CA
California
FIPS 06 · Population 39,287,377
6 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
39.3M ▲
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$99,122 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
$4,048.1B
GDP
5.3%
Unemployment
4% national
County Map
Click a county to view its economic profile
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$99,122
Per Capita
$49,513
Mean Household
$140,436
Poverty Rate
12% ▼
Age & Race / Ethnicity
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22%
18-34 · 23.9%
35-54 · 26.4%
55-64 · 12.1%
65+ · 15.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
84.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 4.9 pts
37.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.4 pts
14.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +0.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
39,287,377
Population
20,228,299
Labor Force
Employed
18,742,898
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
5.3%
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
17.2%
California's median household income sits 23% above the national median. At 12%, its poverty rate runs 0.5 pts below the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 37.1% exceeds the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong consumer markets statewide.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 2,959,564 workers (23.3% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $66,434.
- Economic scale: State GDP of $4,048.1B (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries
LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, potential attraction targets. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.20x
Oil and Gas Extraction
2,769 employed
0.24x
Support Activities for Mining
7,537 employed
0.24x
Pipeline Transportation
1,569 employed
0.28x
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
6,089 employed
0.31x
Primary Metal Manufacturing
13,038 employed
0.41x
Forestry and Logging
2,199 employed
0.42x
Textile Mills
3,992 employed
0.46x
Paper Manufacturing
18,970 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry concentrates at 4.92x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$734,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$2,036 ▲
Rent/Mo
55.9% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.5% ▼
Vacancy
7.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)
Renter-household-weighted average across 58 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$2,042/mo$774 to $3,179
1 Bedroom
$2,237/mo$883 to $3,298
2 Bedroom
$2,745/mo$1,108 to $4,214
3 Bedroom
$3,591/mo$1,434 to $5,377
4 Bedroom
$4,101/mo$1,655 to $5,659
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,478/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 7.4x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
24,496,210 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
▲ vs 2019
Mean Commute
28.7 min
Work From Home
17.2%
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37.1%
HS Diploma+
84.7%
Top Institutions
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
18,134/yr
15,215/yr
14,884/yr
12,110/yr
12,064/yr
11,650/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
43.3%
Service
17.4%
Sales & Office
19%
Construction / Maint.
8.6%
Production / Transport
11.7%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 18,742,898 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
Source: ACS workforce data.
County Profiles
58 counties in California
Alameda County
FIPS 06001
Alpine County
FIPS 06003
Amador County
FIPS 06005
Butte County
FIPS 06007
Calaveras County
FIPS 06009
Colusa County
FIPS 06011
Contra Costa County
FIPS 06013
Del Norte County
FIPS 06015
El Dorado County
FIPS 06017
Fresno County
FIPS 06019
Glenn County
FIPS 06021
Humboldt County
FIPS 06023
Imperial County
FIPS 06025
Inyo County
FIPS 06027
Kern County
FIPS 06029
Kings County
FIPS 06031
Lake County
FIPS 06033
Lassen County
FIPS 06035
Los Angeles County
FIPS 06037
Madera County
FIPS 06039
Marin County
FIPS 06041
Mariposa County
FIPS 06043
Mendocino County
FIPS 06045
Merced County
FIPS 06047
Modoc County
FIPS 06049
Mono County
FIPS 06051
Monterey County
FIPS 06053
Napa County
FIPS 06055
Nevada County
FIPS 06057
Orange County
FIPS 06059
Placer County
FIPS 06061
Plumas County
FIPS 06063
Riverside County
FIPS 06065
Sacramento County
FIPS 06067
San Benito County
FIPS 06069
San Bernardino County
FIPS 06071
San Diego County
FIPS 06073
San Francisco County
FIPS 06075
San Joaquin County
FIPS 06077
San Luis Obispo County
FIPS 06079
San Mateo County
FIPS 06081
Santa Barbara County
FIPS 06083
Santa Clara County
FIPS 06085
Santa Cruz County
FIPS 06087
Shasta County
FIPS 06089
Sierra County
FIPS 06091
Siskiyou County
FIPS 06093
Solano County
FIPS 06095
Sonoma County
FIPS 06097
Stanislaus County
FIPS 06099
Sutter County
FIPS 06101
Tehama County
FIPS 06103
Trinity County
FIPS 06105
Tulare County
FIPS 06107
Tuolumne County
FIPS 06109
Ventura County
FIPS 06111
Yolo County
FIPS 06113
Yuba County
FIPS 06115
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 6 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
California shows meaningful potential for support activities for agriculture and forestry attraction, with a 4.92x concentration and 218,142 jobs in this sub-sector.
Cluster depth across support activities for agriculture and forestry, web search portals, libraries, and archives, and motion picture and sound recording industries creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for California, from federal data sources.
What is the population of California?
39,287,377 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in California?
$99,122 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in California?
5.3% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of California?
$4,048.1B (BEA SAGDP (state GDP)).
California (CA): Public data. Imagine the full platform.
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