State
County
Land Area
15.8 sq mi
Density
7,116.30/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.27%
Growth Since 2010
2.22%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Costa Mesa is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 112,405, it is the 59th largest city in California and the 268th largest city in the United States. Costa Mesa is currently declining at a rate of -0.27% annually but its population has increased by 2.22% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 109,960 in 2010. Costa Mesa reached it's highest population of 113,665 in 2017. Spanning over 16 miles, Costa Mesa has a population density of 7,116 people per square mile.
The average household income in Costa Mesa is $109,313 with a poverty rate of 11.85%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,857 per month, and the median house value is $749,400. The median age in Costa Mesa is 35.2 years, 34.9 years for males, and 35.6 years for females. For every 100 females there are 101.3 males.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Costa Mesa was:
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 80,369 | 71.02% |
| Some Other Race | 14,978 | 13.24% |
| Asian | 9,643 | 8.52% |
| Two or More Races | 4,605 | 4.07% |
| Black or African American | 2,065 | 1.82% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 866 | 0.77% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 633 | 0.56% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 40,986 | 2.71 | 38.3 |
| Married | 17,714 | 3.52 | 51.3 |
| Non Family | 16,597 | 1.57 | 27.6 |
| Female | 4,132 | 3.44 | 31 |
| Male | 2,543 | 3.36 | 29.7 |
3.32
Average Family Size
2.71
Average Household Size
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 7,135 | 8.94% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 4,659 | 5.83% |
| High School Graduate | 13,870 | 17.37% |
| Some College | 16,664 | 20.87% |
| Associates Degree | 5,311 | 6.65% |
| Bachelors Degree | 21,931 | 27.47% |
| Graduate Degree | 10,278 | 12.87% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44,294 | 42,777 | 21,997 |
| Hispanic | 23,664 | 13,943 | 3,577 |
| Other Race | 9,020 | 5,015 | 1,078 |
| Asian | 7,832 | 7,376 | 4,702 |
| Multiple Races | 2,294 | 2,199 | 1,286 |
| Black | 1,559 | 1,511 | 604 |
| Islander | 632 | 627 | 230 |
| Native American | 391 | 130 | 83 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 99.21%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 60.04%.
$48,186
Average Earnings
$51,945
Average Male
$43,490
Average Female
61.17% of Costa Mesa residents speak only English, while 38.83% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 28.85% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 39,836 | 6,998 | 17.57% |
| White | 56,165 | 4,832 | 8.60% |
| Other | 14,714 | 3,172 | 21.56% |
| Asian | 9,501 | 1,141 | 12.01% |
| Black | 2,011 | 201 | 10.00% |
| Multiple | 4,540 | 174 | 3.83% |
| Native | 632 | 57 | 9.02% |
| Islander | 856 | 4 | 0.47% |
11.85%
Overall Poverty Rate
11.18%
Male Poverty Rate
12.54%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Costa Mesa is Other, with 21.56% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Costa Mesa is Islander, with 0.47% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.20%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.84%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 25.82%.
42.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.8%
Male Marriage Rate
42.5%
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 | 3,371 | 5.16% |
| Hispanic | 467 | 1.64% |
| Asian | 273 | 3.17% |
| Black | 196 | 10.69% |
| Other | 146 | 1.40% |
| 2 or More | 83 | 3.11% |
| Hawaiian | 45 | 6.79% |
| Indian | 39 | 7.83% |
5.50%
Veteran Poverty Rate
24.63%
Veteran Disability Rate
72.8%
Labor Force Participation
69.6%
Employment Rate
4.2%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
75.01%
Native Born
24.99%
Foreign Born
14.08%
Non Citizen
10.92%
Naturalized
75.01% of Costa Mesa residents were born in the United States, with 57.01% having been born in California. 14.08% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 112,405 | -299 | -0.27% |
| 2020 | 112,704 | -299 | -0.26% |
| 2019 | 113,003 | -299 | -0.26% |
| 2018 | 113,302 | -363 | -0.32% |
| 2017 | 113,665 | 732 | 0.65% |
| 2016 | 112,933 | 125 | 0.11% |
| 2015 | 112,808 | 323 | 0.29% |
| 2014 | 112,485 | 241 | 0.21% |
| 2013 | 112,244 | 454 | 0.41% |
| 2012 | 111,790 | 639 | 0.57% |
| 2011 | 111,151 | 930 | 0.84% |
| 2010 | 110,221 | 1,497 | 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% |