City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Pacific Grove, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Pacific Grove - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

15,003
Residents
$105,568
Median income
$1,129,400
Median home
$4,214
Median rent (state)

Pacific Grove - the verdict

Pacific Grove ranks in the 81st percentile for household income and the 62nd percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

81st
percentile, household income
98th
percentile, home value
100th
percentile, median rent
62nd
percentile, safety
📝 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: Pacific Grove, CA

Pacific Grove is a small town in California, home to 15,003 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $105,568 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.9%. Home values in Pacific Grove run a median of $1,129,400, and the median resident age is 50.3 years. Educational attainment runs 58.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 53.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 2 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 83% from five years earlier. Pacific Grove reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1051.3 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).

California carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $4,214 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 97.8 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).

Population

15,003 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

$105,568 /yr

Poverty 3.9%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does Pacific Grove compare to other US cities?

Here's how Pacific Grove stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 81% higher than other cities
Home value 98% pricier than other cities
Median rent 100% pricier than other cities
Safety 62% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Pacific Grove ranks #66 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Pacific Grove's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

81stIncome percentile
62ndSafety percentile

81st percentile nationally for median household income · 62nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Pacific Grove's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Pacific Grove's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 48 Avg. percentile National median
Pacific Grove's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Pacific Grove's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$1,129,400 2nd percentile more affordable than 2% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. Pacific Grove $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Pacific Grove, CA Pacific Grove, CA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Pacific Grove, CA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Pacific Grove, CA median $105,568/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Pacific Grove, CA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Pacific Grove, CA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 58.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.9%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 53.0%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
15,003
Median Income
$105,568
Median Home Value
$1,129,400
Median Age
50.3
Poverty Rate
3.9%
Labor force participation
53.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
58.5%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1051.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
143.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
907.9
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
14,600 residents14,800 residents15,000 residents15,200 residents 202020212022202320242025 15,090 residents 14,659 residents ▼ -2.9%
Pacific Grove's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 12
2020 13
2021 15
2022 29
2023 18
2024 2

Permit volume decreased 83% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
64.7%
Carpool
7.7%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
5.1%
Work from Home
18.0%
Other
4.0%

Based on 6,956 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 Pacific Grove sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$4,214/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
97.8 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Camp Pendleton South
15,011 people
Susanville
14,992 people
Los Osos
15,048 people
Lemon Hill
14,942 people
Vincent
15,151 people
California City
14,821 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Pacific Grove's 15,003 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Hudson, WI
15,004 people
Macomb, IL
15,006 people
Gloversville, NY
15,010 people
Arlington, TN
14,989 people
White Center, WA
15,017 people
Greenlawn, NY
14,986 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Pacific Grove's $105,568 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Eagle Mountain, UT
$105,576 median income
Matthews, NC
$105,579 median income
Crandall, TX
$105,556 median income
Blythewood, SC
$105,583 median income
Lake Summerset, IL
$105,588 median income
West Charlotte, VT
$105,547 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Pacific Grove, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Pacific Grove, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 75.2% 7.4% 11.4% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 11.8% White 75.2% Black or African American 0.9% Asian 7.4% American Indian 0.4% Native Hawaiian 0.1% Some other race 4.6% Two or more races 11.4% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Pacific Grove 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
Pacific Grove (this city) 15,003 $105,568
Camp Pendleton South 15,011 $66,265
Susanville 14,992 $57,607
Los Osos 15,048 $103,504
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Pacific Grove, CA?

What is the population of Pacific Grove, CA? +

15,003 people live in Pacific Grove, CA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Pacific Grove, CA? +

Pacific Grove households earn a median of $105,568 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Pacific Grove? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Pacific Grove; 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.

Is Pacific Grove, CA safe? +

Pacific Grove has a total crime rate of 1051.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Pacific Grove, CA? +

The median home value in Pacific Grove is $1,129,400, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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 PlainCities Editorial

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Every 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.