City safety & data profile

San MarcosCA

San Marcos, CA is a 93K-resident city in San Diego County with a median household income of $109,377.

San Diego County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for San Marcos, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. San Marcos has a population larger than 91% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $868,000, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-19

93K
Population
Top 9%
By size
$109,377
Median income
$868,000
Median home
9.2%
Poverty rate

The read on San Marcos

San Marcos posts a median household income higher than 76% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the San Marcos area.

Top 24%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near San Marcos

Where San Marcos income ranks nationally

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

$109,377 Top 24% higher than 76% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $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 San Marcos, CA beyond the headline numbers

San Marcos sits inside San Diego County, California, at roughly 33.14°N, -117.17°W. Population 92,931, $109,377 median household income. Median home value $868,000, median rent $2,348. Poverty rate 9.2%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: San Marcos's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 34.2%, then high blood pressure at 27.3%. 1 hospital in/around San Marcos, 4/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

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

Population
92,931
San Marcos
Median Income
$109,377
+61% vs avg
Median Home Value
$868,000
+281% vs avg
Median Age
36.8
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (San Diego County) - San Marcos'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
3.3M+5%
Median Income
$106,268+69%
Median Home Value
$854,700+113%
Poverty Rate
10.3%-28%
Unemployment
5.8%-39%

Economics

Economics indicators for San Marcos, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,348/mo
Poverty Rate
9.2% -35% vs avg
Unemployment 4.6%
Bachelor's Degree+ 43.8%
Work From Home 20.5%
Public Transit 0.5%

Population

White 50.6%
African American 1.3%
Asian 11.8%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
34.2%
High Blood Pressure
27.3%
Obesity
25.3%
Physical Inactivity
20.5%
Binge Drinking
17.1%
Frequent Mental Distress
16.9%
Frequent Physical Distress
12.1%
Current Smoking
9.9%
Diabetes
9.5%
Lack of Health Insurance
9.4%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 65%
Annual Checkup 72.2%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.2%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.8%
Stroke
2.7%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
1
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
4/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL - SAN MARCOS
SAN MARCOS · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of San Marcos, CA? ▼
San Marcos, CA has a population of 92,931 people, located in San Diego County, California.
What is the median household income in San Marcos? ▼
The median household income in San Marcos, CA is $109,377 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 9.2%.
What is the median home value in San Marcos? ▼
The median home value in San Marcos, CA is $868,000. Median rent is $2,348/month.
What are the top health concerns in San Marcos? ▼
The top health indicators in San Marcos include Short Sleep Duration (34.2%), High Blood Pressure (27.3%), Obesity (25.3%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in San Marcos? ▼
San Marcos has 1 hospital with an average rating of 4/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in San Marcos? ▼
The median age in San Marcos, CA is 36.8 years. 43.8% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

San Marcos, CA is located in San Diego County, California. With a population of 93K and a $109,377 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the San Marcos 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

Escondido, CA 151K Vista, CA 101K Encinitas, CA 63K Solana Beach, CA 13K Carlsbad, CA 115K Rancho Penasquitos, CA 60K Oceanside, CA 176K Poway, CA 50K
All cities in California → Compare San Marcos vs Escondido → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using San Marcos'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 San Marcos 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 San Marcos 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 (San Diego 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.