US Census Data

San Bernardino County vs San Diego County

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

San Bernardino 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 2,187,816 in San Bernardino County). San Diego County has the higher median household income ($102,285 vs $82,184 in San Bernardino County). San Diego County has the higher median home value ($791,600 vs $475,000 in San Bernardino County).

Population, income & housing

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
Population2,187,8163,282,782
Median age34.4 yrs37.1 yrs
Median household income$82,184$102,285
Median home value$475,000$791,600
Median gross rent$1,706$2,154
Housing units738,5351,240,607
Homeownership rate61.5%54.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher22.9%42.1%
Unemployment rate7.1%6.2%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
Population2,149,031 → 2,187,816 (+1.8%)3,316,073 → 3,282,782 (-1.0%)
Median household income$63,362 → $82,184 (+29.7%)$78,980 → $102,285 (+29.5%)
Median home value$328,200 → $475,000 (+44.7%)$563,700 → $791,600 (+40.4%)
Median gross rent$1,283 → $1,706 (+33.0%)$1,658 → $2,154 (+29.9%)

San Bernardino County

Population
2,149,0312,187,816
Median household income
$63,362$82,184
Median home value
$328,200$475,000
Median gross rent
$1,283$1,706

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)

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
Under 56.5%5.7%
5 to 1719.3%15.4%
18 to 249.9%9.7%
25 to 3415.2%16.0%
35 to 4413.5%14.1%
45 to 5412.0%12.1%
55 to 6411.3%11.8%
65 to 747.7%8.9%
75 and over4.6%6.2%

Race & ethnicity (share)

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
White (non-Hispanic)25.6%43.2%
Black or African American7.6%4.4%
American Indian & Alaska Native0.3%0.3%
Asian7.9%11.9%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.3%0.4%
Some other race0.5%0.5%
Two or more races3.3%5.0%
Hispanic or Latino54.6%34.3%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
No high school diploma17.9%11.0%
High school graduate27.8%17.9%
Some college or associate's31.4%29.0%
Bachelor's degree14.7%25.6%
Graduate or professional degree8.2%16.5%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
Drove alone75.2%67.6%
Carpooled11.0%8.2%
Public transit0.9%2.2%
Walked1.5%3.1%
Bicycle0.2%0.5%
Worked from home10.0%16.9%
Other means1.3%1.6%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
1-unit, detached69.9%50.3%
1-unit, attached4.5%10.1%
2 to 4 units6.1%6.6%
5 to 19 units5.9%13.4%
20 or more units7.9%16.1%
Mobile home & other5.7%3.5%

Poverty & households

San Bernardino CountySan Diego County
Poverty rate13.6%10.4%
Average household size3.212.74
Mean commute (minutes)3326
Median year structure built19831980

Full profiles

2

Related rankings

21
San Bernardino County vs San Diego County: Compare Population & Demographics | US Census Data