San Jose is the third-largest city in the state of California and the 10th largest in the United States. It is also the largest city in Northern California, located in the greater Bay Area. The population of San Jose just passed the 1 million mark in 2014.
It is estimated that San Jose, California surpassed the one million mark in 2014, reaching an estimated population of 1,000,536, according to the California Department of Finance. The larger urban area has an estimated population of 1.89 million, with a metropolitan population of 1.97 million. The San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) has a much larger population of 8.37 million.
The largest Hispanic group was Mexicans, accounting for 28.2% of the city's population, followed by Salvadorans (0.7%), and Puerto Ricans (0.5%).
Around 44% of the population has a religious affiliation, with the largest proportion being the Roman Catholic Church (26%). About 3.8% of the population practice an Eastern religion, which is seven times the national average. About 1% of the population adheres to Islam.
Groups of Ohlone Native Americans first inhabited the San Jose area. The first European settlement began with Franciscan missions established in 1769. San Jose was founded as Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe (for Saint Joseph) in 1777 as a farming community.
In 1821, San Jose came under Mexican rule and then became part of the United States. It became the second city to incorporate in California in 1850, and it was California's first state capital.
San Jose is the largest city in Santa Clara County, which was recently named as the fastest growing county in California, with much of its growth attributed to young tech workers who are attracted to the region. In 2012, the county's population grew 1.6%, and another 1.7% in 2013.
San Jose hit the one million resident mark at the beginning of 2014, which is an important milestone as the city has long struggled with its identity and outsiders had pegged it as a run-of-the-mill giant suburb. San Jose had already brushed the million mark before in 2009 before its population declined, but it is expected to stick this time. San Jose's current population is far behind San Diego (1.3 million) and Los Angeles (3.9 million), but it is closing in on Dallas, with its population of 1.2 million people.
San Jose, California's estimated population is 1,030,119 according to the most recent United States census estimates. San Jose, California is the 3rd largest city in California based on official 2017 estimates from the US Census Bureau.
The population density is 5803.05 people/mi² (2240.56 people/km²).
The overall median age is 36.4 years, 35.5 years for males, and 37.5 years for females. For every 100 females there are 101.8 males.
Based on data from the American Community Survey, in 2017 there were 331,510 households in the city, with an average size of 3.15 people per household. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4%, with a median rent of $1822/month. The median house has 5.2 rooms, and has a value of $714,200.
The median income for households in San Jose, California is $96,662, while the mean household income is $124,356.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of San Jose was:
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 1,030,119 | -2,017 | -0.20% |
| 2017 | 1,032,136 | 1,777 | 0.17% |
| 2016 | 1,030,359 | 4,260 | 0.42% |
| 2015 | 1,026,099 | 11,681 | 1.15% |
| 2014 | 1,014,418 | 13,165 | 1.31% |
| 2013 | 1,001,253 | 17,931 | 1.82% |
| 2012 | 983,322 | 13,374 | 1.38% |
| 2011 | 969,948 | 15,456 | 1.62% |
| 2010 | 954,492 | 59,549 | 0.65% |
| 2000 | 894,943 | 112,695 | 1.35% |
| 1990 | 782,248 | 152,717 | 2.20% |
| 1980 | 629,531 | 169,618 | 3.19% |
| 1970 | 459,913 | 255,717 | 8.46% |
| 1960 | 204,196 | 108,916 | 7.92% |
| 1950 | 95,280 | 26,823 | 3.36% |
| 1940 | 68,457 | 10,806 | 1.73% |
| 1930 | 57,651 | 18,009 | 3.82% |
| 1920 | 39,642 | 10,696 | 3.19% |
| 1910 | 28,946 | 7,446 | 3.02% |
| 1900 | 21,500 | 3,440 | 1.76% |
| 1890 | 18,060 | 5,493 | 3.69% |
| 1880 | 12,567 | 3,478 | 3.29% |
| 1870 | 9,089 | 0.00% |
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 1,999,107 | 5,525 | 0.28% |
| 2017 | 1,993,582 | 4,766 | 0.24% |
| 2016 | 1,988,816 | 13,092 | 0.66% |
| 2015 | 1,975,724 | 24,873 | 1.26% |
| 2014 | 1,950,851 | 26,282 | 1.35% |
| 2013 | 1,924,569 | 29,585 | 1.54% |
| 2012 | 1,894,984 | 26,836 | 1.42% |
| 2011 | 1,868,148 | 26,552 | 1.42% |
| 2010 | 1,841,596 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population |
| White | 416,127 |
| Asian | 355,623 |
| Some Other Race | 158,287 |
| Two or More Races | 52,218 |
| Black or African American | 30,767 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 5,806 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 4,203 |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
| All | 319,558 | 3.15 | 57.5 |
| Married | 177,264 | 3.72 | 68.2 |
| Non Family | 85,339 | 1.49 | 44.7 |
| Female | 37,912 | 3.91 | 42.2 |
| Male | 19,043 | 3.83 | 46.1 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
| Less Than 9th Grade | 66,700 | 9.60% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 47,868 | 6.89% |
| High School Graduate | 120,670 | 17.37% |
| Some College | 121,727 | 17.52% |
| Associates Degree | 51,032 | 7.34% |
| Bachelors Degree | 171,716 | 24.71% |
| Graduate Degree | 115,168 | 16.57% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
| Asian | 256,242 | 220,494 | 137,622 |
| White | 212,219 | 202,504 | 108,884 |
| Hispanic | 189,512 | 123,414 | 26,658 |
| Other Race | 91,501 | 54,652 | 8,638 |
| Multiple Races | 21,554 | 18,858 | 7,959 |
| Black | 20,689 | 18,772 | 7,016 |
| Native American | 3,753 | 2,826 | 412 |
| Islander | 2,823 | 2,531 | 501 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.42%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 53.71%.
$50,070
Average Earnings
$57,731
Average Male
$40,752
Average Female
43.23% of San Jose residents speak only English, while 56.77% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian, which is spoken by 25.59% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
| Hispanic | 326,886 | 46,009 | 14.07% |
| Asian | 353,227 | 30,291 | 8.58% |
| Other | 156,788 | 26,020 | 16.60% |
| White | 267,762 | 17,260 | 6.45% |
| Black | 30,018 | 4,778 | 15.92% |
| Multiple | 51,232 | 4,503 | 8.79% |
| Native | 5,747 | 885 | 15.40% |
| Islander | 4,168 | 397 | 9.52% |
10.04%
Overall Poverty Rate
9.18%
Male Poverty Rate
10.92%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in San Jose is Other, with 16.60% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in San Jose is White, with 6.45% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.56%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.41%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.54%.
50.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
51.2%
Male Marriage Rate
50.2%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
| White | 19,242 | 5.80% |
| Hispanic | 5,493 | 2.41% |
| Asian | 4,069 | 1.43% |
| Other | 1,930 | 1.74% |
| Black | 1,667 | 6.94% |
| 2 or More | 954 | 3.38% |
| Indian | 321 | 7.30% |
| Hawaiian | 122 | 3.60% |
6.26%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.07%
Veteran Disability Rate
67.9%
Labor Force Participation
63.6%
Employment Rate
6.4%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
60.56%
Native Born
39.44%
Foreign Born
17.24%
Non Citizen
60.56% of San Jose residents were born in the United States, with 47.08% having been born in California. 17.24% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.