How many people live in Monterey County, CA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 436,300 people living in Monterey County, CA. That makes Monterey County the 21st-most populous county in California. It is home to 1.1% of people living in the state.
436K
population of Monterey County, CA (2024)
1.1%
County share of the California population (2024)
About 436,300 people lived in Monterey County, CA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Monterey County, CA’s age demographics?
About 68,800 Monterey County, CA residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 15.8% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 16.6% of California’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 109,800 Monterey County, CA residents, or 25.2% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.4% of California’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Monterey County, CA's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Monterey County, CA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 62.9% of the Monterey County, CA population, higher than the national share of 20%. Monterey County also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (0.41%) than the US overall (0.2%).
In contrast, Monterey County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 26.4%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 2.2% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Monterey County, CA has a higher share of a Hispanic population than California as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Monterey County, CA is Salinas with about 160,800 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Monterey County, CA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Salinas | 160,783 |
| 2. | Seaside | 31,524 |
| 3. | Monterey | 29,015 |
| 4. | Soledad | 26,345 |
| 5. | Marina | 23,047 |
| 6. | Greenfield | 21,042 |
| 7. | Pacific Grove | 14,851 |
| 8. | King City | 13,920 |
| 9. | Gonzales | 8,431 |
| 10. | Carmel-by-the-Sea | 3,124 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
