Demographics · CA
Costa Mesa, CA demographics: 110,330 residents, with a median age of 36.7 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
110,330people live in Costa Mesa, at a median age of 36.7 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 36.7 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Costa Mesa, the largest race group is White (51.8%); 36.6% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 22.3% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Costa Mesa is 36.7 years (±0.8), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 51.4% male and 48.6% female. The largest age band is 25 to 34 at 19.2%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 5,849 | 5.3% | ±663 |
| 5 to 17 | 14,595 | 13.2% | ±1,100 |
| 18 to 24 | 9,975 | 9.0% | ±888 |
| 25 to 34 | 21,177 | 19.2% | ±1,218 |
| 35 to 44 | 16,906 | 15.3% | ±1,119 |
| 45 to 54 | 13,634 | 12.4% | ±865 |
| 55 to 64 | 13,617 | 12.3% | ±973 |
| 65 to 74 | 8,829 | 8.0% | ±741 |
| 75 and over | 5,748 | 5.2% | ±538 |
Median age by sex: 36.6 (male) · 36.9 (female).
Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Costa Mesa is White at 51.8% of the population. Separately, 36.6% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race.Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 57,177 | 51.8% | ±2,158 |
| Black or African American alone | 2,060 | 1.9% | ±441 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,234 | 1.1% | ±439 |
| Asian alone | 9,103 | 8.3% | ±970 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 718 | 0.7% | ±368 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 16,823 | 15.2% | ±2,021 |
| Two or more races | 23,215 | 21.0% | ±2,182 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 40,414 | 36.6% | ±2,218 |
Race shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding; race and Hispanic origin are separate questions and are not additive. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Costa Mesa has 42,292 households. 58.5% are family households and 28.7% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.56 people.
Total households
42,292
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.56
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.07
Family households
58.5%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
28.7%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 42,292 | ±1,167 |
| Family households | 24,757 | ±663 |
| Nonfamily households | 17,535 | ±1,172 |
| Householder living alone | 12,138 | ±1,081 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
22.3% of Costa Mesa residents were born outside the United States. 63.5% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (27.0%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 22.3% | 24,635 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 63.5% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 27.0% | Spanish · 28,249 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
45.0% of adults age 25 and over in Costa Mesa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 45.0% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Costa Mesa is 0616532. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.