Taft, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,125

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.1

2.49% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.9%

4.78% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,772

12.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$252,600

Population & Diversity

Taft, CA is home to a population of 7.13k people, from which 95.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.17% of Taft, CA residents were born outside of the country (511 people).

In 2024, there were 4.29 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.31k people) in Taft, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.01k Other (Hispanic) and 865 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.2%

2024 Citizenship

96%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.2% of Taft, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Taft, CA was 96%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Taft, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.31k ± 694
Other (Hispanic)
1.01k ± 531
White (Hispanic)
865 ± 618

31.5%

Hispanic Population

2.24k people

31.5% of the people in Taft, CA are hispanic (2.24k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Taft, 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

7.17%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

511 people

6.82%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

493 people

As of 2024, 7.17% of Taft, CA residents (511 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 Taft, CA was 6.82%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
125 ± 163
Gulf War (2001-)
38 ± 47
Gulf War (1990s)
37 ± 59

Taft, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.29 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Taft, CA employs 2.95k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Taft, CA were Educational Services (463 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (343 people), and Construction (320 people), and the highest paying industries were Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($90,193), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($84,663), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($83,054).

Employment

Occupations

2.95k

2024 Value

± 628

0.409%

1 Year growth

± 29.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Taft, CA grew at a rate of 0.409%, from 2.94k employees to 2.95k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Taft, CA, are Transportation Occupations (545 people), Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (340 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (239 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Taft, 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

2.95k

2024 Value

± 628

0.409%

1 Year growth

± 29.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Taft, CA grew at a rate of 0.409%, from 2.94k employees to 2.95k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Taft, CA, are Educational Services (463 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (343 people), and Construction (320 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Taft, CA, though some of these residents may live in Taft, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$55,838

Median earning men ± $17,454

$21,288

Median earning women ± $13,591

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($91,086), Construction ($59,537), and Public Administration ($49,124).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($53,421), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,092), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($32,037).

Education

The student population of Taft, CA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 2,251 male students and 2,213 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Taft, CA are Hispanic or Latino (447 and 63.6%), White (181 and 25.7%), Two or More Races (28 and 3.98%), and Black or African American (27 and 3.84%).

The largest universities in Taft, CA by number of degrees awarded are Taft College (705 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Taft, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (189 and 26.8%), Biological & Physical Sciences (92 and 13%), and General Health Services (66 and 9.36%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $1,104 for in-state students and $10,848 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 4,464 students enrolled in Taft, CA, 50.4% men and 49.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 2,980 records, of which 48.8% were women and 51.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Biological & Physical Sciences
92 degrees awarded
General Health Services
66 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
48 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Taft, CA was Biological & Physical Sciences with 92 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Taft College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

705 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Taft College with 705 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 183 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Taft, CA, which is 0.351 times less than the 522 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 447 degrees mean that there were 2.47 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 181 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 ($4) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($938) 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 Taft, CA was $252,600 in 2024, which is 0.759 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $246,400 to $252,600, a 2.52% increase. The homeownership rate in Taft, CA is 55%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Taft, CA have an average commute time of 18.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Taft, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$252,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,595

$1,459

Median Property Taxes

±$453

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 Taft, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

55%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 55% of the housing units in Taft, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 53.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Taft, 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.

$72,772

Median Household Income

± $22,114

2.65k

Number of Households

± 598

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.65k households in Taft, CA grew to $72,772 from the previous year's value of $64,479.

The following chart displays the households in Taft, 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 Taft, 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 (82%)
Carpooled (7.94%)
Worked At Home (4.4%)

In 2024, 82% of workers in Taft, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.94%) and those who worked at home (4.4%).

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

18.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Taft, CA have a shorter commute time (18.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.91% of the workforce in Taft, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Taft, CA (1.09k out of 6.43k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

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