San Luis Obispo County, California

30 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 281,486
Median household income: $93,398
Median home value: $777,200

San Luis Obispo County is a county in California with a population of 281,486. 30 cities and places have their primary county here. The median household income of $93,398 is in line with the California median ($96,334).

Between 2019 and 2023, San Luis Obispo County's population held roughly steady from 282,165 to 281,486, while its median household income rose 27.0% from $73,518 to $93,398.

The typical home was built around 1983. 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 281,486
Median age: 40.2 yrs
Median household income: $93,398
Median home value: $777,200
Median gross rent: $1,899
Housing units: 124,871
Homeownership rate: 61.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 39.2%
Unemployment rate: 5.1%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

282,165281,486

Median household income

$73,518$93,398

Median home value

$574,000$777,200

Median gross rent

$1,476$1,899

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	282,165	$73,518	$574,000	$1,476
2020	282,517	$77,948	$605,200	$1,535
2021	282,771	$82,514	$630,600	$1,654
2022	281,712	$90,158	$726,700	$1,800
2023	281,486	$93,398	$777,200	$1,899

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 54.4%

5 to 1713.2%

18 to 2414.8%

25 to 3411.2%

35 to 4411.6%

45 to 5410.4%

55 to 6412.8%

65 to 7412.9%

75 and over8.6%

	Count	Share
Under 5	12,377	4.4%
5 to 17	37,187	13.2%
18 to 24	41,689	14.8%
25 to 34	31,424	11.2%
35 to 44	32,671	11.6%
45 to 54	29,283	10.4%
55 to 64	36,147	12.8%
65 to 74	36,426	12.9%
75 and over	24,282	8.6%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	184,190	65.4%
Black or African American	3,086	1.1%
American Indian & Alaska Native	505	0.2%
Asian	9,550	3.4%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	462	0.2%
Some other race	1,735	0.6%
Two or more races	12,978	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	68,980	24.5%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma8.2%

High school graduate18.2%

Some college or associate's34.4%

Bachelor's degree24.3%

Graduate or professional degree14.9%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	15,656	8.2%
High school graduate	34,582	18.2%
Some college or associate's	65,421	34.4%
Bachelor's degree	46,166	24.3%
Graduate or professional degree	28,408	14.9%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 21 min

Drove alone70.2%

Carpooled8.2%

Public transit0.8%

Walked4.4%

Bicycle1.4%

Worked from home14.0%

Other means1.0%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	90,148	70.2%
Carpooled	10,560	8.2%
Public transit	1,070	0.8%
Walked	5,639	4.4%
Bicycle	1,739	1.4%
Worked from home	18,049	14.0%
Other means	1,293	1.0%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	41,542	37.6%
15 to 29 min	42,645	38.6%
30 to 44 min	16,791	15.2%
45 to 59 min	4,751	4.3%
60+ min	4,720	4.3%

Households

Average household size: 2.45
Poverty rate: 12.8% (34,424 of 267,954)

	Count	Share
Family households	68,050	62.5%
Nonfamily households	40,847	37.5%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1983

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	108,897	87.2%
Vacant	15,974	12.8%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	67,403	61.9%
Renter-occupied	41,494	38.1%

1-unit, detached68.1%

1-unit, attached5.8%

2 to 4 units8.6%

5 to 19 units6.0%

20 or more units3.8%

Mobile home & other7.8%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	84,996	68.1%
1-unit, attached	7,215	5.8%
2 to 4 units	10,756	8.6%
5 to 19 units	7,445	6.0%
20 or more units	4,710	3.8%
Mobile home & other	9,749	7.8%

Geography

County GEOID: 06079
State: California
Land area: 3,301 sq mi
Water area: 315 sq mi
Center point: 35.3882, -120.4489