State
County
Land Area
23.4 sq mi
Density
6,620.2/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.12%
Growth Since 2010
3.10%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
434,283
Salinas is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 155,101, it is the 34th largest city in California and the 166th largest city in the United States. Salinas is currently declining at a rate of -0.12% annually but its population has increased by 3.10% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 150,441 in 2010. Salinas reached it's highest population of 156,830 in 2016. Spanning over 23 miles, Salinas has a population density of 6,620 people per square mile.
The average household income in Salinas is $77,528 with a poverty rate of 16.81%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,411 per month, and the median house value is $415,000. The median age in Salinas is 30.5 years, 30.1 years for males, and 30.9 years for females. For every 100 females there are 101.9 males.
Salinas, the county seat of Monterey County, is an urban area located 10 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River and just outside the Greater Bay Area.
About 38% of people in Salinas, CA were born outside the U.S. The city of Salinas has a Hispanic-majority population; nearly three quarters of its residents are Latino, many of them immigrants from Mexico who arrived to work in the region’s agricultural fields.
In 1870, just prior to being incorporated, the population stood at 599 people. This more than tripled in the ten years that followed and, as of the latest 2019 figures, the population of Salinas stands at 157,596.
Salinas struggles with a high youth crime rate, being dubbed the “youth murder capital of California.” On top of this, a lack of affordable housing has kept its growth rate from climbing in later years. The city is expected to continue its modest growth since recovering from the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
On September 9th, 1850, California was admitted to the Union and officially became a state. 1867 saw the first streets laid out for Salinas and the town was incorporated in 1874. Post-war, major urban and suburban development converted what was mainly farmland to a thriving city. The 1950s and 1960s saw a particularly large growth spurt, which was seen again in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Agriculture has always been the area's major industry. This “green gold” went some considerable way toward making Salinas one of the wealthiest cities per capita in the U.S. shortly after the end of World War I. Today, this fuels a $2 billion industry, supplying the country with 80% of its lettuce and artichokes, amongst many other crops.
Salinas is also the birthplace of Nobel Prize laureate John Steinbeck. The historic downtown district is home to the National Steinbeck Center, John Steinbeck House and the John Steinbeck Library.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Salinas was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 434,283 | 111 | 0.03% |
2020 | 434,172 | 111 | 0.03% |
2019 | 434,061 | 111 | 0.03% |
2018 | 433,950 | -584 | -0.13% |
2017 | 434,534 | 581 | 0.13% |
2016 | 433,953 | 3,401 | 0.78% |
2015 | 430,552 | 2,077 | 0.48% |
2014 | 428,475 | 1,763 | 0.41% |
2013 | 426,712 | 1,924 | 0.45% |
2012 | 424,788 | 4,332 | 1.02% |
2011 | 420,456 | 4,083 | 0.97% |
2010 | 416,373 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Some Other Race | 80,546 | 51.58% |
White | 58,355 | 37.37% |
Asian | 8,536 | 5.47% |
Two or More Races | 5,249 | 3.36% |
Black or African American | 2,354 | 1.51% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 991 | 0.63% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 112 | 0.07% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 40,800 | 3.79 | 44.8 |
Married | 21,467 | 4.38 | 54.3 |
Non Family | 8,603 | 1.49 | 39.6 |
Female | 7,491 | 4.5 | 29.3 |
Male | 3,239 | 4.34 | 31.9 |
4.2
Average Family Size
3.79
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 27,611 | 30.09% |
9th to 12th Grade | 9,794 | 10.67% |
High School Graduate | 20,600 | 22.45% |
Some College | 14,400 | 15.69% |
Associates Degree | 7,099 | 7.74% |
Bachelors Degree | 8,650 | 9.43% |
Graduate Degree | 3,599 | 3.92% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 67,110 | 31,975 | 5,346 |
Other Race | 44,029 | 18,143 | 2,517 |
White | 15,403 | 14,031 | 4,332 |
Asian | 6,443 | 5,778 | 1,985 |
Multiple Races | 2,228 | 1,915 | 588 |
Black | 1,709 | 1,514 | 281 |
Native American | 615 | 378 | 52 |
Islander | 103 | 69 | 17 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 91.09%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 30.81%.
$29,132
Average Earnings
$31,157
Average Male
$25,976
Average Female
27.81% of Salinas residents speak only English, while 72.19% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 67.70% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 122,842 | 22,628 | 18.42% |
Other | 80,060 | 15,591 | 19.47% |
White | 19,321 | 1,979 | 10.24% |
Asian | 8,477 | 901 | 10.63% |
Multiple | 5,166 | 468 | 9.06% |
Black | 2,235 | 256 | 11.45% |
Native | 981 | 93 | 9.48% |
Islander | 112 | 49 | 43.75% |
16.81%
Overall Poverty Rate
15.56%
Male Poverty Rate
18.09%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Salinas is Islander, with 43.75% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Salinas is Multiple, with 9.06% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.90%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.75%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.31%.
43.6%
Overall Marriage Rate
44.7%
Male Marriage Rate
42.6%
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 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 1,946 | 4.61% |
Hispanic | 1,201 | 1.49% |
Other | 513 | 0.97% |
Black | 344 | 17.94% |
Asian | 284 | 4.00% |
2 or More | 218 | 7.61% |
Hawaiian | 39 | 36.11% |
8.17%
Veteran Poverty Rate
36.27%
Veteran Disability Rate
63.8%
Labor Force Participation
60.6%
Employment Rate
4.9%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
62.68%
Native Born
37.32%
Foreign Born
28.95%
Non Citizen
8.37%
Naturalized
62.68% of Salinas residents were born in the United States, with 55.25% having been born in California. 28.95% 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 | 155,101 | -182 | -0.12% |
2020 | 155,283 | -182 | -0.12% |
2019 | 155,465 | -182 | -0.12% |
2018 | 155,647 | -816 | -0.52% |
2017 | 156,463 | -367 | -0.23% |
2016 | 156,830 | 586 | 0.38% |
2015 | 156,244 | 527 | 0.34% |
2014 | 155,717 | 759 | 0.49% |
2013 | 154,958 | 1,143 | 0.74% |
2012 | 153,815 | 1,403 | 0.92% |
2011 | 152,412 | 1,525 | 1.01% |
2010 | 150,887 | -173 | -0.01% |
2000 | 151,060 | 42,283 | 3.34% |
1990 | 108,777 | 28,298 | 3.06% |
1980 | 80,479 | 21,583 | 3.17% |
1970 | 58,896 | 29,939 | 7.36% |
1960 | 28,957 | 15,040 | 7.60% |
1950 | 13,917 | 2,331 | 1.85% |
1940 | 11,586 | 1,323 | 1.22% |
1930 | 10,263 | 5,955 | 9.07% |
1920 | 4,308 | 572 | 1.43% |
1910 | 3,736 | 432 | 1.24% |
1900 | 3,304 | 965 | 3.51% |
1890 | 2,339 | 485 | 2.35% |
1880 | 1,854 | 1,255 | 11.96% |
1870 | 599 | 0.00% |