• county
  • FIPS 06079
  • Largest town: San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo County, California

San Luis Obispo County had 281,843 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 3,300.8 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 58 in California by population and 16th by land area.

Population
281,843
#24 of 58 in California · #258 in US
Area
3,300.8 sq mi
#16 of 58 in California · #153 in US
Density
85 / sq mi
#34 of 58 in California · #1,028 in US
Median household income
$89,809
#21 of 58 in California · #251 in US

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

San Luis Obispo County within California. Pin: Sacramento.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo County population, land area and income

San Luis Obispo County had 281,843 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 3,300.8 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 58 in California by population and 16th by land area. That works out to 85.4 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in California has 187,274 residents; San Luis Obispo County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $89,809 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

281,843

3144th1st

258th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

3,301 sq mi

3144th1st

153rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

85.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

1028th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$89,809

3143rd1st

251st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within California (58)

Population

281,843

58th1st

24th of 58 (CA)

Land area

3,301 sq mi

58th1st

16th of 58 (CA)

Density

85.4 / sq mi

58th1st

34th of 58 (CA)

Median household income

$89,809

58th1st

21st of 58 (CA)

How San Luis Obispo County's population changed since 2020

San Luis Obispo County lost 81 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.0%. That ranks 24th 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 Luis Obispo County recorded 9,990 births and 11,223 deaths, a natural change of -1,233. Net international migration added +2,158 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,625. The largest single component was international migration, which added 2,158 people.

281.9k2020279.5k2021282.5k2022282.0k2023281.8k2024
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
9,990
Deaths
11,223
Net international migration
+2,158
Net domestic migration
-1,625
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-164

Where San Luis Obispo County is

The Census internal point of San Luis Obispo County is at 35.388200, -120.448900. 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 San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County internal point. Dark pin: Sacramento.

Internal point

Decimal
35.388200, -120.448900
DMS
35°23'17.52"N 120°26'56.04"W
UTM
10N 731712.7E 3919082.9N
Geohash
9q63745z1
Plus code
847X9HQ2+7C

Towns in San Luis Obispo County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in San Luis Obispo County, 160,398 people together, or 57% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside San Luis Obispo County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is San Luis Obispo with 49,729.

  1. 01San Luis Obispo49,729
  2. 02El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)31,568
  3. 03Atascadero29,743
  4. 04Arroyo Grande18,249
  5. 05Grover Beach12,534
  6. 06Morro Bay10,591
  7. 07Pismo Beach7,984
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering San Luis Obispo County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for San Luis Obispo County. The most populous is Kern County, CA, with 922,529 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Sacramento and the nearest big city

Sacramento is 227.7 miles NNW of San Luis Obispo County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Santa Maria, CA (population 111,346), 31.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is San Luis Obispo, CA (population 49,729), 15.0 miles away.

San Luis Obispo County FIPS code

The FIPS code of San Luis Obispo County is 06079: state code 06 for California plus county code 079. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $89,809.

Questions people ask

What is the population of San Luis Obispo County, California?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 281,843. That is down 81 people (0.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 281,924.

What is the FIPS code of San Luis Obispo County?

06079. The first two digits (06) are California; the last three (079) identify the county.

What is the largest town in San Luis Obispo County?

San Luis Obispo, with 49,729 residents inside San Luis Obispo County in 2024.

Which counties border San Luis Obispo County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Kern County, CA; Santa Barbara County, CA; Monterey County, CA; Kings 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.