Inyo County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Inyo 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
-
C
Income Below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,739 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1.8 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.29% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.6 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,040 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Inyo County grew by 7.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,739 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Inyo County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.4% of residents. That is 8.1 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,074 16.4% -5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,469 18.5% -5.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,859 20.6% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,385 23.4% +8.1 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 48.9% of the people living in Inyo County and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% California 49.9%
- Men 51.1% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Inyo County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Inyo County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,704 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.62% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Inyo County is about 26% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $106,250 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,188 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Inyo County is about 7.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,188 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Inyo County spend about 22 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 93 hours, about 3.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 22.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 93 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,880 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.8% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,144 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 246 | 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 Inyo County is 11 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
Inyo County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.6% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 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
Inyo County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Inyo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.8% | 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).
Inyo County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Inyo County, CA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 18,739 residents against a local median of 478,693. Where Inyo County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 65% below the local median of $301,152 at $106,250.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 11.1 min against a local median of 18.6 min, 40% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 40% below the local median it puts Inyo County, CA at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $46,995 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Inyo County, CA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Inyo County, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inyo County, CA | 18,739 | $73,704 #1/4 | $106,250 #4/4 | 11.1 min #1/4 |
| Tulare County, CA | 478,693 | $71,104 | $268,486 | 18.6 min |
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | $70,255 | $315,481 | 20.6 min |
| Nye County, NV | 54,344 | $60,588 | $301,152 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Inyo County, California.
What is the population of Inyo County, California?
About 18,739 people live in Inyo County, California, in 8,040 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 45.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Inyo County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Inyo County, California has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Inyo County, California?
The median home costs 1.4 times the median household income ($106,250 against $73,704), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,188 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Inyo County, California?
Unemployment in Inyo County, California is only 2.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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