California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
California Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 76% of states in the US
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in California grew by 7.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 39,245,658 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in California is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.7% of residents. That is 1.4 points above the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,525,254 21.7% +0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,286,312 23.7% +1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,793,941 19.9% on par
- Boomers 61–79 5,987,835 15.3% -1.6 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 the US, 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 49.9% of the people living in California and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% the US 50.5%
- Men 50.1% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in California
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
California has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in California is about 23% higher than in US.
Housing
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in California is about 26.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,036 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in California spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 California is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in US.
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
California has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
California has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | California | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
California Compared With Nearby States
California is the largest of the 6 states compared here, 39,245,658 residents against a local median of 3,390,702. Where California breaks from the states next to it is median home price, sitting 65% above the local median of $394,140 at $650,794.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $99,161 against a local median of $80,381, 23% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so California is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The states themselves sit within $140,794 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and California, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. California has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39,245,658 | $99,161 #1/6 | $650,794 #1/6 | 23.5 min #6/6 |
| Nevada | 3,183,702 | $78,637 | $357,758 | 22.4 min |
| Oregon | 4,252,306 | $83,617 | $406,603 | 20.1 min |
| Utah | 3,390,702 | $95,466 | $498,552 | 18.9 min |
| Arizona | 7,356,359 | $80,381 | $367,851 | 22.4 min |
| Idaho | 1,929,983 | $78,141 | $394,140 | 18.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about California.
How many people live in California?
About 39,245,658 people live in California, in 13,531,619 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 35.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, California has 239 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in California?
The median home costs 6.6 times the median household income ($650,794 against $99,161), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,036 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in California?
Unemployment in California is 6.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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