Fullerton, California Population 2023

139,311

Fullerton is a city located in Orange County California. Fullerton has a 2023 population of 139,311. Fullerton is currently declining at a rate of -0.91% annually and its population has decreased by -2.7% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 143,173 in 2020.

The average household income in Fullerton is $126,334 with a poverty rate of 12.51%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Fullerton is 35.4 years, 34.4 years for males, and 36.6 years for females.

Fullerton is located in northern Orange County, California about 26 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 3 miles north of Anaheim. Fullerton is the 6th or 7th largest city in Orange County, nearly tied with Orange and behind Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Garden Grove.

Diversity

Like the rest of Orange County, Fullerton has a large Asian American population. Asian Americans now account for one-fifth of the population of the entire county with a great deal of diversity. Of the estimated 600,000 Asian Americans in Orange County, Vietnamese and Koreans are the two largest ethnic subgroups with 200,000 Vietnamese and 94,000 Korean Americans in the county. While Westminster and Garden Grove have large Vietnamese populations, Fullerton is home to a large community of Korean Americans. There are also about 89,000 Filipino Americans in the county. Asian Americans in the area include recent immigrants as well as families who first immigrated to the U.S. five generations ago.

A recent survey also found that there are more than 310,000 unauthorized immigrants in Orange County accounting for 10% of the county's total population. While most unauthorized immigrants in the area are from Latin America, especially Mexico (75%), about 15% are from Asia. This includes 4% from Korea, 3% from Vietnam, and 3% from the Philippines.

About 30% of people in Fullerton are foreign-born.

Population Growth

Fullerton's population isn't growing like it once was. This trend can be seen throughout Orange County where annual growth of residents dropped by half in 2018 compared to the last five years. This trend is attributed to slowing foreign immigration and a surge of people moving elsewhere in the state or out of California.

The area of Fullerton was first explored by Europeans in the late 1760s during a Spanish expedition to Montery. By 1771, Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was established and the Spaniards dubbed the native Tongva people "Gabrieliños." Modern-day Fullerton then became part of the Rancho San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana in the 1830s after it was granted to a Spanish soldier named Juan Pacifico Ontiveros.

Ontiveros sold parcels of the land to Americans who were developing California after the California Gold Rush. In 1886, the Amerige brothers heard that the California Central Railroad was searching for land and they bought 430 acres of land just north of Anaheim. The two negotiated with the president of the Pacific Land and Improvement Company, offering free right-of-way plus half interest in the land for the railroad if the survey of Fullerton was revised for a town site. Within ten years, Fullerton was on its way toward being a thriving agricultural community when a new Valencia orange orchard caught on. Fullerton was incorporated in 1904 and recognized in 1907.

After World War II, the population of Fullerton grew rapidly as veterans moved to California and created large housing developments. Orange County State College was founded in 1959 to serve the booming population and many instutitions followed to earn Fullerton its nickname as the "Education City."

Fullerton Demographics

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

  • White: 51.27%
  • Asian: 24.06%
  • Other race: 11.29%
  • Two or more races: 10.36%
  • Black or African American: 2.3%
  • Native American: 0.48%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.25%
Land Area (mi²)
22.4 sq mi
Density (mi²)
6,210.70/sq mi
Growth Rate
-0.91% (-1,276)
Growth Since 2020
-2.7% (-3,862)
The current population of Fullerton, California is 139,311 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 143,173.

Fullerton, California Population 2023

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White73,29751.27%
Asian34,40224.06%
Other race16,13511.29%
Two or more races14,80810.36%
Black or African American3,2892.3%
Native American6820.48%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3510.25%
showing: 7 rows

White

Asian

Other race

Two or more races

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Fullerton Population by Race

Fullerton Population Pyramid 2023

Fullerton Median Age

35.4

Total

34.4

Male

36.6

Female

Fullerton Adults

There are 109,896 adults, (18,930 of whom are seniors) in Fullerton.

Fullerton Age Dependency

57.2

Age Dependency Ratio

20.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

36.4

Child Dependency Ratio

Fullerton Sex Ratio

Female71,23349.83%
Male71,73150.17%

Fullerton Population by Age

Fullerton Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All46,4343.015347
Married25,3113.5765.834.2
Non Family13,4121.537.862.2
Female4,9333.7335.664.4
Male2,7783.8340.959.1
showing: 5 rows

3.51

Average Family Size

3.01

Average Household Size

53.0%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Fullerton 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

Fullerton Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Fullerton 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 97.83%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 58.44%.

Fullerton Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$51,131

Average Earnings

$60,524

Average Male

$41,666

Average Female

Fullerton Earnings by Educational Attainment

Fullerton Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Fullerton Language

55.23% of Fullerton residents speak only English, while 44.77% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 23.95% of the population.

Fullerton Language

Fullerton Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic53,85310,24719.03%
Other15,8714,34227.36%
White44,9323,4767.74%
Asian33,8192,8578.45%
Multiple14,5972,29315.71%
Black3,13065220.83%
Native68210515.4%
Islander3456819.71%
showing: 8 rows

12.51%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.35%

Male Poverty Rate

13.69%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Fullerton

The race most likely to be in poverty in Fullerton is Other, with 27.36% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Fullerton is White, with 7.74% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.32%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.73%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.28%.

Fullerton Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.01%
High School13.75%
Some College9.44%
Bachelors or Greater5.21%
showing: 4 rows

Fullerton Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed32.88%
Male Unemployed18.62%
Female Employed7.22%
Male Employed5.32%
showing: 4 rows

Fullerton Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Fullerton Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Fullerton Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.1%

Male Marriage Rate

47.6%

Female Marriage Rate

Fullerton Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Fullerton 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.

Fullerton Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Fullerton Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

4,793

Number of Veterans

4,560

Male Veterans

233

Female Veterans

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Fullerton Veterans by War

count

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Fullerton Veterans by Age

count

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Fullerton Veterans by Race

Fullerton Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

8.15%

Veteran Poverty Rate

25.94%

Veteran Disability Rate

Fullerton Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

65.4%

Labor Force Participation

60.6%

Employment Rate

7.3%

Unemployment Rate

Fullerton Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Fullerton Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Fullerton 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

59.09%

Born in Fullerton

73.24%

Native Born

28.8%

Foreign Born

11.76%

Non Citizen

17.04%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

73.24% of Fullerton residents were born in the United States, with 59.09% having been born in California. 11.76% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Fullerton Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
1900200-131,6975.16%
19101,7251,52524.04%
19204,4152,6909.85%
193010,8606,4459.42%
194010,442-418-0.39%
195013,9583,5162.94%
196056,18042,22214.94%
197085,98729,8074.35%
1980102,24616,2591.75%
1990114,14411,8981.11%
2000126,00311,8590.99%
2010135,161
2011136,0078460.63%
2012136,8538460.62%
2013137,6998460.62%
2014138,5458460.61%
2015139,3918460.61%
2016140,2378460.61%
2017141,0838460.6%
2018141,9298460.6%
2019142,7758460.6%
2020143,1733980.28%
2021141,874-1,299-0.91%
2022140,587-1,287-0.91%
2023139,311-1,276-0.91%
2024138,047-1,264-0.91%
2025136,795-1,252-0.91%
2026135,554-1,241-0.91%
2027134,324-1,230-0.91%
2028133,105-1,219-0.91%
2029131,897-1,208-0.91%
showing: 31 rows

Fullerton Population by Year