Population
8,791 residents
Census ACS 2023 - California
City profile · California · Census ACS 2023
Fort Irwin, CA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fort Irwin - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 8,791
- Residents
- $66,964
- Median income
- $2,201
- Median rent (state)
Fort Irwin - the verdict
Fort Irwin ranks in the 46th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 46th
- percentile, household income
- 86th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fort Irwin, CA
8,791 people live in Fort Irwin, California - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Fort Irwin brings in $66,964 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.0%. The median resident age is 23.4 years. Educational attainment runs 30.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 25.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 3 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,201 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 8.9 minutes, with 65.4% driving alone and 5.8% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 99.8 out of 100 (Very High).
Median Household Income
$66,964 /yr
Poverty 10.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average
How does Fort Irwin compare to other US cities?
Here's how Fort Irwin stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 46% higher than other cities
Median rent 86% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fort Irwin against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Poverty Rate sits close to the middle of California's city distribution
Among the 1,450 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Fort Irwin ranks #490 - the 66th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Irwin only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#962 of 1,338
28th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#734 of 1,458
47th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#490 of 1,450
66th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#607 of 1,458
58th percentile in California
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
46th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 30.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 25.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,791
Median Income
$66,964
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
23.4
Poverty Rate
10.0%
Labor force participation
25.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
30.7%
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
8.9 minutes
Drive Alone
65.4%
Carpool
15.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
11.2%
Work from Home
5.8%
Other
2.4%
Based on 5,320 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month
Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Fort Irwin sits in
Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,201/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
99.8 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in California
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Irwin's 8,791 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Irwin's $66,964 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Fort Irwin compares to nearby California cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Irwin (this city) | 8,791 | $66,964 |
| Topanga | 8,781 | $142,553 |
| Montecito | 8,823 | $222,966 |
| Marina del Rey | 8,844 | $142,440 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Fort Irwin, CA?
What is the population of Fort Irwin, CA? +
8,791 people live in Fort Irwin, CA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Fort Irwin, CA? +
The median household income in Fort Irwin is $66,964 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Fort Irwin? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Fort Irwin; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.