Santa Monica, California Population 2024

87,091

Santa Monica is a city located in Los Angeles County California. Santa Monica has a 2024 population of 87,091. Santa Monica is currently declining at a rate of -1.61% annually and its population has decreased by -6.15% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 92,803 in 2020.

The average household income in Santa Monica is $170,644 with a poverty rate of 11.62%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Santa Monica is 42.1 years, 40.7 years for males, and 43.2 years for females.

Santa Monica is a city located in the state of California. It is located in Los Angeles County and is located on the Santa Monica Bay. This city is most known for its beautiful beaches and attractions, including the Santa Monica Pier. It is because of this that Santa Monica is a top resort city in the United States.

Santa Monica Population Statistics

Santa Monica’s top employer is the City of Santa Monica, which employs over 2,500 people. Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica College, Saint John’s Health Center and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are also top employers in the area. Santa Monica is also the site for many game development studios, including Activision Blizzard.

Santa Monica Population Growth

Santa Monica’s population in its earliest years reflected significant growth. This growth slowed in 1940 after topping 50,000. In the 1980s, growth halted before declining during the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the last census in 2010 showed that the population was once again on the rise. Current estimates show that the community is up over 3% since the previous census, indicating that this city is well on its way to hitting 100,000 residents.

The original inhabitants of what is now Santa Monica were the Tongva people. At the time, the region was known as Kecheek. The first explorer in the region was Gaspar de Portola who arrived in the area in 1769. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, the U.S. government took sovereignty over the state of California and with it, Santa Monica. This occurred in 1848.

Santa Monica started growing during the 1870s with the arrival of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad that linked the city with Los Angeles. In 1873 a town hall was constructed, and in 1885, Santa Monica had its first hotel.

Growth continued through the 20th century as the Pacific Electric Railroad was connected to the city, also attracting more visitors to the local beaches and the Santa Monica Pier. In the early 20th century, a community of Asian Americans populated the city, living primarily in a fishing village set up near Long Wharf.

During the 1920s, industrialization came to the city. A plant for the Douglas Aircraft Company was constructed and continued business in Santa Monica through the 1960s. However, it was shortly after that the city was hit with economic troubles due to the Great Depression. A report showed that just 1,000 people were employed, while many business owners went bankrupt. However, in the years that followed, the city bounced back.

During World War II, Douglas Aircraft employed tens of thousands of people and led to the establishment of the RAND Corporation. The city continued to grow post-war with the construction of the Santa Monica Freeway. In the 1980s, the city experienced a population boom with the revitalization of its downtown area and job growth. Today, the city remains a popular tourist destination, boasting hotels, shopping centers, museums, music venues, a renovated downtown area, and events like the Santa Monica Film Festival.

Santa Monica Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Santa Monica was:

  • White: 69.05%
  • Two or more races: 12.07%
  • Asian: 8.85%
  • Black or African American: 5.27%
  • Other race: 4.02%
  • Native American: 0.66%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.09%
Land Area (mi²)
8.4 sq mi
Density (mi²)
10,349.50/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-6.15% (-5,712)
The current population of Santa Monica, California is 87,091 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 92,803.

Santa Monica, California Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White63,63869.05%
Two or more races11,12412.07%
Asian8,1568.85%
Black or African American4,8545.27%
Other race3,7094.02%
Native American6080.66%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander790.09%

White

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Santa Monica Population by Race

Santa Monica Population Pyramid 2024

Santa Monica Median Age

42.1

Total

40.7

Male

43.2

Female

Santa Monica Adults

There are 78,384 adults, (17,340 of whom are seniors) in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Age Dependency

51

Age Dependency Ratio

28.4

Old Age Dependency Ratio

22.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Santa Monica Sex Ratio

Female46,60550.57%
Male45,56349.43%

Santa Monica Population by Age

Santa Monica Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All46,2071.9528.971.1
Non Family26,8351.2518.481.6
Married14,5432.944951
Female3,2012.8825.374.7
Male1,6282.8129.470.6

2.87

Average Family Size

1.95

Average Household Size

28.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Santa Monica Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Santa Monica Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Santa Monica Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 78.04%.

Santa Monica Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$82,877

Average Earnings

$94,583

Average Male

$72,315

Average Female

Santa Monica Earnings by Educational Attainment

Santa Monica Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Santa Monica Language

73.05% of Santa Monica residents speak only English, while 26.95% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 11.17% of the population.

Santa Monica Language

Santa Monica Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White56,9346,28111.03%
Hispanic15,6311,58510.14%
Black4,6271,10323.84%
Multiple11,1001,0239.22%
Asian8,03594411.75%
Other3,55944812.59%
Native59716727.97%

11.62%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.55%

Male Poverty Rate

11.68%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Santa Monica

The race most likely to be in poverty in Santa Monica is Native, with 27.97% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Santa Monica is Multiple, with 9.22% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.43%. Among those working part-time, it was 10.29%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 30.77%.

Santa Monica Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade26.67%
High School22.82%
Some College17.82%
Bachelors or Greater8.03%

Santa Monica Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed26.44%
Male Unemployed16.99%
Female Employed4.18%
Male Employed3.15%

Santa Monica Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Santa Monica Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Santa Monica Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

39.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

42.0%

Male Marriage Rate

37.0%

Female Marriage Rate

Santa Monica Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Santa Monica Marriage

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 45-54.

Santa Monica Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Santa Monica Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

2,243

Number of Veterans

2,152

Male Veterans

91

Female Veterans

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Santa Monica Veterans by War

count

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Santa Monica Veterans by Age

count

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Santa Monica Veterans by Race

Santa Monica Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

13.03%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.44%

Veteran Disability Rate

Santa Monica Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67.4%

Labor Force Participation

63.1%

Employment Rate

6.2%

Unemployment Rate

Santa Monica Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Santa Monica Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Santa Monica Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

40.04%

Born in Santa Monica

77.51%

Native Born

22.49%

Foreign Born

7.35%

Non Citizen

15.13%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

77.51% of Santa Monica residents were born in the United States, with 40.04% having been born in California. 7.35% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Santa Monica Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
202979,951-1,428-1.75%
202881,379-1,428-1.72%
202782,807-1,428-1.7%
202684,235-1,428-1.67%
202585,663-1,428-1.64%
202487,091-1,428-1.61%
202388,519-1,428-1.59%
202289,947-1,303-1.43%
202191,250-1,553-1.67%
202092,8031,8332.01%
201990,970-825-0.9%
201891,795-697-0.75%
201792,492-238-0.26%
201692,730600.06%
201592,6704520.49%
201492,2187750.85%
201391,4437450.82%
201290,6984870.54%
201190,2114230.47%
201089,78800%
200084,084-2,821-3.25%
199086,905-1,409-1.6%
198088,314250.03%
197088,2895,0406.05%
196083,24911,65416.28%
195071,59518,09533.82%
194053,50016,35444.03%
193037,14621,894143.55%
192015,2527,40594.37%
19107,8474,790156.69%
19003,0571,47793.48%
18901,5801,163278.9%
1880417-79,534-99.48%
showing: 33 rows

Santa Monica Population by Year