Rancho Santa Margarita, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rancho Santa Margarita, 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 Top grade
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,046 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3086.3 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.01% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,064 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rancho Santa Margarita declined by 3.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 40,046 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rancho Santa Margarita is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.2% of residents. That is 0.5 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,957 19.9% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,689 24.2% +0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,544 23.8% +4.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,024 12.5% -2.7 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 50.8% of the people living in Rancho Santa Margarita and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% California 49.9%
- Men 49.2% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in Rancho Santa Margarita
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Economy
Rancho Santa Margarita has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $144,943 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.01% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rancho Santa Margarita is about 46% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,896,598 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,641 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rancho Santa Margarita is about 59.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,641 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rancho Santa Margarita spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 212 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.4 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 50.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 212 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,559 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 23.8% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,313 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,556 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Rancho Santa Margarita is 25 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
Rancho Santa Margarita has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 46.4% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.66 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Rancho Santa Margarita has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | Rancho Santa Margarita | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 9.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Rancho Santa Margarita, CA compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 40,046 | $144,943 #1/3 | $1,896,598 #1/3 | 25.4 min #3/3 |
| Mission Viejo, CA | 95,648 | $138,601 | $1,283,174 | 23.1 min |
| Lake Forest, CA | 77,757 | $137,212 | $940,329 | 23.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
How many people live in Rancho Santa Margarita, California?
About 40,046 people live in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, in 15,064 households of 2.7 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 Rancho Santa Margarita, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Rancho Santa Margarita, California has 3,086 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 36 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Rancho Santa Margarita, California?
The median home costs 13.1 times the median household income ($1,896,598 against $144,943), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,641 a month takes about 22% 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 Rancho Santa Margarita, California?
Unemployment in Rancho Santa Margarita, California is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Rancho Santa Margarita, California?
46.4% of adults in Rancho Santa Margarita, 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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