Colton, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Colton, 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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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 56,403 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3494.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.51% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.1 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 17,552 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Colton grew by 7.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 56,403 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Colton is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.4% of residents. That is 4.7 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 14,885 26.4% +4.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,714 22.5% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,711 19.0% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,142 10.9% -4.4 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 50.4% of the people living in Colton and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% California 49.9%
- Men 49.6% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in Colton
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Economy
Colton has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,602 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.06% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Colton is about 26% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $335,215 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,655 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.3% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Colton is about 16.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,655 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Colton spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.6 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,764 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 51,670 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,935 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Colton is 22 minutes, shorter 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
Colton has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.8% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.20 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Colton has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Colton | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Colton, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Colton, CA is the 2nd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 56,403 residents against a local median of 21,884. Nothing separates Colton, CA sharply from the cities around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 14% below the local median at $73,602 against $85,237. Colton, CA has the 4th highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colton, CA | 56,403 | $73,602 #4/4 | $335,215 #3/4 | 22.3 min #2/4 |
| Bloomington, CA | 20,369 | $85,085 | $344,963 | 23.6 min |
| Loma Linda, CA | 21,884 | $85,237 | $670,329 | 16.5 min |
| Rialto, CA | 109,274 | $90,800 | $90,921 | 26.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Colton, California.
How big is Colton, California by population?
About 56,403 people live in Colton, California, in 17,552 households of 3.2 people on average. The median age is 33.1, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Colton, California?
Averaged over its land area, Colton, California has 3,495 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 40 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Colton, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($335,215 against $73,602), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,655 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Colton, California?
Unemployment in Colton, California is 6.8%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Colton, California?
16.8% of adults in Colton, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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