Demographics of La Mesa city, California
La Mesa city, California had 59,914 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −1,186 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.
La Mesa city, in four figures
- 59,914
- Population
- July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–2024 figure is 60,797 ±45.
- −1.9%
- Change since July 2020
- −1,186 people.
- 37.4 ±0.9
- Median age
- ACS 2020–2024.
- $95,028 ±$7,968
- 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.
La Mesa city, California's population shrank 1.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally
The July 1 estimate of La 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
| July 1 | Population | Index | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 61,100 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 2021 | 60,775 | 99.5 | 100.2 |
| 2022 | 60,679 | 99.3 | 100.7 |
| 2023 | 60,593 | 99.2 | 101.6 |
| 2024 | 60,463 | 99.0 | 102.5 |
| 2025 | 59,914 | 98.1 | 103.1 |
| July 1 | Population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 61,100 | — |
| 2021 | 60,775 | −325 |
| 2022 | 60,679 | −96 |
| 2023 | 60,593 | −86 |
| 2024 | 60,463 | −130 |
| 2025 | 59,914 | −549 |
Age, 2020–2024
The median age is 37.4 ±0.9: for men 37.2 ±1.3 and for women 37.6 ±0.9. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).
2 more columns on a wider screen
| Age | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 4,221 ±746 | 6.9% ±1.2 |
| 5 to 17 | 8,996 ±788 | 14.8% ±1.3 |
| 18 to 24 | 4,191 ±634 | 6.9% ±1.0 |
| 25 to 44 | 20,745 ±1,237 | 34.1% ±2.0 |
| 45 to 64 | 13,207 ±853 | 21.7% ±1.4 |
| 65 and over | 9,437 ±699 | 15.5% ±1.1 |
Income and poverty, 2020–2024
Median household income is $95,028 ±$7,968, and income per person $49,543 ±$2,655, in 2024 dollars. The median is $99,122 ±$310 in California and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.
Households by income
2 more columns on a wider screen
| Household income | Households | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $25,000 | 2,745 ±420 | 11.0% ±1.6 |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | 3,473 ±502 | 13.9% ±2.0 |
| $50,000 to $74,999 | 3,753 ±588 | 15.0% ±2.3 |
| $75,000 to $99,999 | 3,167 ±457 | 12.6% ±1.8 |
| $100,000 to $149,999 | 5,277 ±611 | 21.1% ±2.4 |
| $150,000 to $199,999 | 3,124 ±395 | 12.5% ±1.5 |
| $200,000 or more | 3,499 ±490 | 14.0% ±1.9 |
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).
2 more columns on a wider screen
| Age | Below poverty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | 6,916 ±1,425 | 11.5% ±2.4 |
| Under 18 | 1,901 ±697 | 14.6% ±5.2 |
| 18 to 59 | 3,743 ±685 | 10.9% ±1.9 |
| 60 and over | 1,272 ±311 | 10.2% ±2.4 |
Housing, 2020–2024
1 more column on a wider screen
| Measure | La Mesa city | California |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 26,212 ±684 | 14,644,735 ±1,665 |
| Occupied | 95.5% ±0.6 | 92.5% ±0.1 |
| Vacant | 4.5% ±1.1 | 7.5% ±0.1 |
| Owner occupied | 47.7% ±2.1 | 55.9% ±0.3 |
| Renter occupied | 52.3% ±2.4 | 44.1% ±0.2 |
| Median home value | $812,000 ±$16,641 | $734,700 ±$1,307 |
| Median gross rent | $2,049 ±$64 | $2,036 ±$5 |
| Median year built | 1971 ±1 | 1976 ±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
2 more columns on a wider screen
| Origin | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 16,961 ±1,444 | 27.9% ±2.4 |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 30,863 ±1,430 | 50.8% ±2.4 |
| Black alone, not Hispanic | 4,689 ±911 | 7.7% ±1.5 |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 3,579 ±745 | 5.9% ±1.2 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 17 to 81 | < 0.1% to 0.1% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 15 to 167 | < 0.1% to 0.3% |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 125 to 673 | 0.2% to 1.1% |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4,166 ±628 | 6.9% ±1.0 |
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).
2 more columns on a wider screen
| Born | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Born in the state | 36,014 ±1,206 | 59.2% ±2.0 |
| Born in another state | 15,716 ±974 | 25.8% ±1.6 |
| Born a citizen outside the states | 1,075 ±265 | 1.8% ±0.4 |
| Born abroad | 7,992 ±792 | 13.1% ±1.3 |
| Naturalized citizens | 5,296 ±676 | 8.7% ±1.1 |
| Not citizens | 2,696 ±486 | 4.4% ±0.8 |
La Mesa city among the places of California
151st of 661 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the California page.
| Place | ACS 2020–2024 |
|---|---|
| La Habra city | 61,970 ±49 |
| Woodland city | 61,854 ±41 |
| Santa Cruz city | 61,607 ±64 |
| Encinitas city | 61,480 ±51 |
| Montebello city | 61,045 ±41 |
| La Mesa city | 60,797 ±45 |
| Florence-Graham CDP | 60,690 ±2,509 |
| San Rafael city | 60,433 ±83 |
| Pico Rivera city | 60,272 ±78 |
| Hanford city | 59,754 ±54 |
| Gardena city | 59,422 ±53 |
Elsewhere on the site
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