US Census Data

Alameda County vs San Diego County

A side-by-side comparison of Alameda County and San Diego County: population, income, housing, and more.

Alameda County and San Diego County are counties in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.

San Diego County has the higher population (3,282,782 vs 1,651,949 in Alameda County). Alameda County has the higher median household income ($126,240 vs $102,285 in San Diego County). Alameda County has the higher median home value ($1,057,400 vs $791,600 in San Diego County).

Population, income & housing

Alameda CountySan Diego County
Population1,651,9493,282,782
Median age38.7 yrs37.1 yrs
Median household income$126,240$102,285
Median home value$1,057,400$791,600
Median gross rent$2,318$2,154
Housing units630,7261,240,607
Homeownership rate54.1%54.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher51.5%42.1%
Unemployment rate5.2%6.2%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

Alameda CountySan Diego County
Population1,656,754 → 1,651,949 (-0.3%)3,316,073 → 3,282,782 (-1.0%)
Median household income$99,406 → $126,240 (+27.0%)$78,980 → $102,285 (+29.5%)
Median home value$769,300 → $1,057,400 (+37.4%)$563,700 → $791,600 (+40.4%)
Median gross rent$1,797 → $2,318 (+29.0%)$1,658 → $2,154 (+29.9%)

Alameda County

Population
1,656,7541,651,949
Median household income
$99,406$126,240
Median home value
$769,300$1,057,400
Median gross rent
$1,797$2,318

San Diego County

Population
3,316,0733,282,782
Median household income
$78,980$102,285
Median home value
$563,700$791,600
Median gross rent
$1,658$2,154

Age & race/ethnicity

Age distribution (share)

Alameda CountySan Diego County
Under 55.3%5.7%
5 to 1714.7%15.4%
18 to 247.9%9.7%
25 to 3415.8%16.0%
35 to 4415.7%14.1%
45 to 5413.4%12.1%
55 to 6412.2%11.8%
65 to 748.9%8.9%
75 and over6.1%6.2%

Race & ethnicity (share)

Alameda CountySan Diego County
White (non-Hispanic)28.2%43.2%
Black or African American9.6%4.4%
American Indian & Alaska Native0.2%0.3%
Asian32.0%11.9%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.7%0.4%
Some other race0.6%0.5%
Two or more races5.3%5.0%
Hispanic or Latino23.3%34.3%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

Alameda CountySan Diego County
No high school diploma11.1%11.0%
High school graduate15.9%17.9%
Some college or associate's21.6%29.0%
Bachelor's degree28.7%25.6%
Graduate or professional degree22.8%16.5%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

Alameda CountySan Diego County
Drove alone53.6%67.6%
Carpooled8.1%8.2%
Public transit9.2%2.2%
Walked2.7%3.1%
Bicycle1.3%0.5%
Worked from home23.2%16.9%
Other means1.7%1.6%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

Alameda CountySan Diego County
1-unit, detached51.4%50.3%
1-unit, attached8.6%10.1%
2 to 4 units10.1%6.6%
5 to 19 units10.2%13.4%
20 or more units18.4%16.1%
Mobile home & other1.3%3.5%

Poverty & households

Alameda CountySan Diego County
Poverty rate9.2%10.4%
Average household size2.732.74
Mean commute (minutes)3226
Median year structure built19691980

Full profiles

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