Census place 0668154

San Luis Obispo

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: San Luis Obispo city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in San Luis Obispo.

According to the 2025 estimate, San Luis Obispo has a population of 50,636 and 3,712 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 376 covered California places are: typical commute is 16.1 minutes, below the comparison median of 28 minutes; median home value is $935,100, above the comparison median of $717,000; and median household income is $73,685, below the comparison median of $98,132. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

typical commute: 16.1 minutes
median home value: $935,100
median household income: $73,685

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare San Luis Obispo's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 50,636
Annual change: +1.6%
Density: 3,712/sq mi
Median age: 26.3 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $73,685
Median home value: $935,100
Median gross rent: $1,965
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 54.4%
Typical commute: 16.1 min
Drive-alone commute: 63.8%
Public transit commute: 1%
Walked to work: 6.1%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 59.7%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 67%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 58.3%
Unemployed residents 16+: 4.4%
Working from home: 17.1%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 92.7%
Homes built 2020+: 2.3%
Households without a vehicle: 6.8%
Households with children: 13.9%
Residents with a disability: 10.3%
Residents without insurance: 4.6%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for San Luis Obispo County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 14
Flood declarations: 6
Severe Storm declarations: 4
Earthquake declarations: 1

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: SAN LUIS OBISPO MCCHESNEY FLD (3 mi from place center)

Average high: 71.9°F
Average low: 47.4°F
Annual rainfall: 17.9"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in San Luis Obispo.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

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Median home: $971,200

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