Irvine, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Irvine, 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.
-
A+
Health Top grade
-
B
Income Around average
-
A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 295,598 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4484.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.81% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.7 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 105,980 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Irvine grew by 49.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 295,598 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Irvine is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.4% of residents. That is 4.6 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 77,921 26.4% +4.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 71,584 24.2% +0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 59,323 20.1% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 33,721 11.4% -3.8 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 51.0% of the people living in Irvine and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% California 49.9%
- Men 49.0% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Irvine
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Irvine has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $135,308 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.83% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Irvine is about 36% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $988,750 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,983 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 45.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Irvine is about 27.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,983 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Irvine spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.6 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 178 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,506 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 28.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 31,859 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,710 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Irvine is 21 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
Irvine has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Irvine has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Irvine | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 83.2 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 9.5% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 8.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Irvine, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Irvine, CA is the largest of the 5 cities compared here, 295,598 residents against a local median of 62,113. The measure that sets Irvine, CA apart most is median home price: $988,750, 20% above the local median of $821,262.
The cities themselves spread $1,106,107 on median home price, so Irvine, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Irvine, CA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irvine, CA | 295,598 | $135,308 #4/5 | $988,750 #2/5 | 21.3 min #1/5 |
| Tustin, CA | 80,376 | $111,579 | $104,875 | 21.7 min |
| North Tustin, CA | 26,648 | $164,765 | $1,210,982 | 21.9 min |
| Lake Forest, CA | 77,757 | $137,212 | $940,329 | 23.0 min |
| Aliso Viejo, CA | 46,470 | $138,291 | $702,195 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Irvine, California.
What is the population of Irvine, California?
About 295,598 people live in Irvine, California, in 105,980 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 32.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Irvine, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Irvine, California has 4,484 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 52 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Irvine, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.3 times the median household income ($988,750 against $135,308), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,983 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Irvine, California have a college degree?
61.1% of adults in Irvine, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 6 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →