Vandenberg AFB, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

3,477

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

25.1

2.33% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

1.42%

31.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$84,167

1.29% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

524

Population & Diversity

Vandenberg AFB, CA is home to a population of 3.48k people, from which 97.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.35% of Vandenberg AFB, CA residents were born outside of the country (186 people).

In 2024, there were 5.17 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.92k people) in Vandenberg AFB, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 372 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 302 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Vandenberg AFB, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Vandenberg AFB, CA was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Vandenberg AFB, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.92k ± 315
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
372 ± 167
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
302 ± 186

17.5%

Hispanic Population

610 people

17.5% of the people in Vandenberg AFB, CA are hispanic (610 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Vandenberg AFB, 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

5.35%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

186 people

4.83%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

178 people

As of 2024, 5.35% of Vandenberg AFB, CA residents (186 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 Vandenberg AFB, CA was 4.83%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
119 ± 60
Gulf War (1990s)
12 ± 22
Vietnam
4 ± 20

Vandenberg AFB, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 9.92 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Vandenberg AFB, CA employs 524 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Vandenberg AFB, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (200 people), Retail Trade (86 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (47 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($110,809), Public Administration ($62,083), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,656).

Employment

Occupations

524

2024 Value

± 151

−9.34%

1 Year decline

± 42.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Vandenberg AFB, CA declined at a rate of −9.34%, from 578 employees to 524 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Vandenberg AFB, CA, are Healthcare Support Occupations (100 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (77 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (51 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Vandenberg AFB, 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

524

2024 Value

± 151

−9.34%

1 Year decline

± 42.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Vandenberg AFB, CA declined at a rate of −9.34%, from 578 employees to 524 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Vandenberg AFB, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (200 people), Retail Trade (86 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (47 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Vandenberg AFB, CA, though some of these residents may live in Vandenberg AFB, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$24,253

Median earning men ± $8,558

$30,833

Median earning women ± $17,855

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($120,000), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($87,188), and Retail Trade ($23,393).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($62,292), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($31,389), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($12,361).

Housing & Living

People in Vandenberg AFB, CA have an average commute time of 11.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Vandenberg AFB, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$84,167

Median Household Income

± $12,699

1.14k

Number of Households

± 236

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.14k households in Vandenberg AFB, CA grew to $84,167 from the previous year's value of $83,096.

The following chart displays the households in Vandenberg AFB, 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 Vandenberg AFB, 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 (68.3%)
Carpooled (12.3%)
Walked (7.99%)

In 2024, 68.3% of workers in Vandenberg AFB, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.3%) and those who walked to work (7.99%).

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

11.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Vandenberg AFB, CA have a shorter commute time (11.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.72% of the workforce in Vandenberg AFB, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

1.42% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Vandenberg AFB, CA (45 out of 3.18k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males 15.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Vandenberg AFB, CA is White, followed by Native American and Hispanic.

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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