Santa Monica, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

91,169

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

42.7

0.466% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

11.2%

3.51% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$114,885

4.69% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$1.76M

Population & Diversity

Santa Monica, CA is home to a population of 91.2k people, from which 91.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 23.2% of Santa Monica, CA residents were born outside of the country (21.2k people).

In 2024, there were 6.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (56.6k people) in Santa Monica, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.14k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 5.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.7%

2024 Citizenship

92.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.7% of Santa Monica, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Monica, CA was 92.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Monica, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
56.6k ± 1.69k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
9.14k ± 931
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
5.7k ± 1.14k

15.3%

Hispanic Population

13.9k people

15.3% of the people in Santa Monica, CA are hispanic (13.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Santa Monica, 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

23.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

21.2k people

23%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

21.1k people

As of 2024, 23.2% of Santa Monica, CA residents (21.2k 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 Santa Monica, CA was 23%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
600 ± 140
Gulf War (2001-)
455 ± 213
Gulf War (1990s)
394 ± 185

Santa Monica, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.32 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Santa Monica, CA.

Economy

The economy of Santa Monica, CA employs 51.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Santa Monica, CA were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,818 people), Information (5,445 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (5,389 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($193,652), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($149,167), and Manufacturing ($127,681).

Employment

Occupations

51.5k

2024 Value

± 2,164

1.47%

1 Year growth

± 5.74%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Monica, CA grew at a rate of 1.47%, from 50.7k employees to 51.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Monica, CA, are Management Occupations (10,850 people), Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media Occupations (6,181 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (5,858 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Monica, 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

51.5k

2024 Value

± 2,164

1.47%

1 Year growth

± 5.74%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Monica, CA grew at a rate of 1.47%, from 50.7k employees to 51.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Monica, CA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,818 people), Information (5,445 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (5,389 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Monica, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Monica, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$108,378

Median earning men ± $9,160

$80,837

Median earning women ± $4,789

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($202,115), Wholesale Trade ($180,898), and Public Administration ($165,909).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($125,452), Information ($107,073), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($102,229).

Education

The student population of Santa Monica, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 10,692 male students and 13,141 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Monica, CA are Hispanic or Latino (5,666 and 44.3%), White (3,792 and 29.6%), Asian (1,259 and 9.84%), and Black or African American (896 and 7%).

The largest universities in Santa Monica, CA by number of degrees awarded are Santa Monica College (13,753 and 99.4%), RAND School of Public Policy (46 and 0.332%), and Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine (39 and 0.282%).

The most popular majors in Santa Monica, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (7,134 and 51.6%), Humanistic Studies (2,535 and 18.3%), and General Business Administration & Management (382 and 2.76%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $1,104 for in-state students and $10,656 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 23,833 students enrolled in Santa Monica, CA, 44.9% men and 55.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 9,506 records, of which 58.3% were women and 41.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Humanistic Studies
2,535 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
2,506 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
381 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Santa Monica, CA was Humanistic Studies with 2,535 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Santa Monica College
13,753 degrees awarded
RAND School of Public Policy
46 degrees awarded
Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine
39 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Santa Monica College with 13,753 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 5,785 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Monica, CA, which is 0.718 times less than the 8,053 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 5,666 degrees mean that there were 1.49 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 3,792 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

Public, 4-year or above ($1,104) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($52) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,746) 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 Santa Monica, CA was $1.76M in 2024, which is 5.28 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $1.81M to $1.76M, a 3.02% decrease. The homeownership rate in Santa Monica, CA is 27.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Santa Monica, CA have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Monica, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.76M

Median Property Value 2024

±$135,078

$13,190

Median Property Taxes

±$847

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

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

Rent vs Own

27.9%

Homeownership

2024

65.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 27.9% of the housing units in Santa Monica, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 28.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Santa Monica, 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.

$114,885

Median Household Income

± $7,492

47.3k

Number of Households

± 2,105

In 2024, the median household income of the 47.3k households in Santa Monica, CA grew to $114,885 from the previous year's value of $109,739.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Monica, 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 Santa Monica, 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 (47%)
Worked At Home (38.4%)
Walked (4.81%)

In 2024, 47% of workers in Santa Monica, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (38.4%) and those who walked to work (4.81%).

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

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Monica, CA have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.821% of the workforce in Santa Monica, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Monica, CA (10.1k out of 90k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Monica, 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.

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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