients per year.

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for San Luis Obispo County, CA.
1,191 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in San Luis Obispo County, CA

Primary care physicians in San Luis Obispo County, CA see an average of 1,191 patients per year. This represents a 1.98% decrease from the previous year (1,215 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 12.4% under 18 years, 50.9% between 18 and 34 years, 23.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 13% 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.

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Uninsured People

4.98%
Uninsured
56.9%
Employer Coverage
11.1%
Medicaid
9.34%
Medicare
17.1%
Non-Group
0.576%
Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in San Luis Obispo, CA declined by 7.1% from 5.36% to 4.98%.

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

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