San Marcos, CA

Census Place

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2024 Population
94,882
US Senator
Alex Padilla
Democratic Party
US Senator
Adam Schiff
Democratic Party
2024 Poverty Rate
9.2%
9.58% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$109,377
3.89% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$868,000
9.54% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
46,169
2.81% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in San Marcos, 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.

90.5% of the residents in San Marcos, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in San Marcos, CA are Palomar College (4,644 degrees awarded in 2023), California State University-San Marcos (3,943 degrees), and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (1,751 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in San Marcos, CA was $868,000, and the homeownership rate was 63.7%.

Most people in San Marcos, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in San Marcos, CA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesCaliforniaSan Diego County, CASan Diego-Carlsbad, CASan Diego County (Northwest)--Vista City PUMA, CASan Diego County (Northwest)--Carlsbad City PUMA, CASan Diego County (Northwest)--San Marcos & Escondido (West) Cities PUMA, CASan Diego County (West)--San Diego (Northwest/San Dieguito) & Encinitas Cities PUMA, CA

Population & Diversity

San Marcos, CA is home to a population of 94.9k people, from which 90.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 22.2% of San Marcos, CA residents were born outside of the country (21.1k people).

In 2024, there were 3.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (41.6k people) in San Marcos, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 13.5k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 12.5k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

90.5%
2024 Citizenship
90.4%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 90.5% of San Marcos, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in San Marcos, CA was 90.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in San Marcos, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    41.6k ± 2.37k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    13.5k ± 1.55k
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    12.5k ± 1.46k
36.8%
Hispanic Population
34.9k people

In 2024, there were 3.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (41.6k people) in San Marcos, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 13.5k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 12.5k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

36.8% of the people in San Marcos, CA are hispanic (34.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in San Marcos, 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
    3,862,617 ± 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

22.2%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
21.1k people
22.4%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
21k people

As of 2024, 22.2% of San Marcos, CA residents (21.1k 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 Marcos, CA was 22.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,352 ± 340
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,243 ± 274
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    768 ± 194

San Marcos, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.09 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of San Marcos, CA employs 46.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in San Marcos, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,835 people), Manufacturing (5,497 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,159 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($111,215), Finance & Insurance ($95,543), and Public Administration ($90,341).

Employment

Occupations

46.2k
2024 Value
± 1,840
2.81%
1 Year growth
± 5.52%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Marcos, CA grew at a rate of 2.81%, from 44.9k employees to 46.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in San Marcos, CA, are Management Occupations (6,750 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,474 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,333 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of San Marcos, CA.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

46.2k
2024 Value
± 1,840
2.81%
1 Year growth
± 5.52%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Marcos, CA grew at a rate of 2.81%, from 44.9k employees to 46.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in San Marcos, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,835 people), Manufacturing (5,497 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,159 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of San Marcos, CA, though some of these residents may live in San Marcos, 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

$66,468
Median earning men ± $5,918
$45,046
Median earning women ± $3,613

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($122,661), Manufacturing ($107,681), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($105,430).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($76,786), Wholesale Trade ($70,893), and Public Administration ($70,000).

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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 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 San Marcos, 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.

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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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in San Marcos, CA awarded 11,059 degrees. The student population of San Marcos, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 18,094 male students and 21,965 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in San Marcos, CA are Hispanic or Latino (4,610 and 42.2%), White (3,663 and 33.5%), Asian (972 and 8.89%), and Unknown (618 and 5.66%).

The largest universities in San Marcos, CA by number of degrees awarded are Palomar College (4,644 and 42%), California State University-San Marcos (3,943 and 35.7%), and University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (1,751 and 15.8%).

The most popular majors in San Marcos, CA are General Business Administration & Management (1,055 and 9.54%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,034 and 9.35%), and Physical Therapy (860 and 7.78%).

The median tuition costs in San Marcos, CA are $27,000 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 San Marcos, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 15.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 40,059 (45.2% men and 54.8% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 40,059 students enrolled in San Marcos, CA, 45.2% men and 54.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 18,485 records, of which 56.8% were women and 43.2% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Sociology
    295 degrees awarded
  2. General Business Administration & Management
    486 degrees awarded
  3. General Psychology
    315 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in San Marcos, CA was Sociology with 295 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Palomar College
    4,644 degrees awarded
  2. California State University-San Marcos
    3,943 degrees awarded
  3. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
    1,751 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Palomar College with 4,644 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 4,391 men were awarded degrees from institutions in San Marcos, CA, which is 0.659 times less than the 6,668 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 4,610 degrees mean that there were 1.26 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 3,663 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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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($27,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,992) 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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in San Marcos, CA was $868,000 in 2024, which is 2.61 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $792,400 to $868,000, a 9.54% increase. The homeownership rate in San Marcos, CA is 63.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in San Marcos, CA have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in San Marcos, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$868,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$26,665
$19,976
Median Property Taxes
±$981

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

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

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Rent vs Own

63.7%
Homeownership
2024
64.1%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 63.7% of the housing units in San Marcos, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$109,377
Median Household Income
± $5,003
31.4k
Number of Households
± 1,439

In 2024, the median household income of the 31.4k households in San Marcos, CA grew to $109,377 from the previous year's value of $105,286.

The following chart displays the households in San Marcos, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for San Marcos, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (67.7%)
  2. Worked At Home (20.5%)
  3. Carpooled (8.02%)

In 2024, 67.7% of workers in San Marcos, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (20.5%) and those who carpooled to work (8.02%).

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

26.5 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in San Marcos, CA have a longer commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.43% of the workforce in San Marcos, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in San Marcos, CA (8.57k out of 93.1k 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 18 - 24 and then Females 75+.

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

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Health

92.9% of the population of San Marcos, CA has health coverage, with 52.8% on employee plans, 15.2% on Medicaid, 8.86% on Medicare, 14.6% on non-group plans, and 1.45% 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, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.3% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 39.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

7.11%
Uninsured
52.8%
Employer Coverage
15.2%
Medicaid
8.86%
Medicare
14.6%
Non-Group
1.45%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in San Marcos, CA declined by 0.579% from 7.15% to 7.11%.

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

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