Demographics of Costa Mesa city, California

Costa Mesa city, California had 108,881 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −3,162 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Costa Mesa city, in four figures

108,881
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 110,330 ±43.; −2.8%
Change since July 2020: −3,162 people.; 36.7 ±0.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $111,505 ±$4,151
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Costa Mesa city, California's population shrank 2.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Costa Mesa city, California's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Costa Mesa city, California's population shrank 2.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Costa Mesa city, California's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	112,043	100.0	100.0
2021	111,058	99.1	100.2
2022	110,003	98.2	100.7
2023	109,084	97.4	101.6
2024	109,010	97.3	102.5
2025	108,881	97.2	103.1

Population of Costa Mesa city, California on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	112,043	—
2021	111,058	−985
2022	110,003	−1,055
2023	109,084	−919
2024	109,010	−74
2025	108,881	−129

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 36.7 ±0.8: for men 36.6 ±1.0 and for women 36.9 ±1.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Costa Mesa city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	California	United States
Under 5	5,849 ±663	5.3% ±0.6	5.5% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	14,595 ±1,100	13.2% ±1.0	16.5% ±<0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	9,975 ±888	9.0% ±0.8	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	38,083 ±1,654	34.5% ±1.5	28.7% ±<0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	27,251 ±1,302	24.7% ±1.2	24.6% ±<0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	14,577 ±916	13.2% ±0.8	15.7% ±<0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $111,505 ±$4,151, and income per person $59,742 ±$2,461, in 2024 dollars. The median is $99,122 ±$310 in California and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Costa Mesa city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	California	United States
Under $25,000	3,560 ±530	8.4% ±1.2	12.5% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,972 ±638	11.8% ±1.5	13.3% ±0.1	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	5,027 ±625	11.9% ±1.4	13.0% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	5,253 ±528	12.4% ±1.2	11.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	8,062 ±706	19.1% ±1.6	17.8% ±0.1	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	5,410 ±615	12.8% ±1.4	11.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	10,008 ±646	23.7% ±1.4	20.5% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Costa Mesa city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	California	United States
All ages	10,026 ±1,244	9.1% ±1.1	12.0% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,463 ±455	12.2% ±2.1	15.0% ±0.1	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	5,782 ±751	8.4% ±1.1	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,781 ±387	8.7% ±1.8	11.5% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Costa Mesa city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Costa Mesa city	California	United States
Housing units	44,427 ±996	14,644,735 ±1,665	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	95.2% ±1.5	92.5% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	4.8% ±0.9	7.5% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	39.6% ±1.9	55.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	60.4% ±1.7	44.1% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$1,115,100 ±$20,646	$734,700 ±$1,307	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$2,446 ±$39	$2,036 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1972 ±2	1976 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Costa Mesa city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	40,414 ±2,218	36.6% ±2.0	40.2% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	52,376 ±2,050	47.5% ±1.9	33.8% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	1,915 ±452	1.7% ±0.4	5.2% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	8,954 ±967	8.1% ±0.9	15.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	36 to 218	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	312 to 1,046	0.3% to 0.9%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	812 ±374	0.7% ±0.3	0.6% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5,053 ±654	4.6% ±0.6	4.4% ±<0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Costa Mesa city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	California	United States
Born in the state	65,077 ±1,927	59.0% ±1.7	56.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	19,570 ±1,187	17.7% ±1.1	15.0% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,048 ±402	0.9% ±0.4	1.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	24,635 ±1,624	22.3% ±1.5	27.0% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	11,021 ±907	10.0% ±0.8	14.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	13,614 ±1,384	12.3% ±1.3	12.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Costa Mesa city among the places of California

61st of 661 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the California page.

Places of California near Costa Mesa city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Murrieta city	112,064 ±62
East Los Angeles CDP	111,647 ±3,509
Temecula city	111,167 ±65
Downey city	110,939 ±44
Santa Maria city	110,462 ±74
Costa Mesa city	110,330 ±43
Menifee city	110,305 ±71
San Buenaventura (Ventura) city	109,857 ±54
West Covina city	107,037 ±66
Jurupa Valley city	107,011 ±46
El Monte city	106,109 ±64

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Costa Mesa city, California

Rankings this appears in

No. 68 Places in California by median home value
No. 81 Places in California by median rent
No. 126 Places by median home value
No. 127 Places in California by per capita income
No. 152 Places in California by median household income
No. 174 Places by median rent

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026