San Diego, California Population 2024

1,375,452

San Diego is a city located in San Diego County California. San Diego has a 2024 population of 1,375,452. It is also the county seat of San Diego County. San Diego is currently declining at a rate of -0.21% annually and its population has decreased by -0.82% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 1,386,872 in 2020.

The average household income in San Diego is $132,533 with a poverty rate of 11.37%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in San Diego is 35.8 years, 35 years for males, and 36.8 years for females.

San Diego is a coastal Southern California city about 120 miles south of Los Angeles and along the border with Mexico. San Diego is the second largest Californian city and the eighth largest in the country. It is also one of the fastest growing U.S. cities.

San Diego is also part of the San Diego-Tijuana international metropolitan area, or conurbation, which includes San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. The region has a 2012 population of 4.9 million.

San Diego Wealth and Economics

San Diego has the third largest homeless population in the country, with the most significant percentage of homeless veterans. While San Diego was the fifth wealthiest city in the United States according to Forbes in 2005, almost 15% of the population was below the poverty line at this time.

San Diego Population Growth

With the U.S. economy improving, more immigration is boosting California's growth rate, and more foreigners are attracted to the region, particularly San Diego. Of the 28,200 residents added in the county between 2012 and 2013, 16,000 were foreign immigrants.

San Diego is expected to continue growing well into the future, reaching a projected 1.9 million people by 2050, or a 49% increase from 2000. The city proper will grow from 1.3 million at the 2010 census to 1.5 million in 2020. By 2050, San Diego is expected to become a white-minority city. The Hispanic population is projected to surpass the white population for the first time in 2035. By 2015, the white population is expected to stop growing and start decreasing in size by 2035.

San Diego was originally inhabited by the La Jolla and San Dieguito people, as well as the Kumeyaay people. The first European to visit the area was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who claimed the bay for Spain in 1542 and named the site San Miguel. In 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino surveyed the coast on his ship San Diego and named current-day Mission Bay and Point Loma Saint Didacus, or San Diego de Alcala. That year, the first Christian religious service recorded in the area took place to celebrate the feast day of San Diego.

By 1769, Mission San Diego de Alcala was founded and developed the most abundant native population in Alta California. When Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, San Diego became a part of Alta California, a Mexican state. The town of San Diego then began to grow before Mexico secularized it in 1834, and its land was sold to wealthy settlers. By 1838, the town's population dropped from 1,400 to just 100-150.

In 1846, the United States went to war against Mexico, eventually capturing San Diego and other areas. San Diego, Los Angeles, and the other regions were ceded to the U.S. in 1847. Three years later, California was admitted to the United States and San Diego was designated the seat of San Diego County and incorporated as a city. By World War II, San Diego became a major military and defense hub, proliferating to reach 333,000 by 1950. The military continued to play a significant role in the economy following World War II, although San Diego leaders eventually diversified the economy to focus on tourism, research, and science.

San Diego Demographics

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

  • White: 54.48%
  • Asian: 17.36%
  • Two or more races: 12.82%
  • Other race: 8.48%
  • Black or African American: 5.87%
  • Native American: 0.56%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.43%
Land Area (mi²)
325.9 sq mi
Density (mi²)
4,220.80/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-0.82% (-11,420)
The current population of San Diego, California is 1,375,452 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 1,386,872.

San Diego, California Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White753,94554.48%
Asian240,25217.36%
Two or more races177,45412.82%
Other race117,2968.48%
Black or African American81,2315.87%
Native American7,7890.56%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander6,0200.43%

White

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

San Diego Population by Race

San Diego Population Pyramid 2024

San Diego Median Age

35.8

Total

35

Male

36.8

Female

San Diego Adults

There are 1,121,460 adults, (191,548 of whom are seniors) in San Diego.

San Diego Age Dependency

48.8

Age Dependency Ratio

20.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

28.2

Child Dependency Ratio

San Diego Sex Ratio

Female677,49348.95%
Male706,49451.05%

San Diego Population by Age

San Diego Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All515,4752.5947.652.4
Married231,0233.3162.837.2
Non Family207,3001.4633.566.5
Female54,0423.5538.961.1
Male23,1103.3142.557.5

3.25

Average Family Size

2.59

Average Household Size

47.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

San Diego 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

San Diego Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

San Diego Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 97.73%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 61.71%.

San Diego Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$58,376

Average Earnings

$66,031

Average Male

$50,352

Average Female

San Diego Earnings by Educational Attainment

San Diego Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

San Diego Language

61.43% of San Diego residents speak only English, while 38.57% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 21.36% of the population.

San Diego Language

San Diego Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic405,78260,04914.8%
White555,46846,3428.34%
Asian235,66524,61510.44%
Multiple174,08719,56211.24%
Other114,00316,88514.81%
Black76,96315,46220.09%
Native7,3811,37518.63%
Islander5,90790115.25%

11.37%

Overall Poverty Rate

10.47%

Male Poverty Rate

12.3%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in San Diego

The race most likely to be in poverty in San Diego is Black, with 20.09% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in San Diego is White, with 8.34% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.7%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.64%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 21.79%.

San Diego Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.95%
High School14.13%
Some College9.82%
Bachelors or Greater4.67%

San Diego Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed28.44%
Female Unemployed26.86%
Female Employed6.4%
Male Employed4.73%

San Diego Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

San Diego Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

San Diego Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

44.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

45.4%

Male Marriage Rate

44.1%

Female Marriage Rate

San Diego Married by Age and Sex

male

female

San Diego 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 35-44.

San Diego Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

San Diego Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

75,292

Number of Veterans

66,793

Male Veterans

8,499

Female Veterans

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San Diego Veterans by War

count

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San Diego Veterans by Age

count

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San Diego Veterans by Race

San Diego Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.76%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.61%

Veteran Disability Rate

San Diego Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

68.1%

Labor Force Participation

60.8%

Employment Rate

6.1%

Unemployment Rate

San Diego Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

San Diego Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

San Diego 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

46.83%

Born in San Diego

75.11%

Native Born

24.89%

Foreign Born

10.43%

Non Citizen

14.45%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

75.11% of San Diego residents were born in the United States, with 46.83% having been born in California. 10.43% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

San Diego Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
20291,361,177-2,855-0.21%
20281,364,032-2,855-0.21%
20271,366,887-2,855-0.21%
20261,369,742-2,855-0.21%
20251,372,597-2,855-0.21%
20241,375,452-2,855-0.21%
20231,378,307-2,855-0.21%
20221,381,1626,6780.49%
20211,374,484-12,388-0.89%
20201,386,872-33,328-2.35%
20191,420,2001300.01%
20181,420,07010,0880.72%
20171,409,9829,8520.7%
20161,400,13012,5630.91%
20151,387,56715,5431.13%
20141,372,02419,0271.41%
20131,352,99717,8421.34%
20121,335,15515,9661.21%
20111,319,18913,5571.04%
20101,305,63200%
20001,223,400112,85110.16%
19901,110,549235,01126.84%
1980875,538178,51125.61%
1970697,027123,80321.6%
1960573,224238,83771.43%
1950334,387131,04664.45%
1940203,34155,34637.4%
1930147,99573,63499.02%
192074,36134,78387.88%
191039,57821,878123.6%
190017,7001,5419.54%
189016,15913,522512.78%
18802,63733714.65%
18702,3001,569214.64%
1860731-1,360,446-99.95%
showing: 35 rows

San Diego Population by Year