Monterey County, California Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Monterey County, California, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Monterey County, California. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Monterey County, California. The estimated population of Monterey County, California is 438,953 people, with a median age of 34.9.

We can look at the total population in Monterey County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
438,953
+1.38%
+1.34%
2020
432,977
 -0.1% -
2019
433,410
+0.05%
-
2018
433,212
+0.01%
-
2017
433,168
 - -

Population of Monterey County, California by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
28.8%
30.6%
 -5.88%
Black/African American
2.3%
2.5%
 -8.00%
Native
0.2%
0.2%
 0.00%
Hispanic
59.7%
57.9%
 +3.11%
Asian
5.6%
5.6%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.4%
0.5%
 -20.00%
Two Or More Races
2.8%
2.6%
 +7.69%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Monterey County, California by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 34.9 +0.58% 34.7 +1.46% 35.3 +0.28%
2020 34.7 +0.87% 34.2 +1.18% 35.2 +0.57%
2019 34.4 +0.88% 33.8 +0.6% 35 +0.57%
2018 34.1 +0.59% 33.6 +0.9% 34.8 +0.58%
2017 33.9 - 33.3 - 34.6 -

The median age of Monterey County, California gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 33,158 -4.13% 31,592 -5.18% 31,805 29,985
10 to 19 31,756 +5.28% 30,471 +8.71% 33,456 33,206
20 to 29 34,218 -7.83% 30,370 -4.45% 31,620 29,040
30 to 39 32,422 -0.89% 27,875 +1.39% 32,132 28,257
40 to 49 28,458 +4.56% 25,457 -0.15% 29,756 25,415
50 to 59 25,190 +3.12% 25,944 -4.45% 25,976 24,808
60 to 69 20,578 +4.91% 20,669 +6.77% 21,607 22,095
70+ 15,236 +16.69% 19,774 +10.18% 17,943 21,852

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Monterey County, California is $82,013.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Monterey County.

  • Under 25
    $46,546.00
  • 25 to 44
    $78,166.00
  • 45 to 64
    $99,297.00
  • 65 and over
    $69,625.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Monterey County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Monterey County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Monterey County, California is currently $110,295.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

12.05% of households in Monterey County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Monterey County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    11.63%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    17.32%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    16.42%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    15.09%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    18.41%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    9.08%
  • $200,000 or more
    12.05%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Monterey County is $33,786.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Monterey County by the total population of Monterey County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Monterey County, California, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Monterey County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    15.08%
  • Bachelor's degree
    33.59%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.01%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    35.91%
  • Less than high school diploma
    5.41%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Monterey County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Monterey County over the age of 16 is 336,262.

Of those people, a total of 61.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Monterey County is 56.40%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 25,761 30.30% 12.00%
20 to 24 years 29,977 73.80% 10.30%
25 to 29 years 30,683 76.30% 5.70%
30 to 34 years 30,878 77.00% 5.30%
35 to 44 years 58,152 77.10% 4.80%
45 to 54 years 51,814 76.90% 4.10%
55 to 59 years 25,500 71.10% 4.10%
60 to 64 years 23,558 56.90% 5.50%
65 to 74 years 35,910 30.10% 2.80%
75 years and over 24,029 7.40% 2.50%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Monterey County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 157,268 60.90% 6.00%
Black or African American 9,382 45.70% 4.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2,519 59.60% 14.80%
Asian 21,934 60.60% 7.20%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1,776 62.00% 6.40%
Other 117,176 61.70% 3.60%
Two or more races 26,207 67.30% 8.70%
Hispanic or Latino 182,898 64.10% 5.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 111,361 57.80% 5.70%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Monterey County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Monterey County is 189,807, with median earnings of $37,005.00.

Women in Monterey County, California earning approximately 79.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 189,807 $37,005.00
Male 105,001 $40,892.00
Female 84,806 $32,427.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 16,595 $85,606.00
Business and Financial 7,065 $69,631.00
Computer and Mathematical 3,028 $75,938.00
Architecture and Engineering 2,213 $95,625.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 2,245 $77,122.00
Community and Social Service 2,507 $52,715.00
Legal 1,113 $104,911.00
Educational and Library 11,483 $56,510.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 3,576 $43,774.00
Healthcare Practitioners 8,311 $84,080.00
Healthcare Support 7,417 $26,029.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 2,066 $33,512.00
Law Enforcement 2,524 $92,906.00
Food Preparation and Serving 11,301 $23,913.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 9,895 $28,690.00
Personal Care and Service 4,500 $21,463.00
Sales 17,187 $28,938.00
Office and Administrative Support 18,018 $36,403.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 21,118 $23,234.00
Construction and Extraction 10,058 $42,401.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 5,162 $50,593.00
Production 6,797 $36,309.00
Transportation and Material Moving 6,865 $41,591.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 9,555 $95,024.00 7,040 $69,240.00
Business and Financial 3,390 $76,462.00 3,675 $65,137.00
Computer and Mathematical 2,122 $83,269.00 906 $65,179.00
Architecture and Engineering 1,932 $98,045.00 281 $72,961.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,281 $81,586.00 964 $64,211.00
Community and Social Service 732 $54,167.00 1,775 $52,028.00
Legal 568 $111,071.00 545 $98,194.00
Educational and Library 3,695 $77,886.00 7,788 $48,705.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 1,970 $48,309.00 1,606 $35,425.00
Healthcare Practitioners 2,150 $105,921.00 6,161 $79,171.00
Healthcare Support 1,305 $25,270.00 6,112 $26,115.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 1,614 $34,500.00 452 $29,286.00
Law Enforcement 2,087 $94,696.00 437 $73,472.00
Food Preparation and Serving 5,837 $26,883.00 5,464 $21,488.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 6,426 $31,080.00 3,469 $23,750.00
Personal Care and Service 1,084 $22,013.00 3,416 $21,161.00
Sales 8,046 $37,975.00 9,141 $22,404.00
Office and Administrative Support 4,910 $36,830.00 13,108 $36,317.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 13,910 $26,020.00 7,208 $19,451.00
Construction and Extraction 9,907 $42,526.00 151 $31,442.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 5,120 $50,600.00 42 $32,353.00
Production 5,103 $40,820.00 1,694 $26,578.00
Transportation and Material Moving 6,278 $42,268.00 587 $36,806.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 129,977 households in Monterey County, with an average household size of 3.24 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 94,839 families in Monterey County with an average family size of 3.76 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 68,987 8,852 17,000 35,138
Average Household Size 3.87 3.98 4.2 1.37
Total Families 68,987 8,852 17,000 0
Average Household Size 3.79 3.43 3.78 0

Poverty

Of the 94,839 families in Monterey County, 8.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Monterey County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 143,094 housing units in Monterey County, California.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 129,977 90.83%
Vacant 13,117 9.17%

42.68% of the total 143,094 housing units in Monterey County are rental units. This is approximately 61,068 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 67,182 are occupied by the owner - or 46.95% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Monterey County is $1,718.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Monterey County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    1,727
  • Less than $500
    1,812
  • $500 to $999
    6,152
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    14,112
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    19,383
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    10,069
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    4,625
  • $3,000 or more
    4,915

Property Value

The median value of a property in Monterey County is $596,400.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Monterey County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    1,879
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,272
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    810
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    628
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    3,030
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    18,052
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    30,686
  • $1,000,000 or more
    10,825

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Monterey County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Monterey County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    10,094
  • 1940 to 1949
    9,238
  • 1950 to 1959
    20,212
  • 1960 to 1969
    21,158
  • 1970 to 1979
    26,467
  • 1980 to 1989
    19,766
  • 1990 to 1999
    18,039
  • 2000 to 2009
    12,856
  • 2010 to 2013
    5,175
  • 2014 or later
    89

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Monterey County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    5,862
  • 1 vehicle available
    35,477
  • 2 vehicles available
    48,422
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    40,216

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Monterey County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Monterey County that commute to work in a particular way.

24.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Monterey County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    4,134
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    12,866
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    24,051
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    34,636
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    38,868
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    12,184
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    17,805
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    4,400
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    7,097
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    9,502
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    6,829
  • 90 or more minutes
    4,985

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Monterey County, California in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Monterey County, California

We have data for 42 places in Monterey County, California. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.