State
County
Land Area
20.5 sq mi
Density
6,888.6/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.78%
Growth Since 2010
-2.80%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Torrance is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 141,364, it is the 40th largest city in California and the 195th largest city in the United States. Torrance is currently declining at a rate of -0.78% annually and its population has decreased by -2.80% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 145,438 in 2010. Torrance reached it's highest population of 146,950 in 2015. Spanning over 21 miles, Torrance has a population density of 6,889 people per square mile.
The average household income in Torrance is $118,289 with a poverty rate of 6.87%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,736 per month, and the median house value is $762,700. The median age in Torrance is 41.9 years, 40.7 years for males, and 43.2 years for females. For every 100 females there are 93.6 males.
Torrance is located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, California along the Pacific Ocean. Torrance is located about 20 miles south of Los Angeles and 15 miles northwest of Long Beach. It's part of the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area which has an estimated population of 18.7 million. Torrance is noted as one of the safest cities in the county.
About 30% of people in Torrance were born outside of the United States. Torrance has the second-largest population of ethnic Japanese in the United States after Honolulu as it was one of the few places in the region that allowed non-U.S. citizens to buy property before WWII and it's close to the Toyota American headquarters. About 15% of the population of Torrance has Japanese heritage. The South Bay region is also home to a large Korean population largely concentrated in Torrance and Gardena.
Torrance is expected to enjoy 34% job growth over the next decade (https://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/california/torrance) and already enjoys a robust and diverse economy. While Torrance's population will continue to grow, its growth rate is expected to be modest over the next ten years.
While California was under Spanish control, present-day Torrance was granted to Juan Jose Dominguez in 1784 as part of a land grant for Rancho San Pedro. It was the divided when Rancho de los Palos Verdes was granted in the Alta California area of independent Mexico.
A real estate developer named Jared Torrance purchased part of the Spanish land grant in the early 1900s and hired a landscape architect to design a planned city. Torrance was founded and named in honor of the developer in 1912. The city was incorporated in 1921. Today, many of the original buildings from 1912 remain.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Torrance was:
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 67,849 | 46.63% |
Asian | 52,425 | 36.03% |
Two or More Races | 10,104 | 6.94% |
Some Other Race | 9,142 | 6.28% |
Black or African American | 4,231 | 2.91% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,031 | 0.71% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 710 | 0.49% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 54,437 | 2.65 | 55.9 |
Married | 29,626 | 3.29 | 66.7 |
Non Family | 16,635 | 1.22 | 42.8 |
Female | 5,748 | 3.17 | 42.2 |
Male | 2,428 | 3.24 | 46 |
3.21
Average Family Size
2.65
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 2,708 | 2.57% |
9th to 12th Grade | 3,264 | 3.09% |
High School Graduate | 16,905 | 16.01% |
Some College | 20,315 | 19.24% |
Associates Degree | 8,868 | 8.40% |
Bachelors Degree | 35,257 | 33.40% |
Graduate Degree | 18,252 | 17.29% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 43,277 | 41,740 | 20,865 |
Asian | 38,369 | 36,527 | 24,607 |
Hispanic | 17,121 | 15,171 | 5,063 |
Other Race | 6,398 | 5,539 | 1,764 |
Multiple Races | 4,589 | 4,215 | 2,041 |
Black | 2,976 | 2,682 | 1,153 |
Native American | 664 | 469 | 153 |
Islander | 476 | 452 | 115 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.45%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 64.13%.
$56,513
Average Earnings
$65,105
Average Male
$49,771
Average Female
60.21% of Torrance residents speak only English, while 39.79% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 21.39% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 52,308 | 3,878 | 7.41% |
White | 54,089 | 3,256 | 6.02% |
Hispanic | 26,786 | 2,048 | 7.65% |
Other | 9,006 | 720 | 7.99% |
Multiple | 10,056 | 717 | 7.13% |
Black | 4,099 | 453 | 11.05% |
Native | 1,031 | 93 | 9.02% |
Islander | 710 | 18 | 2.54% |
6.87%
Overall Poverty Rate
5.64%
Male Poverty Rate
8.02%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Torrance is Black, with 11.05% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Torrance is Islander, with 2.54% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.53%. Among those working part-time, it was 6.55%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 14.19%.
54.2%
Overall Marriage Rate
56.9%
Male Marriage Rate
51.6%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 4,372 | 7.78% |
Asian | 1,165 | 2.81% |
Hispanic | 888 | 4.50% |
Other | 318 | 4.39% |
Black | 203 | 5.79% |
2 or More | 108 | 1.87% |
Hawaiian | 51 | 8.70% |
Indian | 29 | 4.23% |
3.71%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.09%
Veteran Disability Rate
64.1%
Labor Force Participation
61.5%
Employment Rate
4%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
70.17%
Native Born
29.83%
Foreign Born
12.51%
Non Citizen
17.32%
Naturalized
70.17% of Torrance residents were born in the United States, with 51.56% having been born in California. 12.51% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 141,364 | -1,114 | -0.78% |
2020 | 142,478 | -1,114 | -0.78% |
2019 | 143,592 | -1,114 | -0.77% |
2018 | 144,706 | -1,075 | -0.74% |
2017 | 145,781 | -635 | -0.43% |
2016 | 146,416 | -534 | -0.36% |
2015 | 146,950 | 105 | 0.07% |
2014 | 146,845 | 174 | 0.12% |
2013 | 146,671 | 414 | 0.28% |
2012 | 146,257 | 488 | 0.33% |
2011 | 145,769 | 615 | 0.42% |
2010 | 145,154 | 7,208 | 0.51% |
2000 | 137,946 | 4,839 | 0.36% |
1990 | 133,107 | 3,226 | 0.25% |
1980 | 129,881 | -5,087 | -0.38% |
1970 | 134,968 | 33,977 | 2.94% |
1960 | 100,991 | 78,750 | 16.34% |
1950 | 22,241 | 12,291 | 8.38% |
1940 | 9,950 | 2,679 | 3.19% |
1930 | 7,271 | 0.00% |