Alpine County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alpine County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 77% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,616 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 4.37% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.4 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 435 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alpine County grew by 40.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,616 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alpine County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.6% of residents. That is 8.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 331 20.5% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 288 17.8% -5.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 333 20.6% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 381 23.6% +8.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 45.6% of the people living in Alpine County and men 54.4%.
- Women 45.6% California 49.9%
- Men 54.4% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alpine County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alpine County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,791 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.91% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alpine County is about 11% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $695,312 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,250 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.2% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alpine County is about 46.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,250 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alpine County spend about 63 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 261 hours, about 10.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.7 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 261 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,094 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 18.2% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,112 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 416 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Alpine County is 31 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Alpine County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.61 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Alpine County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Alpine County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Alpine County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Alpine County, CA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,616 residents against a local median of 58,384. The measure that sets Alpine County, CA apart most is median home price: $695,312, 62% above the local median of $429,826.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 31.3 min against a local median of 20.9 min, 50% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Alpine County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $260,011 on median home price, so Alpine County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Alpine County, CA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine County, CA | 1,616 | $109,791 #1/6 | $695,312 #1/6 | 31.3 min #6/6 |
| Douglas County, NV | 49,623 | $92,610 | $429,826 | 20.9 min |
| Carson City, NV | 58,384 | $71,367 | $579,044 | 16.8 min |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 54,498 | $77,597 | $347,704 | 18.5 min |
| El Dorado County, CA | 192,661 | $109,313 | $453,089 | 21.5 min |
| Lyon County, NV | 61,677 | $79,966 | $319,033 | 25.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alpine County, California.
How big is Alpine County, California by population?
About 1,616 people live in Alpine County, California, in 435 households of 3.6 people on average. The median age is 38.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Alpine County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alpine County, California has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alpine County, California?
The median home costs 6.3 times the median household income ($695,312 against $109,791), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,250 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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