State
Land Area
15.8 sq mi
Density
7,285.7/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.64%
Growth Since 2010
4.66%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Costa Mesa is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 115,081, it is the 58th largest city in California and the 257th largest city in the United States. Costa Mesa is currently growing at a rate of 0.64% annually and its population has increased by 4.66% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 109,960 in 2010. Spanning over 16 miles, Costa Mesa has a population density of 7,286 people per square mile.
The average household income in Costa Mesa is $103,257 with a poverty rate of 12.97%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,786 per month, and the median house value is $707,600. The median age in Costa Mesa is 35 years, 34.9 years for males, and 35 years for females. For every 100 females there are 101.5 males.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Costa Mesa was:
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 81,002 | 71.56% |
| Some Other Race | 14,738 | 13.02% |
| Asian | 9,527 | 8.42% |
| Two or More Races | 4,537 | 4.01% |
| Black or African American | 2,180 | 1.93% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 741 | 0.65% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 473 | 0.42% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 41,019 | 2.71 | 39.1 |
| Married | 17,568 | 3.54 | 51.8 |
| Non Family | 16,509 | 1.53 | 28.7 |
| Female | 4,191 | 3.35 | 33.5 |
| Male | 2,751 | 3.56 | 29 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 7,597 | 9.57% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 4,411 | 5.56% |
| High School Graduate | 13,481 | 16.98% |
| Some College | 16,662 | 20.99% |
| Associates Degree | 5,511 | 6.94% |
| Bachelors Degree | 21,958 | 27.66% |
| Graduate Degree | 9,774 | 12.31% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44,136 | 42,717 | 21,827 |
| Hispanic | 23,807 | 13,697 | 3,354 |
| Other Race | 8,822 | 4,429 | 991 |
| Asian | 7,699 | 7,330 | 4,852 |
| Multiple Races | 2,114 | 2,049 | 1,011 |
| Black | 1,540 | 1,509 | 618 |
| Islander | 502 | 482 | 157 |
| Native American | 249 | 121 | 74 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among black people with a rate of 97.99%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 63.02%.
$45,761
Average Earnings
$49,180
Average Male
$41,815
Average Female
61.32% of Costa Mesa residents speak only English, while 38.68% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 29.36% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 40,552 | 7,916 | 19.52% |
| White | 55,941 | 5,077 | 9.08% |
| Other | 14,610 | 3,609 | 24.70% |
| Asian | 9,451 | 984 | 10.41% |
| Black | 2,124 | 330 | 15.54% |
| Multiple | 4,464 | 319 | 7.15% |
| Native | 473 | 60 | 12.68% |
| Islander | 727 | 26 | 3.58% |
12.97%
Overall Poverty Rate
12.24%
Male Poverty Rate
13.71%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Costa Mesa is Other, with 24.70% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Costa Mesa is Islander, with 3.58% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.29%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.22%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.07%.
42.1%
Overall Marriage Rate
41.8%
Male Marriage Rate
42.4%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 3,581 | 5.44% |
| Hispanic | 426 | 1.48% |
| Asian | 253 | 2.98% |
| Black | 222 | 12.08% |
| 2 or More | 103 | 3.90% |
| Other | 79 | 0.76% |
| Hawaiian | 22 | 3.87% |
| Indian | 22 | 6.88% |
6.24%
Veteran Poverty Rate
24.88%
Veteran Disability Rate
72.5%
Labor Force Participation
68.8%
Employment Rate
4.8%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
75.19%
Native Born
24.81%
Foreign Born
14.05%
Non Citizen
10.76%
Naturalized
75.19% of Costa Mesa residents were born in the United States, with 56.93% having been born in California. 14.05% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 115,081 | 733 | 0.64% |
| 2019 | 114,348 | 733 | 0.65% |
| 2018 | 113,615 | -210 | -0.18% |
| 2017 | 113,825 | 733 | 0.65% |
| 2016 | 113,092 | 162 | 0.14% |
| 2015 | 112,930 | 353 | 0.31% |
| 2014 | 112,577 | 270 | 0.24% |
| 2013 | 112,307 | 477 | 0.43% |
| 2012 | 111,830 | 668 | 0.60% |
| 2011 | 111,162 | 937 | 0.85% |
| 2010 | 110,225 | 1,501 | 0.14% |
| 2000 | 108,724 | 12,367 | 1.21% |
| 1990 | 96,357 | 13,795 | 1.56% |
| 1980 | 82,562 | 9,902 | 1.29% |
| 1970 | 72,660 | 35,110 | 6.82% |
| 1960 | 37,550 | 25,706 | 12.23% |
| 1950 | 11,844 | 8,244 | 12.65% |
| 1940 | 3,600 | 0.00% |