City safety & data profile

Rancho Santa MargaritaCA

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is a 49K-resident city in Orange County with a median household income of $152,560.

Orange County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Rancho Santa Margarita, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Rancho Santa Margarita has a population larger than 79% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $971,200.

Data updated 2026-07-18

49K
Population
Top 21%
By size
$152,560
Median income
$971,200
Median home
5.7%
Poverty rate

The read on Rancho Santa Margarita

Rancho Santa Margarita posts a median household income higher than 93% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 7%
by median income, US cities

Where Rancho Santa Margarita income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$152,560 Top 7% higher than 93% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). This entry sits in this band. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Rancho Santa Margarita, CA beyond the headline numbers

Rancho Santa Margarita sits inside Orange County, California, at roughly 33.64°N, -117.60°W. Population 49,324, $152,560 median household income. Median home value $971,200, median rent $2,625. Poverty rate 5.7%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Rancho Santa Margarita's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 33.8%, then high blood pressure at 26.4%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Rancho Santa Margarita from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
49,324
Rancho Santa Margarita
Median Income
$152,560
+124% vs avg
Median Home Value
$971,200
+326% vs avg
Median Age
40.9
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Orange County) - Rancho Santa Margarita's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
3.2M+4%
Median Income
$116,289+54%
Median Home Value
$962,600+85%
Poverty Rate
9.5%-23%
Unemployment
5.4%-43%

Economics

Economics indicators for Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,625/mo
Poverty Rate
5.7% -60% vs avg
Unemployment 4.1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 49.7%
Work From Home 25.4%
Public Transit 0.1%

Population

White 61.7%
African American 1.6%
Asian 12.6%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.8%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
33.8%
High Blood Pressure
26.4%
Obesity
24.1%
Physical Inactivity
18.6%
Binge Drinking
17.6%
Frequent Mental Distress
16.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.3%
Current Asthma
9.8%
Diabetes
9%
Current Smoking
8.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 71.4%
Annual Checkup 73.4%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
5.6%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.4%
Stroke
2.4%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA? ▼
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA has a population of 49,324 people, located in Orange County, California.
What is the median household income in Rancho Santa Margarita? ▼
The median household income in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is $152,560 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 5.7%.
What is the median home value in Rancho Santa Margarita? ▼
The median home value in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is $971,200. Median rent is $2,625/month.
What are the top health concerns in Rancho Santa Margarita? ▼
The top health indicators in Rancho Santa Margarita include Short Sleep Duration (33.8%), High Blood Pressure (26.4%), Obesity (24.1%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Rancho Santa Margarita? ▼
The median age in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is 40.9 years. 49.7% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is located in Orange County, California. With a population of 49K and a $152,560 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the Rancho Santa Margarita area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Coto De Caza, CA 15K Foothill Ranch, CA 12K Ladera Ranch, CA 23K Mission Viejo, CA 97K Lake Forest, CA 82K Laguna Hills, CA 32K Laguna Woods, CA 16K Aliso Viejo, CA 50K
All cities in California → Compare Rancho Santa Margarita vs Coto De Caza → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Rancho Santa Margarita's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Rancho Santa Margarita area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Rancho Santa Margarita against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Orange County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.