US Census Data

La Mesa vs Santee

A side-by-side comparison of La Mesa and Santee: population, income, housing, and more.

La Mesa and Santee are places in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.

La Mesa has the higher population (60,835 vs 59,485 in Santee). Santee has the higher median household income ($105,613 vs $84,337 in La Mesa). La Mesa has the higher median home value ($738,800 vs $653,400 in Santee).

Population, income & housing

La MesaSantee
Population60,83559,485
Median age37.1 yrs39.5 yrs
Median household income$84,337$105,613
Median home value$738,800$653,400
Median gross rent$1,958$2,197
Housing units26,42021,625
Homeownership rate46.0%71.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher38.4%32.9%
Unemployment rate6.3%5.1%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

La MesaSantee
Population59,556 → 60,835 (+2.1%)57,797 → 59,485 (+2.9%)
Median household income$66,051 → $84,337 (+27.7%)$87,098 → $105,613 (+21.3%)
Median home value$530,400 → $738,800 (+39.3%)$445,500 → $653,400 (+46.7%)
Median gross rent$1,547 → $1,958 (+26.6%)$1,744 → $2,197 (+26.0%)

La Mesa

Population
59,55660,835
Median household income
$66,051$84,337
Median home value
$530,400$738,800
Median gross rent
$1,547$1,958

Santee

Population
57,79759,485
Median household income
$87,098$105,613
Median home value
$445,500$653,400
Median gross rent
$1,744$2,197

Age & race/ethnicity

Age distribution (share)

La MesaSantee
Under 56.5%7.3%
5 to 1714.5%16.3%
18 to 247.1%5.8%
25 to 3418.2%13.7%
35 to 4416.1%15.1%
45 to 5411.4%12.0%
55 to 6410.6%13.3%
65 to 749.3%10.1%
75 and over6.3%6.4%

Race & ethnicity (share)

La MesaSantee
White (non-Hispanic)51.9%63.5%
Black or African American8.1%1.9%
American Indian & Alaska Native0.0%0.2%
Asian6.0%5.4%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.2%0.2%
Some other race0.2%0.2%
Two or more races5.6%6.7%
Hispanic or Latino27.9%21.9%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

La MesaSantee
No high school diploma5.8%7.2%
High school graduate17.1%22.3%
Some college or associate's38.7%37.6%
Bachelor's degree24.3%22.9%
Graduate or professional degree14.1%10.0%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

La MesaSantee
Drove alone71.4%74.8%
Carpooled7.3%5.8%
Public transit2.4%1.2%
Walked2.1%0.9%
Bicycle0.0%0.1%
Worked from home14.9%15.0%
Other means1.8%2.2%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

La MesaSantee
1-unit, detached44.5%57.1%
1-unit, attached7.2%12.1%
2 to 4 units9.0%5.4%
5 to 19 units13.3%6.7%
20 or more units24.7%8.8%
Mobile home & other1.3%9.8%

Poverty & households

La MesaSantee
Poverty rate11.7%8.5%
Average household size2.382.78
Mean commute (minutes)2528
Median year structure built19701979

Full profiles

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