Chula Vista, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Chula Vista, 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.
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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 265,525 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5097.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.76% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 82,533 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Chula Vista grew by 26.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 265,525 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Chula Vista is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.9% of residents. That is 0.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 58,096 21.9% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 63,589 23.9% +0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 54,656 20.6% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 34,882 13.1% -2.1 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 50.8% of the people living in Chula Vista and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% California 49.9%
- Men 49.2% California 50.1%
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Economy
Chula Vista has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $105,666 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.25% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Chula Vista is about 7% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $704,019 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,223 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.8% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Chula Vista is about 26.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,223 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Chula Vista spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 214 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.6 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 214 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,622 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.4% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 36,097 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,212 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Chula Vista is 26 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
Chula Vista has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.2% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.19 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Chula Vista has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Chula Vista | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 11.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Chula Vista, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Chula Vista, CA is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 265,525 residents against a local median of 34,750. Chula Vista, CA's median household income, at $105,666, runs 18% above the $89,238 typical of the cities around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread $29,020 on median household income, so Chula Vista, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Chula Vista, CA has the highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chula Vista, CA | 265,525 | $105,666 #1/4 | $704,019 #2/4 | 25.6 min #3/4 |
| La Presa, CA | 34,750 | $96,192 | $657,064 | 23.6 min |
| National City, CA | 57,784 | $67,172 | $732,876 | 22.4 min |
| Lemon Grove, CA | 28,050 | $89,238 | $681,698 | 26.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chula Vista, California.
How many people live in Chula Vista, California?
About 265,525 people live in Chula Vista, California, in 82,533 households of 3.2 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Chula Vista, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Chula Vista, California has 5,097 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 59 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Chula Vista, California?
The median home costs 6.7 times the median household income ($704,019 against $105,666), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,223 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Chula Vista, California?
Unemployment in Chula Vista, California is 7.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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