Mission Viejo, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mission Viejo, 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 Top grade
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A
Income Above average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 95,648 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5304.9 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.46% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 34,098 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mission Viejo declined by 0.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 95,648 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mission Viejo is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 24.4% of residents. That is 4.5 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,556 17.3% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,936 19.8% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 23,299 24.4% +4.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 18,174 19.0% +3.7 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 50.5% of the people living in Mission Viejo and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% California 49.9%
- Men 49.5% California 50.1%
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Economy
Mission Viejo has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $138,601 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.50% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mission Viejo is about 40% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,283,174 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,813 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.9% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mission Viejo is about 38.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,813 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mission Viejo spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 193 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 193 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,974 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 23.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 39,094 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,176 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Mission Viejo is about the same as 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
Mission Viejo has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47.7% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.75 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Mission Viejo has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Mission Viejo | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.5 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.3% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Mission Viejo, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Mission Viejo, CA is the largest of the 5 cities compared here, 95,648 residents against a local median of 34,798. Nothing separates Mission Viejo, 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, 10% below the local median at $1,283,174 against $1,418,464. Mission Viejo, CA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Viejo, CA | 95,648 | $138,601 #3/5 | $1,283,174 #3/5 | 23.1 min #4/5 |
| Laguna Hills, CA | 29,550 | $108,246 | $908,003 | 21.2 min |
| Lake Forest, CA | 77,757 | $137,212 | $940,329 | 23.0 min |
| Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 40,046 | $144,943 | $1,896,598 | 25.4 min |
| Ladera Ranch, CA | 20,159 | $199,876 | $2,041,728 | 23.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mission Viejo, California.
What is the population of Mission Viejo, California?
About 95,648 people live in Mission Viejo, California, in 34,098 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 43.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Mission Viejo, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mission Viejo, California has 5,305 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 61 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Mission Viejo, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 9.3 times the median household income ($1,283,174 against $138,601), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,813 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Mission Viejo, California?
47.7% of adults in Mission Viejo, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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