• county
  • FIPS 06073
  • Largest town: San Diego

San Diego County, California

San Diego County had 3,298,799 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 4,210.5 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 58 in California by population and 9th by land area.

Population
3,298,799
#2 of 58 in California · #5 in US
Area
4,210.5 sq mi
#9 of 58 in California · #111 in US
Density
783 / sq mi
#9 of 58 in California · #197 in US
Median household income
$103,476
#12 of 58 in California · #105 in US

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

San Diego County within California. Pin: Sacramento.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from San Diego County

San Diego County population, land area and income

San Diego County had 3,298,799 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 4,210.5 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 58 in California by population and 9th by land area. That works out to 783.5 people per square mile, 8.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in California has 187,274 residents, so San Diego County is 17.6 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $103,476 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

3,298,799

3144th1st

5th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

4,210 sq mi

3144th1st

111th of 3,144 (US)

Density

783.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

197th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$103,476

3143rd1st

105th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within California (58)

Population

3,298,799

58th1st

2nd of 58 (CA)

Land area

4,210 sq mi

58th1st

9th of 58 (CA)

Density

783.5 / sq mi

58th1st

9th of 58 (CA)

Median household income

$103,476

58th1st

12th of 58 (CA)

How San Diego County's population changed since 2020

San Diego County lost 2,383 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.1%. That ranks 26th 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, San Diego County recorded 156,252 births and 105,924 deaths, a natural change of +50,328. Net international migration added +63,551 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -112,332. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 112,332 people.

3.30M20203.27M20213.28M20223.29M20233.30M2024
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
156,252
Deaths
105,924
Net international migration
+63,551
Net domestic migration
-112,332
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+12,909

Where San Diego County is

The Census internal point of San Diego County is at 33.023600, -116.776100. It sits in UTM zone 11N. The map shades California's 58 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with San Diego 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: San Diego County internal point. Dark pin: Sacramento.

Internal point

Decimal
33.023600, -116.776100
DMS
33°01'24.96"N 116°46'33.96"W
UTM
11N 520910.3E 3653925.5N
Geohash
9mugyey0r
Plus code
855526FF+CH

Towns in San Diego County

18 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in San Diego County, 2,792,733 people together, or 85% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside San Diego County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is San Diego with 1,404,452.

  1. 01San Diego1,404,452
  2. 02Chula Vista278,546
  3. 03Oceanside170,941
  4. 04Escondido148,847
  5. 05Carlsbad113,575
  6. 06El Cajon103,291
  7. 07Vista99,322
  8. 08San Marcos96,620
  9. 09Encinitas61,137
  10. 10La Mesa60,767
  11. 11Santee59,104
  12. 12National City58,460
  13. 13Poway49,435
  14. 14Lemon Grove27,867
  15. 15Imperial Beach25,568
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering San Diego County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for San Diego County. The most populous is Orange County, CA, with 3,170,435 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Sacramento and the nearest big city

Sacramento is 465.8 miles NNW of San Diego County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is El Cajon, CA (population 103,291), 18.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Poway, CA (population 49,435), 14.5 miles away.

San Diego County FIPS code

The FIPS code of San Diego County is 06073: state code 06 for California plus county code 073. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $103,476.

Questions people ask

What is the population of San Diego County, California?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 3,298,799. That is down 2,383 people (0.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 3,301,182.

What is the FIPS code of San Diego County?

06073. The first two digits (06) are California; the last three (073) identify the county.

What is the largest town in San Diego County?

San Diego, with 1,404,452 residents inside San Diego County in 2024.

Which counties border San Diego County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Orange County, CA; Riverside County, CA; Imperial 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.