Chula Vista, California Population 2021

281,838

Chula Vista is a city located in San Diego County California. With a 2020 population of 281,838, it is the 15th largest city in California and the 75th largest city in the United States . Chula Vista is currently growing at a rate of 1.32% annually and its population has increased by 15.55% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 243,916 in 2010. Chula Vista reached it's highest population of 281,838 in 2021. Spanning over 52 miles, Chula Vista has a population density of 5,678 people per square mile.

The average household income in Chula Vista is $99,192 with a poverty rate of 9.63%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,622 per month, and the median house value is $492,700. The median age in Chula Vista is 35.5 years, 33.9 years for males, and 37.4 years for females.

Chula Vista is located in San Diego County, where it is the second largest city by population. Chula Vista is located just over seven miles from San Diego, and it’s only over seven miles from the border of Mexico.

Growth in Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista has seen significant population growth because of its thriving economy and the support that is offered for small businesses. The small business sector accounts for most of the companies in Chula Vista. The city is also a popular tourist destination, attracting many visitors while also boosting the local economy. Chula Vista has seen significant population growth throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. A population of just over 1,700 in 1920 expanded to nearly 16,000 at the time of the 1950 census. The population has continued to post growth in the double-digit percentages every ten years. Current estimates show that the population is up 9.5% from the last census in 2010, indicating that this thriving city with over a quarter-million resident is only going to continue to grow larger.

Chula Vista Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Chula Vista was:

White: 64.80%
Asian: 16.41%
Other race: 7.72%
Two or more races: 5.44%
Black or African American: 4.69%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.54%
Native American: 0.39%

The current population of Chula Vista, California is 281,838 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 270,819.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 243,916.

Chula Vista, California Population 2021

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage
White	174,268	64.80%
Asian	44,119	16.41%
Some Other Race	20,771	7.72%
Two or More Races	14,628	5.44%
Black or African American	12,623	4.69%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	1,464	0.54%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1,047	0.39%

Chula Vista Population by Race

Chula Vista Population Pyramid $2021

Chula Vista Population by Age

Chula Vista Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Chula Vista Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	69.4%	30.6%
All	59.1%	40.9%
Male	48.7%	51.3%
Non Family	47.3%	52.7%
Female	41.4%	58.6%

59.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Chula Vista Households and Families

Type	Count	Average Size	Owned
All	79,671	3.35	59.1
Married	45,598	3.91	69.4
Non Family	16,272	1.33	47.3
Female	12,942	3.82	41.4
Male	4,859	3.61	48.7

3.75

Average Family Size

3.35

Average Household Size

Chula Vista Households by Type

Education Attained	Count	Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade	13,730	7.83%
9th to 12th Grade	16,365	9.34%
High School Graduate	35,633	20.33%
Some College	41,348	23.59%
Associates Degree	16,673	9.51%
Bachelors Degree	35,682	20.36%
Graduate Degree	15,831	9.03%

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Race

Race	Total	High School	Bachelors
Hispanic	97,742	73,019	20,247
White	35,724	33,816	13,361
Asian	30,304	27,521	14,266
Other Race	14,049	10,853	2,465
Black	8,418	7,834	2,528
2+ Races	6,179	5,634	1,867
Islander	1,069	913	278
Native American	654	515	113

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.66%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 47.08%.

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Male	Female
Overall	$43,395	$51,176	$35,302
Less Than 9th Grade	$24,444	$30,811	$19,727
High School Graduate	$33,134	$41,601	$27,317
Some College	$41,850	$51,449	$33,910
Bachelors Degree	$61,572	$71,943	$53,438
Graduate Degree	$83,042	$86,189	$80,263

$43,395

Average Earnings

$51,176

Average Male

$35,302

Average Female

Chula Vista Earnings by Educational Attainment

Chula Vista Language by Age

Chula Vista Language

40.49% of Chula Vista residents speak only English, while 59.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 48.13% of the population.

Chula Vista Language

Chula Vista Poverty by Race

Name	Total	In Poverty	Poverty Rate
Hispanic	159,852	18,573	11.62%
White	44,468	3,317	7.46%
Asian	44,045	2,416	5.49%
Other	20,680	2,004	9.69%
Black	12,376	1,461	11.81%
Multiple	14,538	900	6.19%
Islander	1,458	220	15.09%
Native	1,047	96	9.17%

9.63%

Overall Poverty Rate

8.00%

Male Poverty Rate

11.22%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Chula Vista

The race most likely to be in poverty in Chula Vista is Islander, with 15.09% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Chula Vista is Asian, with 5.49% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.89%. Among those working part-time, it was 9.66%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 17.02%.

Chula Vista Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade	19.36%
High School	10.26%
Some College	7.28%
Bachelors or Greater	3.69%

Chula Vista Poverty Rate by Education

Rate	Poverty
Female Unemployed	25.52%
Male Unemployed	18.15%
Female Employed	5.07%
Male Employed	3.73%

Chula Vista Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chula Vista Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$81,272	$99,192
Families	$90,093	$106,007
Married Families	$104,492	$121,449
Non Families	$43,687	$62,919

Income by Household Type

Chula Vista Marital Status

Marriage Rates

50.0%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.6%

Male Marriage Rate

48.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Chula Vista Married by Age and Sex

Chula Vista Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Chula Vista Marital Status by Race

Chula Vista Marital Status

16,131

Number of Veterans

13,971

Male Veterans

2,160

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
First Gulf War	6,519
Second Gulf War	6,069
Vietnam	4,091
Korea	958
World War II	385

Chula Vista Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
35 to 54	5,663
55 to 64	3,091
65 to 74	2,891
75+	2,364
18 to 34	2,122

Chula Vista Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	8,995	6.97%
Hispanic	4,048	3.55%
Asian	3,771	11.08%
Black	1,751	19.89%
Other Race	725	4.52%
2+ Races	715	9.57%
Native American	130	15.72%
Islander	44	3.96%

Chula Vista Veterans by Race

Chula Vista Veterans by Education

3.75%

Veteran Poverty Rate

25.09%

Veteran Disability Rate

Chula Vista Veterans by Education

65.7%

Labor Force Participation

58.2%

Employment Rate

Unemployment Rate

Chula Vista Employment by Age

Chula Vista Employment by Race

Chula Vista Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

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

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

52.37%

Born in Chula Vista

68.86%

Native Born

31.14%

Foreign Born

14.56%

Non Citizen

16.57%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

68.86% of Chula Vista residents were born in the United States, with 52.37% having been born in California. 14.56% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Chula Vista Place of Birth

Year	Population	Growth	Annual Growth Rate
2021	281,838	3,673	1.32%
2020	278,165	3,673	1.34%
2019	274,492	3,673	1.36%
2018	270,819	1,773	0.66%
2017	269,046	2,808	1.05%
2016	266,238	2,032	0.77%
2015	264,206	4,321	1.66%
2014	259,885	3,194	1.24%
2013	256,691	4,312	1.71%
2012	252,379	4,061	1.64%
2011	248,318	3,670	1.50%
2010	244,648	71,092	3.49%
2000	173,556	38,393	2.53%
1990	135,163	51,236	4.88%
1980	83,927	16,026	2.14%
1970	67,901	25,867	4.91%
1960	42,034	26,107	10.19%
1950	15,927	10,789	11.98%
1940	5,138	1,269	2.88%
1930	3,869	2,151	8.46%
1920	1,718		0.00%

Chula Vista, California Population 2021

Growth in Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista Demographics

Chula Vista, California Population 2021

Population by Race

Chula Vista Population by Race

Chula Vista Population Pyramid $2021

Chula Vista Median Age

Chula Vista Adults

Chula Vista Age Dependency

Chula Vista Sex Ratio

Chula Vista Population by Age

Chula Vista Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Chula Vista Household Types

Chula Vista Households and Families

Chula Vista Households by Type

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Race

Chula Vista Educational Attainment by Race

Chula Vista Earnings by Educational Attainment

Chula Vista Language by Age

Chula Vista Language

Chula Vista Language

Chula Vista Poverty by Race

Poverty in Chula Vista

Chula Vista Poverty

Chula Vista Poverty Rate by Education

Chula Vista Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chula Vista Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Chula Vista Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Chula Vista Married by Age and Sex

Chula Vista Marriage

Chula Vista Marital Status by Race

Chula Vista Marital Status

Chula Vista Veterans by War

Chula Vista Veterans by Age

Chula Vista Veterans by Race

Chula Vista Veterans by Education

Chula Vista Veterans by Education

Chula Vista Employment by Age

Chula Vista Employment by Race

Chula Vista Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Chula Vista Place of Birth

Chula Vista Population by Year