North Highlands, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
North Highlands, 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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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 42,311 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4803.8 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.5 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,695 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in North Highlands grew by 15.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 42,311 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in North Highlands is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.3% of residents. That is 1.6 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,855 23.3% +1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,433 22.3% -1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,516 17.8% -2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,617 13.3% -2.0 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 50.6% of the people living in North Highlands and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% California 49.9%
- Men 49.4% California 50.1%
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Economy
North Highlands has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,769 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.80% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in North Highlands is about 32% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $504,292 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,647 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 53.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in North Highlands is about 25.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,647 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in North Highlands spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 219 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.3 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.5 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 219 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,784 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 44,471 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,171 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in North Highlands is 26 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
North Highlands has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.06 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
North Highlands has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | North Highlands | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
North Highlands, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
North Highlands, CA is the 4th largest of the 5 cities compared here, 42,311 residents against a local median of 62,831. North Highlands, CA's median household income, at $67,769, runs 18% below the $82,977 typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread $30,535 on median household income, so North Highlands, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. North Highlands, CA has the 4th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Highlands, CA | 42,311 | $67,769 #4/5 | $504,292 #2/5 | 26.3 min #4/5 |
| Foothill Farms, CA | 35,501 | $67,474 | $348,180 | 23.5 min |
| Antelope, CA | 49,393 | $98,009 | $592,254 | 27.0 min |
| Carmichael, CA | 76,270 | $88,932 | $478,370 | 22.8 min |
| Arden-Arcade, CA | 92,545 | $77,022 | $472,536 | 22.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about North Highlands, California.
How big is North Highlands, California by population?
About 42,311 people live in North Highlands, California, in 13,695 households of 3.1 people on average. The median age is 31.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is North Highlands, California?
Averaged over its land area, North Highlands, California has 4,804 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 56 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in North Highlands, California?
The median home costs 7.4 times the median household income ($504,292 against $67,769), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,647 a month takes about 29% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in North Highlands, California have a college degree?
13.5% of adults in North Highlands, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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