San Clemente, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
San Clemente, 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 Above average
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A
Income Above average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 59,513 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3115.0 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 4.67% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.4 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 22,780 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in San Clemente grew by 35.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 59,513 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in San Clemente is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 25.1% of residents. That is 5.2 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,946 18.4% -3.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,477 19.3% -4.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,916 25.1% +5.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,962 18.4% +3.2 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 50.2% of the people living in San Clemente and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% California 49.9%
- Men 49.8% California 50.1%
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100% of everyone living in San Clemente
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Economy
San Clemente has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $141,974 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.79% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in San Clemente is about 43% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,484,775 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,474 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in San Clemente is about 50.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,474 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in San Clemente spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 220 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.4 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 220 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,818 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 23.2% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 45,047 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,338 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in San Clemente 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 Clemente has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47.6% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
San Clemente has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | San Clemente | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
San Clemente, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
San Clemente, CA is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 59,513 residents against a local median of 32,348. San Clemente, CA's median home price, at $1,484,775, runs 16% below the $1,766,097 typical of the cities around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 26.4 min against a local median of 22.8 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts San Clemente, CA at the weaker end of the local range. The cities themselves spread $912,529 on median home price, so San Clemente, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Clemente, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente, CA | 59,513 | $141,974 #2/5 | $1,484,775 #4/5 | 26.4 min #5/5 |
| San Juan Capistrano, CA | 39,814 | $130,645 | $1,129,198 | 22.2 min |
| Dana Point, CA | 24,882 | $135,135 | $1,953,084 | 25.7 min |
| Ladera Ranch, CA | 20,159 | $199,876 | $2,041,728 | 23.0 min |
| Laguna Niguel, CA | 61,524 | $141,440 | $1,579,109 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about San Clemente, California.
What is the population of San Clemente, California?
About 59,513 people live in San Clemente, California, in 22,780 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 45.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is San Clemente, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, San Clemente, California has 3,115 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 36 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in San Clemente, California?
The median home costs 10.5 times the median household income ($1,484,775 against $141,974), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,474 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in San Clemente, California have a college degree?
47.6% of adults in San Clemente, 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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