The typical San Diego County household now makes $109,000 a year, but disparities remain in incomes, poverty, educational attainment and other quality-of-life factors, the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show. The bureau’s American Community Survey this week released its estimates abo ut demographics, housing, employment and other topics covering the most recent five-year period, from 2020 through 2024; the survey also publishes estimates representing single-year periods. The survey, which generates estimates based on samples of households across the country, is the primary single source of detailed data about all of the nation’s more than 342 million people. Here are some of the survey’s findings for San Diego County as of 2024: Population There are just under 3.3 million people living in San Diego County, according to the survey’s one-year estimate for 2024. That estimate is down from 2019, when there were more than 3.3 million people in the county. County residents are skewing older, too, and fewer of them are children. The median age for a San Diego County resident is now 37, up from 35 in 2014. And only about 20% of residents are under 18 — down from 22% in 2014. White residents make up the largest share of the county’s population at about 42%, as of the 2024 five-year estimate. That’s down from 46% in the prior five-year period. Latinos make up 35% of county residents, while Asians make up 12%, multiracial residents make up 5% — up from 3% in the last five-year period — and Black residents make up 4%. American Indians, native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives altogether comprise less than 1%. Immigration Just over half of county residents are California natives. About 782,000 San Diego County residents were born outside the U.S. to non-American parents. They make up less than a quarter, about 24%, of San Diego County residents — a percentage that has largely remained flat over the past decade. That’s a smaller share than the statewide average — 28% of Californians overall are foreign-born. But the share of immigrants in the county who are naturalized citizens rose by double digits, from 46% during the five-year period ending in 2010 to 59% during the most recent period. Estimates show there were more than 300,000 immigrants who were not naturalized citizens in San Diego County as of 2024. Housing San Diego County residents continue to pay more for housing every year. The median household’s estimated monthly housing cost was 29% less in 2019 than in 2024 — from $1,871 to $2,413. Of renting households, 27% paid more than $3,000 a month in rent. The American Community Survey factors in housing costs besides just rent and mortgage, including utilities, homeowners insurance, real estate taxes and homeowners association fees. The housing cost burden falls more heavily on renters than owners. More than half of renting households in San Diego County — about 54% — are considered housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than the recommended 30% of their income on housing costs. And more than a quarter of renting households spend more than half of their income on housing. San Diego County renters are more likely to be housing cost-burdened than California renters overall, of whom 51% are cost-burdened, and U.S. renters overall, of whom only 46% are cost-burdened. Meanwhile only 30% of San Diego County homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. More than half of the county’s homes, about 54%, are occupied by owners rather than renters. Education Educational attainment — considered one of the biggest determining factors for economic mobility — has risen significantly in San Diego County over a decade. That shift has happened as San Diego has become a hub for higher education and industries such as biotech, drawing highly educated workers to the region. About 45% of San Diego County residents ages 25 and older have earned at least a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to one-year estimates for 2024. That’s higher than the statewide share of 38%. It’s also up from a decade prior, when only 37% of county residents 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree. There are wide racial disparities in educational attainment. Only 24% of Latino residents, 31% of multiracial residents, 21% of American Indian or Alaskan Native residents and 36% of Black residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 57% of White residents and 58% of Asians. Income As prices have risen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so have incomes. The median household in San Diego County made $109,000 in 2024, up 27% from the 2019 median of $84,000. That means income growth didn’t keep pace with housing costs, which rose by 29% over the same period. A typical San Diego County resident makes more money than a typical California resident, who made about $100,000 as of 2024. Incomes grew at a faster rate in San Diego County than in California overall. With an economy propped up by the technology and defense sectors in addition to leisure and hospitality, San Diego County has a higher share of people with at least a bachelor’s degree, which helps explain its higher income, said Ryan Ratcliff, an economics professor at the University of San Diego. There are also racial disparities in income — Asian and White county residents make significantly more than their peers of other races. Poverty San Diego County’s poverty rate has been on the decline. In 2024, about 1 in 10 San Diego County residents was making less than the poverty level of below $16,000, compared with about 12% of California residents statewide. That 10% poverty rate is down from the county’s rate of 14% a decade prior, in 2014. But Ratcliff cautions that federal poverty numbers don’t show the full picture of how many San Diegans are struggling. Because the poverty line is so low compared to what it costs to live in San Diego, that rate “doesn’t really capture that tug-of-war between (how) incomes are going up and prices are going up faster,” he said. As with income, there are significant disparities when it comes to who lives in poverty. About 17% of Black residents, 14% of American Indian and Alaskan Native residents and 13% of Latino residents live below the poverty level, compared to 8% for Asians and 7% for White non-Hispanic residents. People with a disability are also twice as likely as those without one to be living in poverty in San Diego County — 18% of people with a disability, compared to 9% of people with no disability. Immigrants are also more likely to live in poverty — they have a 12% poverty rate, versus 9% of native residents. Work About 81% of residents between 20 and 64 years old were employed in 2024. Labor force participation rates were lower for women (76%) than for men (87%). People with education of less than a bachelor’s degree, who lived in poverty (48%) and who had a disability (55%) all had below-average labor participation rates. Two-thirds of workers drove to work alone, while only 8% carpooled. Just 4% walked, 2% took public transportation and fewer than half a percent biked. About 16% worked from home, which is down from 22% in 2021 during the pandemic but up from 2019, when only 7% worked from home. ...read more read less