Santa Ana, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Santa Ana, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 313,932 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 11454.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.78% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.7 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 82,262 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Santa Ana declined by 6.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 313,932 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Santa Ana is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.0% of residents. That is 4.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 81,588 26.0% +4.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 73,462 23.4% -0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 59,913 19.1% -0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 33,094 10.5% -4.7 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 48.9% of the people living in Santa Ana and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% California 49.9%
- Men 51.1% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Santa Ana
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Santa Ana has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $93,782 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.03% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Santa Ana is about 5% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $672,808 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,082 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 44.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Santa Ana is about 26.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,082 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Santa Ana spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.1 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 184 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,700 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 50,316 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,187 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Santa Ana is 22 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
Santa Ana has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.5% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.77 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Santa Ana has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Santa Ana | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.2% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Santa Ana, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
Santa Ana, CA is the largest of the 6 cities compared here, 313,932 residents against a local median of 112,438. Santa Ana, CA's median household income, at $93,782, runs 17% below the $113,143 typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread $23,013 on median household income, so Santa Ana, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Santa Ana, CA has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana, CA | 313,932 | $93,782 #5/6 | $672,808 #3/6 | 22.1 min #3/6 |
| Tustin, CA | 80,376 | $111,579 | $104,875 | 21.7 min |
| Fountain Valley, CA | 56,730 | $114,740 | $472,641 | 23.0 min |
| Costa Mesa, CA | 112,438 | $113,143 | $817,391 | 20.3 min |
| Garden Grove, CA | 175,431 | $93,534 | $600,837 | 27.4 min |
| Orange, CA | 133,060 | $116,546 | $1,062,096 | 22.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Santa Ana, California.
What is the population of Santa Ana, California?
About 313,932 people live in Santa Ana, California, in 82,262 households of 3.8 people on average. The median age is 33.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Santa Ana, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Santa Ana, California has 11,454 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 133 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Santa Ana, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.2 times the median household income ($672,808 against $93,782), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,082 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Santa Ana, California?
16.5% of adults in Santa Ana, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below 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 →