Census-designated place · California
Santa Margarita, California
Santa Margarita, census-designated place, in San Luis Obispo County, California. Santa Margarita had 1,291 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,149 (±567). GEOID 0669182.
Residents, 2020 Census
1,291
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 1,149 ±567
Median household income
not published
California: $99,122
Median home value
$684,000
±$129,346 (90% margin)
California: $734,700
Median gross rent
not published
California: $2,036
Where is Santa Margarita and what county is it in?
Santa Margarita is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in San Luis Obispo County, California. It covers 0.5 square miles of land, 2,497 residents per square mile in 2020.
Santa Margarita is in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Santa Margarita, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 1,291 residents in Santa Margarita, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 1,149 (±567).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Santa Margarita is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,149 ±567 | 281,555 | no clear change |
| Households | 682 ±408 | 109,503 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 1.68 ±0.45 | 2.43 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 682 ±408 | 125,669 | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Santa Margarita?
The median resident of Santa Margarita is 37.5 years old. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 90.2%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 5.1%.
| Measure | Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.5 ±16.9 | 40.4 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 13.6% ±10.8 pts | 17.5% | – |
| 65 years and over | 22.6% ±22.0 pts | 22.1% | – |
| Male | 43.3% ±17.3 pts | 50.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.7% ±5.7 pts | 25.0% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 90.2% ±10.9 pts | 64.5% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 3.4% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.1% ±5.7 pts | 5.1% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 9.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 17.5% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 0.0% ±4.2 pts | 6.3% | – |
| With a disability | 24.4% ±22.7 pts | 13.3% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 1.3% ±2.4 pts | 5.7% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 98.5% ±2.8 pts | 92.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 34.4% ±24.2 pts | 39.8% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 10.8% ±11.8 pts | 15.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 100.0% ±3.6 pts | 82.8% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 1.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Santa Margarita earn?
The Census Bureau does not publish a median household income for Santa Margarita: too few households were sampled.
| Measure | Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean household income | $129,228 ±$85,934 | $131,990 | – |
| Per capita income | $74,611 ±$41,783 | $51,592 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 3.0% ±3.9 pts | 12.9% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 0.0% ±23.5 pts | 12.6% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 11.3% ±10.1 pts | 8.2% | – |
| Households with a computer | 72.6% ±33.5 pts | 97.0% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 72.6% ±33.5 pts | 93.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Santa Margarita?
Owners occupy 53.2% of Santa Margarita's occupied homes and renters 46.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $684,000 by its owner (±$129,346).
| Measure | Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $684,000 ±$129,346 | $824,700 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 58.6% ±56.6 pts | 48.3% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $3,105 ±$617 | $2,887 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 53.2% ±32.8 pts | 62.1% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 46.8% ±32.8 pts | 37.9% | – |
| Housing units | 682 ±408 | 125,669 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±11.0 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±12.5 pts | 4.6% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 44.0% ±29.8 pts | 67.8% | – |
| Mobile homes | 38.7% ±31.2 pts | 7.7% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 2.3% ±4.1 pts | 7.4% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 8.1% ±12.5 pts | 5.1% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 30.2% ±32.7 pts | 3.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Santa Margarita work and get to work?
75.6% of Santa Margarita's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 21.3 minutes.
| Measure | Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 71.8% ±25.5 pts | 58.2% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 0.0% ±5.8 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 75.6% ±21.3 pts | 70.5% | – |
| Carpooled | 0.0% ±5.8 pts | 7.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±5.8 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Walked | 0.0% ±5.8 pts | 3.8% | – |
| Worked from home | 22.3% ±20.5 pts | 15.2% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 21.3 min ±5.3 | 22.3 min | +6.2 min |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Santa Margarita?
No census tract lies mostly in Santa Margarita; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 127.05San Luis Obispo County | 6,249 | $98,549 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Santa Margarita) · Census block assignment files
How does Santa Margarita compare with other places in California?
Santa Margarita is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population (ACS 2020-2024) | 1,014th | 1,076 |
| Residents per square mile | 529th | 1,077 |
| Per capita income | 169th | 1,073 |
| Median home value | 451st | 1,054 |
| Median age | 657th | 1,075 |
| Owner-occupied share | 844th | 1,064 |
| Travel time to work | 906th | 1,069 |
Santa Margarita's figures with every place in California (CSV)
Every place in California, sortable · Compare Santa Margarita with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Santa Margarita?
37 of the 55 figures for Santa Margarita on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Santa Margarita are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.