San Bernardino County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
San Bernardino County, 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 averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 70% of counties in California
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,193,778 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 109.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.50% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.5 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 674,317 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in San Bernardino County grew by 10.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,193,778 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in San Bernardino County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.0% of residents. That is 2.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 526,363 24.0% +2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 512,894 23.4% -0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 412,561 18.8% -1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 281,636 12.8% -2.4 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 49.9% of the people living in San Bernardino County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% California 49.9%
- Men 50.1% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in San Bernardino County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
San Bernardino County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,328 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.80% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.0% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in San Bernardino County is about 13% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $419,799 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,800 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.0% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in San Bernardino County is about 19.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,800 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in San Bernardino County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 213 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.6 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.2 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 213 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,617 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,444 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,347 | 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 San Bernardino County 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
San Bernardino County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.4% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.19 | 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
San Bernardino County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | San Bernardino County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.1 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.9% | 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).
San Bernardino County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
San Bernardino County, CA is typical in size for this group, 2,193,778 residents against a local median of 2,477,722, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. San Bernardino County, CA sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 12% below the local median at $419,799 against $479,061. San Bernardino County, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino County, CA | 2,193,778 | $86,328 #4/6 | $419,799 #4/6 | 25.6 min #5/6 |
| Riverside County, CA | 2,477,722 | $93,715 | $479,061 | 28.1 min |
| Clark County, NV | 2,328,677 | $76,723 | $354,539 | 23.1 min |
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | $106,588 | $797,190 | 22.6 min |
| Imperial County, CA | 180,111 | $57,720 | $263,087 | 17.9 min |
| Orange County, CA | 3,164,225 | $116,542 | $1,003,714 | 23.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about San Bernardino County, California.
What is the population of San Bernardino County, California?
About 2,193,778 people live in San Bernardino County, California, in 674,317 households of 3.2 people on average. The median age is 33.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is San Bernardino County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, San Bernardino County, California has 109 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in San Bernardino County, California?
The median home costs 4.9 times the median household income ($419,799 against $86,328), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,800 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 San Bernardino County, California?
Unemployment in San Bernardino County, California is 7.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in San Bernardino County, California have a college degree?
20.4% of adults in San Bernardino County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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