Mariposa County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mariposa 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
-
D
Income Well below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,082 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 11.7 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.40% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 51.4 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,508 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mariposa County declined by 4.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,082 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mariposa County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 26.8% of residents. That is 11.6 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,457 14.4% -7.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,004 17.6% -6.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,990 23.4% +3.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,581 26.8% +11.6 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 49.0% of the people living in Mariposa County and men 51.0%.
- Women 49.0% California 49.9%
- Men 51.0% California 50.1%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Mariposa County
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Economy
Mariposa County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,143 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.47% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mariposa County is about 30% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $78,332 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,305 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.7% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mariposa County is about 5.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,305 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mariposa County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.5 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 181 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,616 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.7% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 390 | 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 Mariposa County 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
Mariposa County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.8% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.99 | 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
Mariposa County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Mariposa County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.5% | 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).
Mariposa County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Mariposa County, CA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 17,082 residents against a local median of 161,170. The measure that sets Mariposa County, CA apart most is median home price: $78,333, 81% below the local median of $403,165.
The counties themselves sit within $91,228 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Mariposa County, CA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Mariposa County, CA has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariposa County, CA | 17,082 | $69,143 #5/6 | $78,333 #6/6 | 21.7 min #4/6 |
| Madera County, CA | 161,170 | $76,645 | $403,165 | 23.4 min |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 54,498 | $77,597 | $347,704 | 18.5 min |
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | $74,148 | $428,895 | 20.9 min |
| Calaveras County, CA | 46,248 | $77,726 | $434,507 | 30.5 min |
| Merced County, CA | 290,118 | $66,042 | $343,279 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mariposa County, California.
How many people live in Mariposa County, California?
About 17,082 people live in Mariposa County, California, in 7,508 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 51.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 14 years.
Is Mariposa County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mariposa County, California has 12 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 13% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Mariposa County, California?
The median home costs 1.1 times the median household income ($78,333 against $69,143), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,305 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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