Demographics of Novato city, California

Novato city, California had 51,947 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −1,196 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Novato city, in four figures

51,947
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 52,546 ±71.; −2.3%
Change since July 2020: −1,196 people.; 47.5 ±2.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $115,736 ±$10,368
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.

Novato city, California's population shrank 2.3% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Novato 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

Novato city, California's population shrank 2.3% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Novato 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	53,143	100.0	100.0
2021	53,001	99.7	100.2
2022	52,354	98.5	100.7
2023	51,970	97.8	101.6
2024	52,180	98.2	102.5
2025	51,947	97.7	103.1

Population of Novato city, California on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	53,143	—
2021	53,001	−142
2022	52,354	−647
2023	51,970	−384
2024	52,180	+210
2025	51,947	−233

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 47.5 ±2.1: for men 46.7 ±2.5 and for women 48.4 ±2.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Novato city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	California	United States
Under 5	2,343 ±403	4.5% ±0.8	5.5% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	8,431 ±779	16.0% ±1.5	16.5% ±<0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	3,709 ±576	7.1% ±1.1	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	10,435 ±769	19.9% ±1.5	28.7% ±<0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	15,016 ±925	28.6% ±1.8	24.6% ±<0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	12,612 ±902	24.0% ±1.7	15.7% ±<0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $115,736 ±$10,368, and income per person $65,423 ±$3,645, 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 Novato city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	California	United States
Under $25,000	1,648 ±332	8.2% ±1.6	12.5% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,145 ±407	10.7% ±2.0	13.3% ±0.1	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,416 ±392	12.0% ±1.9	13.0% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,598 ±465	13.0% ±2.3	11.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	3,185 ±403	15.9% ±1.9	17.8% ±0.1	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,370 ±419	11.8% ±2.1	11.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	5,694 ±561	28.4% ±2.7	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 Novato city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	California	United States
All ages	5,027 ±930	9.6% ±1.8	12.0% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,438 ±438	13.4% ±3.9	15.0% ±0.1	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,695 ±585	10.6% ±2.3	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	894 ±260	5.5% ±1.6	11.5% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Novato city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Novato city	California	United States
Housing units	20,982 ±679	14,644,735 ±1,665	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	95.6% ±4.3	92.5% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	4.4% ±1.4	7.5% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	66.1% ±3.5	55.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	33.9% ±2.6	44.1% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$1,032,500 ±$34,601	$734,700 ±$1,307	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$2,506 ±$127	$2,036 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1975 ±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 Novato city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	14,706 ±1,286	28.0% ±2.4	40.2% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	28,702 ±1,281	54.6% ±2.4	33.8% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	1,243 ±398	2.4% ±0.8	5.2% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	3,608 ±646	6.9% ±1.2	15.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	6 to 54	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 37	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	475 to 1,405	0.9% to 2.7%	0.6% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3,303 ±534	6.3% ±1.0	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 Novato city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	California	United States
Born in the state	28,062 ±1,171	53.4% ±2.2	56.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	11,614 ±959	22.1% ±1.8	15.0% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	400 ±182	0.8% ±0.3	1.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	12,470 ±1,050	23.7% ±2.0	27.0% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	6,693 ±858	12.7% ±1.6	14.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	5,777 ±893	11.0% ±1.7	12.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Novato city among the places of California

177th 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 Novato city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Colton city	53,772 ±47
Diamond Bar city	53,355 ±61
Huntington Park city	53,108 ±51
Lincoln city	52,956 ±89
Placentia city	52,826 ±59
Novato city	52,546 ±71
Cathedral City city	52,267 ±75
Paramount city	52,050 ±59
Palm Desert city	51,990 ±43
Watsonville city	51,712 ±34
Delano city	51,679 ±39

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Novato city, California

Rankings this appears in

No. 24 Places in California by median age
No. 59 Places in California by median rent
No. 86 Places in California by median home value
No. 102 Places in California by per capita income
No. 111 Places in California by median household income
No. 117 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