La Mesa, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
La 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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C
Income Below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | La Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 61,731 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 6786.3 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.42% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 39.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 25,303 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in La Mesa grew by 14.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 61,731 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in La Mesa is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.5% of residents. That is 1.8 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,248 21.5% -0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 15,736 25.5% +1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,104 18.0% -1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,210 14.9% -0.3 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 52.3% of the people living in La Mesa and men 47.7%.
- Women 52.3% California 49.9%
- Men 47.7% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in La Mesa
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Economy
La Mesa has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | La Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $95,096 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.42% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in La Mesa is about 4% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | La Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $625,413 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,043 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 47.7% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in La Mesa is about 25.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,043 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in La Mesa 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 | La Mesa | 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 | $5,761 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 41,752 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,844 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in La Mesa 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
La Mesa has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | La Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.3% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
La Mesa has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | La Mesa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 11.5% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
La Mesa, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
La Mesa, CA is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 61,731 residents against a local median of 31,400. Nothing separates La Mesa, 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 home price, 13% below the local median at $625,413 against $715,619. La Mesa, CA has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa, CA | 61,731 | $95,096 #3/5 | $625,413 #5/5 | 22.3 min #1/5 |
| Lemon Grove, CA | 28,050 | $89,238 | $681,698 | 26.3 min |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA | 22,051 | $125,144 | $924,446 | 25.6 min |
| La Presa, CA | 34,750 | $96,192 | $657,064 | 23.6 min |
| El Cajon, CA | 97,437 | $66,977 | $749,540 | 22.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about La Mesa, California.
How many people live in La Mesa, California?
About 61,731 people live in La Mesa, California, in 25,303 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 39.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is La Mesa, California?
Averaged over its land area, La Mesa, California has 6,786 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 79 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in La Mesa, California?
The median home costs 6.6 times the median household income ($625,413 against $95,096), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,043 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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