Lake County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lake 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.
-
C
Health Below averageLeast healthy county in California
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in California
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 75% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 68,148 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 51.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.80% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,938 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lake County grew by 5.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 68,148 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lake County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.1% of residents. That is 7.9 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,741 17.2% -4.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,646 18.6% -5.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 13,914 20.4% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,771 23.1% +7.9 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 Lake County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% California 49.9%
- Men 49.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lake County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,936 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.83% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 11.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lake County is about 39% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $355,339 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,368 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.2% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lake County is about 21.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,368 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lake County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 199 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.9 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 199 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,181 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,723 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 807 | 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 Lake County is 24 minutes, longer 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
Lake County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.3% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Lake County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lake County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.9% | 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).
Lake County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Lake County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 68,148 residents against a local median of 90,240. Where Lake County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 31% below the local median of $513,099 at $355,339.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.9 min against a local median of 18.8 min, 27% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Lake County, CA reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread $706,695 on median home price, so Lake County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lake County, CA has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 68,148 | $60,936 #6/6 | $355,339 #5/6 | 23.9 min #6/6 |
| Colusa County, CA | 21,984 | $75,609 | $195,643 | 18.6 min |
| Sonoma County, CA | 485,012 | $105,553 | $667,194 | 20.5 min |
| Glenn County, CA | 28,492 | $66,909 | $376,190 | 18.8 min |
| Napa County, CA | 134,769 | $112,778 | $902,338 | 20.3 min |
| Mendocino County, CA | 90,240 | $68,620 | $513,099 | 15.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lake County, California.
What is the population of Lake County, California?
About 68,148 people live in Lake County, California, in 26,938 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Lake County, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lake County, California has 51 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 59% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lake County, California?
The median home costs 5.8 times the median household income ($355,339 against $60,936), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,368 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 Lake County, California?
Unemployment in Lake County, California is 11.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Lake County, California have a college degree?
17.3% of adults in Lake County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below 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 →