San Luis Obispo County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
San Luis Obispo 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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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 77% of counties in California
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 281,514 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 77.8 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.12% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.6 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 109,445 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in San Luis Obispo County grew by 7.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 281,514 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in San Luis Obispo County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.4% of residents. That is 3.7 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 71,569 25.4% +3.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 51,569 18.3% -5.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 53,361 19.0% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 57,035 20.3% +5.0 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 49.4% of the people living in San Luis Obispo County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% California 49.9%
- Men 50.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in San Luis Obispo County
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Economy
San Luis Obispo County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $97,610 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.31% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in San Luis Obispo County is about 2% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $895,815 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,991 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in San Luis Obispo County is about 37.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,991 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in San Luis Obispo County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,707 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.2% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,374 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,013 | 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 Luis Obispo County is 18 minutes, shorter 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 Luis Obispo County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.8% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.43 | 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 Luis Obispo County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 11.6% | 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 Luis Obispo County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
San Luis Obispo County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 281,514 residents against a local median of 437,328. Where San Luis Obispo County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 61% above the local median of $555,382 at $895,815.
The counties themselves spread $482,751 on median home price, so San Luis Obispo County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Luis Obispo County, CA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 281,514 | $97,610 #3/6 | $895,815 #1/6 | 18.2 min #2/6 |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | $71,135 | $300,000 | 20.1 min |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | $98,304 | $555,382 | 17.1 min |
| Monterey County, CA | 437,328 | $97,252 | $782,751 | 21.9 min |
| San Benito County, CA | 67,290 | $115,991 | $653,703 | 31.2 min |
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | $74,148 | $428,895 | 20.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about San Luis Obispo County, California.
What is the population of San Luis Obispo County, California?
About 281,514 people live in San Luis Obispo County, California, in 109,445 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is San Luis Obispo County, California?
Averaged over its land area, San Luis Obispo County, California has 78 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in San Luis Obispo County, California?
The median home costs 9.2 times the median household income ($895,815 against $97,610), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,991 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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