Demographics · CA
Salinas, CA demographics: 161,761 residents, with a median age of 32.4 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
161,761 people live in Salinas, at a median age of 32.4 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 32.4 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 Salinas, the largest race group is Some other race (54.2%); 80.9% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 37.5% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Salinas is 32.4 years (±0.5), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 50.2% male and 49.8% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 21.5%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 12,799 | 7.9% | ±755 |
| 5 to 17 | 34,752 | 21.5% | ±1,270 |
| 18 to 24 | 16,721 | 10.3% | ±897 |
| 25 to 34 | 22,866 | 14.1% | ±932 |
| 35 to 44 | 22,793 | 14.1% | ±1,047 |
| 45 to 54 | 18,206 | 11.3% | ±860 |
| 55 to 64 | 16,524 | 10.2% | ±978 |
| 65 to 74 | 9,710 | 6.0% | ±714 |
| 75 and over | 7,390 | 4.6% | ±611 |
Median age by sex: 32.1 (male) · 32.7 (female).
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 Salinas is Some other race at 54.2% of the population. Separately, 80.9% 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 | 37,416 | 23.1% | ±2,742 |
| Black or African American alone | 1,918 | 1.2% | ±589 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,800 | 1.1% | ±581 |
| Asian alone | 9,143 | 5.7% | ±980 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 238 | 0.1% | ±282 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 87,610 | 54.2% | ±2,967 |
| Two or more races | 23,636 | 14.6% | ±2,444 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 130,828 | 80.9% | ±1,545 |
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
Salinas has 43,620 households. 80.1% are family households and 15.1% are people living alone. The average household holds 3.65 people.
Total households
43,620
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
3.65
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.06
Family households
80.1%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
15.1%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 43,620 | ±749 |
| Family households | 34,941 | ±650 |
| Nonfamily households | 8,679 | ±643 |
| Householder living alone | 6,606 | ±654 |
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
37.5% of Salinas residents were born outside the United States. 26.6% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (68.9%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 37.5% | 60,622 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 26.6% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 68.9% | Spanish · 102,663 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
16.5% of adults age 25 and over in Salinas 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+) | 16.5% | 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 Salinas is 0664224. 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/.