Shafter, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

21,193

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

28.1

0.357% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

20.7%

2.57% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,215

4.74% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$335,800

Population & Diversity

Shafter, CA is home to a population of 21.2k people, from which 84% are citizens.

As of 2024, 23.7% of Shafter, CA residents were born outside of the country (5.02k people).

In 2024, there were 1.69 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (8.19k people) in Shafter, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.86k Other (Hispanic) and 3.35k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

84%

2024 Citizenship

82.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 84% of Shafter, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Shafter, CA was 82.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Shafter, CA

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.19k ± 1.27k
Other (Hispanic)
4.86k ± 995
White (Hispanic)
3.35k ± 759

80.6%

Hispanic Population

17.1k people

80.6% of the people in Shafter, CA are hispanic (17.1k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Shafter, 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

23.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.02k people

24.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.05k people

As of 2024, 23.7% of Shafter, CA residents (5.02k 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 Shafter, CA was 24.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
203 ± 98
Vietnam
170 ± 87
Gulf War (1990s)
45 ± 44

Shafter, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.19 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Shafter, CA employs 8.71k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Shafter, CA were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (1,333 people), Educational Services (1,103 people), and Retail Trade (945 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($109,254), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($83,295), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($67,127).

Employment

Occupations

8.71k

2024 Value

± 746

3.03%

1 Year growth

± 11.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shafter, CA grew at a rate of 3.03%, from 8.46k employees to 8.71k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Shafter, CA, are Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (1,002 people), Production Occupations (777 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (727 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Shafter, 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

8.71k

2024 Value

± 746

3.03%

1 Year growth

± 11.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shafter, CA grew at a rate of 3.03%, from 8.46k employees to 8.71k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Shafter, CA, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (1,333 people), Educational Services (1,103 people), and Retail Trade (945 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Shafter, CA, though some of these residents may live in Shafter, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,260

Median earning men ± $6,859

$32,281

Median earning women ± $3,042

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($75,885), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($71,500), and Construction ($70,196).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,313), Manufacturing ($43,625), and Public Administration ($36,474).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Shafter, CA was $335,800 in 2024, which is 1.01 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $306,800 to $335,800, a 9.45% increase. The homeownership rate in Shafter, CA is 64.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Shafter, CA have an average commute time of 23.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Shafter, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$335,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,713

$3,674

Median Property Taxes

±$447

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

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

Rent vs Own

64.7%

Homeownership

2024

66.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 64.7% of the housing units in Shafter, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 65.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Shafter, 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.

$71,215

Median Household Income

± $7,458

5.68k

Number of Households

± 595

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.68k households in Shafter, CA grew to $71,215 from the previous year's value of $67,989.

The following chart displays the households in Shafter, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Shafter, 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 (81%)
Carpooled (12.4%)
Worked At Home (4.39%)

In 2024, 81% of workers in Shafter, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.4%) and those who worked at home (4.39%).

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

23.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Shafter, CA have a shorter commute time (23.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.94% of the workforce in Shafter, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Shafter, CA (4.29k out of 20.7k 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 12 - 14, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Shafter, CA is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More 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.

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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