• county
  • FIPS 06053
  • Largest town: Salinas

Monterey County, California

Monterey County had 436,251 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 3,281.7 square miles of land. It ranks 21st of 58 in California by population and 17th by land area.

Population
436,251
#21 of 58 in California · #170 in US
Area
3,281.7 sq mi
#17 of 58 in California · #156 in US
Density
133 / sq mi
#26 of 58 in California · #747 in US
Median household income
$86,809
#23 of 58 in California · #290 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Monterey County within California. Pin: Sacramento.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Monterey County

Monterey County population, land area and income

Monterey County had 436,251 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 3,281.7 square miles of land. It ranks 21st of 58 in California by population and 17th by land area. That works out to 132.9 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in California has 187,274 residents, so Monterey County is 2.3 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $86,809 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

436,251

3144th1st

170th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

3,282 sq mi

3144th1st

156th of 3,144 (US)

Density

132.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

747th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$86,809

3143rd1st

290th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within California (58)

Population

436,251

58th1st

21st of 58 (CA)

Land area

3,282 sq mi

58th1st

17th of 58 (CA)

Density

132.9 / sq mi

58th1st

26th of 58 (CA)

Median household income

$86,809

58th1st

23rd of 58 (CA)

How Monterey County's population changed since 2020

Monterey County lost 4,255 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.0%. That ranks 35th of 58 in California for growth. The median California county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by -0.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Monterey County recorded 23,534 births and 12,658 deaths, a natural change of +10,876. Net international migration added +8,640 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -24,685. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 24,685 people.

440.5k2020439.2k2021436.4k2022435.6k2023436.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
23,534
Deaths
12,658
Net international migration
+8,640
Net domestic migration
-24,685
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+614

Where Monterey County is

The Census internal point of Monterey County is at 36.240100, -121.315600. It sits in UTM zone 10N. The map shades California's 58 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Monterey County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Los Angeles County: -2.4%Kings County: +1.4%Sierra County: -3.6%Riverside County: +4.3%Santa Barbara County: -0.8%San Bernardino County: +1.4%Nevada County: -0.1%Santa Clara County: +0.1%Yuba County: +6.7%Fresno County: +1.4%Plumas County: -4.7%Monterey County: -1.0%Amador County: +3.6%Alameda County: -1.9%Tulare County: +2.0%San Joaquin County: +4.5%Alpine County: -6.8%Siskiyou County: -3.4%Butte County: -0.9%Kern County: +1.8%San Diego County: -0.1%Sacramento County: +1.5%Ventura County: -1.0%Yolo County: +3.4%Lake County: -0.6%Napa County: -3.4%Tehama County: -1.9%San Francisco County: -5.4%El Dorado County: +0.8%Calaveras County: +2.5%Inyo County: -2.7%Shasta County: -0.6%Lassen County: -12.3%San Luis Obispo County: -0.0%Mariposa County: -0.5%Trinity County: -2.8%Contra Costa County: +0.6%Mendocino County: -2.4%Imperial County: +1.1%Santa Cruz County: -3.4%Placer County: +6.9%Orange County: -0.5%San Benito County: +7.2%Marin County: -1.9%San Mateo County: -2.6%Colusa County: +0.9%Del Norte County: -2.2%Solano County: +0.5%Glenn County: -2.0%Tuolumne County: -2.7%Sonoma County: -0.6%Humboldt County: -2.9%Mono County: -1.8%Stanislaus County: +0.6%Merced County: +4.9%Sutter County: -0.9%Madera County: +5.8%Modoc County: -2.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.7%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < -0.0%
  4. < +1.5%
  5. ≥ +1.5%
no data

Orange pin: Monterey County internal point. Dark pin: Sacramento.

Internal point

Decimal
36.240100, -121.315600
DMS
36°14'24.36"N 121°18'56.16"W
UTM
10N 651356.1E 4011895.0N
Geohash
9q3wpmk9v
Plus code
848W6MRM+2Q

Towns in Monterey County

11 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Monterey County, 333,635 people together, or 76% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Monterey County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Salinas with 160,783.

  1. 01Salinas160,783
  2. 02Seaside31,524
  3. 03Monterey29,015
  4. 04Soledad26,345
  5. 05Marina23,047
  6. 06Greenfield21,042
  7. 07Pacific Grove14,851
  8. 08King City13,920
  9. 09Gonzales8,431
  10. 10Carmel-by-the-Sea3,124
  11. 11Del Rey Oaks1,553
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Monterey County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Monterey County. The most populous is Fresno County, CA, with 1,024,125 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Sacramento and the nearest big city

Sacramento is 161.8 miles N of Monterey County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Salinas, CA (population 160,783), 35.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Greenfield, CA (population 21,042), 7.0 miles away.

Monterey County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Monterey County is 06053: state code 06 for California plus county code 053. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $86,809.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Monterey County, California?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 436,251. That is down 4,255 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 440,506.

What is the FIPS code of Monterey County?

06053. The first two digits (06) are California; the last three (053) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Monterey County?

Salinas, with 160,783 residents inside Monterey County in 2024.

Which counties border Monterey County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Fresno County, CA; San Luis Obispo County, CA; Santa Cruz County, CA; Kings County, CA; San Benito County, CA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.