Poway, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Poway, 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.
-
A
Health Above average
-
B
Income Around average
-
A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 47,169 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1204.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.51% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 16,026 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Poway declined by 1.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 47,169 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Poway is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 2.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,418 17.8% -3.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,988 21.2% -2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,437 22.1% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,201 17.4% +2.1 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 49.5% of the people living in Poway and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% California 49.9%
- Men 50.5% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Poway
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Poway has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $145,747 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.98% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Poway is about 47% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,092,294 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,301 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Poway is about 39.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,301 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Poway spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 214 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 214 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,635 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 23.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,848 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,210 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Poway 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
Poway has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49.7% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.90 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Poway has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Poway | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Poway, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Poway, CA compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poway, CA | 47,169 | $145,747 #1/3 | $1,092,294 #1/3 | 25.7 min #2/3 |
| Santee, CA | 58,712 | $114,302 | $590,423 | 25.2 min |
| Escondido, CA | 125,771 | $85,634 | $573,661 | 26.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Poway, California.
How big is Poway, California by population?
About 47,169 people live in Poway, California, in 16,026 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Poway, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Poway, California has 1,204 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 14 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Poway, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.5 times the median household income ($1,092,294 against $145,747), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,301 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Poway, California?
49.7% of adults in Poway, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →