California

State

Add Comparison

2023 Population

39.2M

0.288% 1-year decline

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

37.6

0.804% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

12%

1.3% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$96,334

4.82% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

17.6M

0.538% 1-year growth

About

The 5 largest ethnic groups in California are White (Non-Hispanic) (34.6%), Other (Hispanic) (16.8%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (15.1%), Two+ (Hispanic) (12.2%), and White (Hispanic) (9.37%).

44.1% of the households in California reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

87.8% of the residents in California are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in California are University of Southern California (19,545 degrees awarded in 2023), University of California-Berkeley (15,913 degrees), and University of California-Los Angeles (15,048 degrees).

Most people in California drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29 minutes. The average car ownership in California was 2 cars per household.

California borders Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.

Photo by Thomas Hawk

United States

Population & Diversity

California is home to a population of 39.2M people, from which 87.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 26.7% of California residents were born outside of the country (10.5M people).

In 2023, there were 2.05 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.6M people) in California than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.61M Other (Hispanic) and 5.91M Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary langauge in households in California are Spanish (10,446,277 households), Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (1,274,086 households), and Tagalog (Incl. Filipino) (769,480 households).

Population & Diversity

Population by Location

Sex

RACE/ETHNICITY

The 3 PUMAS with the highest resident population

Butte County--Chico City PUMA, CA
213,950
Santa Barbara County--South Coast Region PUMA, CA
207,706
San Joaquin County (Central)--Stockton City (North) PUMA, CA
201,317

In 2022 there were 39,356,104 residents in California.

The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) with the highest resident population were Butte County--Chico City PUMA, CA (213,950 people), Santa Barbara County--South Coast Region PUMA, CA (207,706 people), and San Joaquin County (Central)--Stockton City (North) PUMA, CA (201,317 people).

The following map shows all of the states in California colored by the resident population.

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

19,645,354

Women

49.9%

19,710,750

Men

50.1%

The resident population of United States in 2022 was 39,356,104 inhabitants, with 50.1% men, and 49.9% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in the United States.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

87.8%

2023 Citizenship

87.8%

2022 Citizenship

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in California compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in California

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.6M ± 8.34k
Other (Hispanic)
6.61M ± 37.9k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
5.91M ± 10.1k

39.8%

Hispanic Population

15.6M people

39.8% of the people in California are hispanic (15.6M people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in California as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,899,021 ± 46,015 people
Philippines
824,230 ± 22,055 people
China
685,370 ± 20,148 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,899,021 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,230 and China with 685,370.

Foreign-Born Population

26.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

10.5M people

26.5%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

10.4M people

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in California compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
10,446,277 households (28.2%)
Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)
1,274,086 households (3.44%)
Tagalog (Incl. Filipino)
769,480 households (2.08%)

44.1% of the households in California reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2023, the most common non-English language spoken in households in California was Spanish. 28.2% of the households in California reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
444,584 ± 5,218
Gulf War (2001-)
338,127 ± 5,203
Gulf War (1990s)
184,141 ± 3,948

California has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.31 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of California employs 17.6M people. The largest industries in California are Restaurants & Food Services (1,124,768 people), Construction (1,076,812 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (985,967 people), and the highest paying industries are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals ($248,499), Software publishing ($182,682), and Data processing, hosting & related services ($180,041).

Males in California have an average income that is 1.26 times higher than the average income of females, which is $75,777. The income inequality in California (measured using the Gini index) is N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

N/A

Women

N/A%

N/A

Men

N/A%

The workforce of California in 2020 was N/A people, with N/A% woman, and N/A% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in California.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Workforce and Wage by Location

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

In 2022 there were 17,568,797 people working in California. The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) that concentrated the largest workforce were San Diego County (South Central)--San Diego City (Central/Centre City & Balboa Park) PUMA, CA (107,370 people), San Diego County (Northwest)--Oceanside City & Camp Pendleton PUMA, CA (103,377 people), and Orange County (Northwest)--Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA (95,577 people).

The following map shows all of the PUMAs in California colored by workforce or average wage.

With the upper buttons you can see the yearly change and add a filter by race.

Occupations

17.6M

2022 Value

0.538%

1 Year growth

± 0.538%

The most common job groups, by number of people living in California, are Other managers (489,050 people), Cashiers (386,025 people), and Driver/sales workers & truck drivers (377,129 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of California.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

17.6M

2022 Value

0.538%

1 Year growth

± 0.538%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in California, are Restaurants & Food Services (1,124,768 people), Construction (1,076,812 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (985,967 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of California, though some of these residents may live in California and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,020

Median earning men ± $232

$44,140

Median earning women ± $198

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Information ($106,564), Public Administration ($95,737), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($91,425).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($84,194), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,900), and Public Administration ($65,149).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

103,942
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
68,185
Health Care and Social Assistance
53,533
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$189M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$176M
Information
$161M
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The most partisan county was San Francisco County, CA with 85.3% of the vote going to Joseph R Biden Jr. running for the Democratic Party.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Presidential Popular Vote by County

Kamala Harris

Popular Vote for California

58.5% for the Democratic Party

Most Partisan Counties in California

San Francisco County, CA
85.3% for Joseph R Biden Jr. (Democratic Party)
Marin County, CA
82.3% for Joseph R Biden Jr. (Democratic Party)
Alameda County, CA
80.2% for Joseph R Biden Jr. (Democratic Party)

In the 2024 presidential election, the most partisan county in California was San Francisco County, CA with 85.3% of the vote going to Joseph R Biden Jr. running for the Democratic Party.

The following map shows the counties in California colored by their party leaning.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from California

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for California have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2023, universities in California awarded 729,365 degrees. The student population of California in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,187,098 male students and 1,494,213 female students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,681,311 students enrolled in California, 44.3% men and 55.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 1,117,894 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
25,044 degrees awarded
General Psychology
15,336 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
9,054 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in California was General Business Administration & Management with 25,044 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in California according to their major.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($34,257) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,353) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,152) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2022, 2.08% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 2.26% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of California in 2022 were Some college (6.9M), High School or Equivalent (6.8M), and Bachelors Degree (6.36M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

People in California have an average commute time of 29 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in California is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in California is $96,334. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in California was Santa Clara County, CA with a value of $159,674, followed by San Mateo County, CA and Marin County, CA, with respective values of $156,000 and $142,785.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in California was Santa Clara County, CA with a value of $159,674, followed by San Mateo County, CA and Marin County, CA, with respective values of $156,000 and $142,785.

The following map shows all of the counties in California colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$96,334

Median Household Income

± $298

N/A

Number of Households

± 0

The following chart displays the households in California distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (67.1%)
Worked At Home (15.5%)
Carpooled (9.49%)

In 2023, 67.1% of workers in California drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.5%) and those who carpooled to work (9.49%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

29 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in California have a longer commute time (29 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.93% of the workforce in California have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in California compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in California distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in California have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in California (4.61M out of 38.5M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in California is Hispanic, followed by White and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

93.1% of the population of California has health coverage, with 46.3% on employee plans, 23% on Medicaid, 10.4% on Medicare, 12.3% on non-group plans, and 1.09% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1234 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.484% decrease from the previous year (1240 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1102 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 236 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,234 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,234 patients per year. This represents a 0.484% decrease from the previous year (1,240 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in California in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In N/A, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in .

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, N/A were men and N/A were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.92%

Uninsured

46.3%

Employer Coverage

23%

Medicaid

10.4%

Medicare

12.3%

Non-Group

1.09%

Military or VA

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in California changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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