Costa Mesa, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Costa Mesa, 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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A
Health Above average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 112,438 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 7109.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.10% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 43,374 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Costa Mesa grew by 2.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 112,438 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Costa Mesa is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 26.6% of residents. That is 2.9 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 26,663 23.7% +2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 29,917 26.6% +2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 23,367 20.8% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,693 12.2% -3.1 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 49.2% of the people living in Costa Mesa and men 50.8%.
- Women 49.2% California 49.9%
- Men 50.8% California 50.1%
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Economy
Costa Mesa has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,143 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.85% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Costa Mesa is about 14% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $817,391 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,466 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 39.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Costa Mesa is about 27.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,466 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Costa Mesa spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 169 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.7 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 169 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,253 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 22.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 28,446 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,714 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Costa Mesa is 20 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
Costa Mesa has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Costa Mesa has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Costa Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 11.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Costa Mesa, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Costa Mesa, CA is the 3rd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 112,438 residents against a local median of 134,076. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest cities, which makes Costa Mesa, CA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 10% below the local median at 20.3 min against 22.5 min. Costa Mesa, CA has the 2nd lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa, CA | 112,438 | $113,143 #4/5 | $817,391 #3/5 | 20.3 min #2/5 |
| Fountain Valley, CA | 56,730 | $114,740 | $472,641 | 23.0 min |
| Newport Beach, CA | 82,228 | $155,599 | $2,029,392 | 18.3 min |
| Santa Ana, CA | 313,932 | $93,782 | $672,808 | 22.1 min |
| Huntington Beach, CA | 185,924 | $121,049 | $955,298 | 26.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Costa Mesa, California.
What is the population of Costa Mesa, California?
About 112,438 people live in Costa Mesa, California, in 43,374 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 37.9, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Costa Mesa, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Costa Mesa, California has 7,109 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 82 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Costa Mesa, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.2 times the median household income ($817,391 against $113,143), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,466 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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