Wasco, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

26,558

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

30.6

0.658% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

18.4%

4.03% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,727

6.83% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$273,600

Population & Diversity

Wasco, CA is home to a population of 26.6k people, from which 77.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 29.8% of Wasco, CA residents were born outside of the country (7.9k people).

In 2024, there were 2.1 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (13.2k people) in Wasco, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.31k Other (Hispanic) and 3.13k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

77.6%

2024 Citizenship

78.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 77.6% of Wasco, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wasco, CA was 78.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wasco, CA

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
13.2k ± 1.44k
Other (Hispanic)
6.31k ± 1.24k
White (Hispanic)
3.13k ± 896

87.4%

Hispanic Population

23.2k people

87.4% of the people in Wasco, CA are hispanic (23.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wasco, 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

29.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.9k people

28.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.49k people

As of 2024, 29.8% of Wasco, CA residents (7.9k 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 Wasco, CA was 28.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
135 ± 105
Gulf War (2001-)
88 ± 71
Vietnam
64 ± 67

Wasco, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.53 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Wasco, CA employs 9.31k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wasco, CA were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (2,357 people), Retail Trade (909 people), and Educational Services (902 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($101,042), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($99,250), and Construction ($55,769).

Employment

Occupations

9.31k

2024 Value

± 838

5.34%

1 Year growth

± 12.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wasco, CA grew at a rate of 5.34%, from 8.84k employees to 9.31k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wasco, CA, are Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (1,646 people), Material Moving Occupations (1,199 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (795 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wasco, 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

9.31k

2024 Value

± 838

5.34%

1 Year growth

± 12.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wasco, CA grew at a rate of 5.34%, from 8.84k employees to 9.31k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wasco, CA, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (2,357 people), Retail Trade (909 people), and Educational Services (902 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wasco, CA, though some of these residents may live in Wasco, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,048

Median earning men ± $3,375

$28,246

Median earning women ± $3,871

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($96,786), Information ($85,083), and Construction ($60,625).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($47,727), Other Services Except Public Administration ($37,163), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($34,136).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Wasco, CA was $273,600 in 2024, which is 0.822 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $251,900 to $273,600, a 8.61% increase. The homeownership rate in Wasco, CA is 58.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

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

Housing

Property

$273,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,749

$3,697

Median Property Taxes

±$496

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

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

Rent vs Own

58.3%

Homeownership

2024

74.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 58.3% of the housing units in Wasco, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 59.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wasco, 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.

$51,727

Median Household Income

± $9,446

6.34k

Number of Households

± 698

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.34k households in Wasco, CA declined from $51,727 from the previous year's value of $55,521.

The following chart displays the households in Wasco, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Wasco, 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 (78.4%)
Carpooled (16%)
Worked At Home (2.93%)

In 2024, 78.4% of workers in Wasco, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16%) and those who worked at home (2.93%).

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 Wasco, CA have a shorter commute time (23.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.76% of the workforce in Wasco, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wasco, CA (4.16k out of 22.7k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wasco, 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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