Modesto, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Modesto, 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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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 200,770 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4442.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.39% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 66,864 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Modesto grew by 5.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 200,770 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Modesto is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.5% of residents. That is 1.2 points below California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 45,031 22.4% +0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 45,119 22.5% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,586 18.2% -1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 28,766 14.3% -0.9 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 50.7% of the people living in Modesto and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% California 49.9%
- Men 49.3% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in Modesto
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Economy
Modesto has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,536 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.88% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.2% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Modesto is about 20% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $434,607 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,675 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Modesto is about 21.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,675 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Modesto spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 176 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.2 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 176 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,465 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 32,000 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,976 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Modesto 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
Modesto has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.8% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.96 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Modesto has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Modesto | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Modesto, California.
What is the population of Modesto, California?
About 200,770 people live in Modesto, California, in 66,864 households of 3.0 people on average. The median age is 35.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Modesto, California?
Averaged over its land area, Modesto, California has 4,443 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 51 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Modesto, California?
The median home costs 5.5 times the median household income ($434,607 against $79,536), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,675 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Modesto, California?
Unemployment in Modesto, California is 7.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Modesto, California?
17.8% of adults in Modesto, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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