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Poway, CA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

48,713
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

41.2
years ∙ half population younger than 41.2, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
61%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

18%
foreign-born population
82%Native
18% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Poway is a city within San Diego County, California, United States.
Location
City in San Diego County, CA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC32.987677° N, 117.021814° W
DMS32° 59′ 15.64″ N, 117° 01′ 18.53″ W

Population Density & area

1,246/sq mi (481.4/km²)
Total Area
39.2 sq mi (101.4 km²)
Land Area
39.1 sq mi (101.2 km²) · 99.78%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) · 0.22%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.5% male
Male 51.5%
Female 48.5%
males per 100 females
Poway 106.4
San Diego County 102.2
California 99.8

Nativity

18%
foreign-born population
82%Native
18% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Poway 18%
San Diego County 22.8%
California 27%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

41.2
years ∙ half population younger than 41.2, half older
Poway
41.2
San Diego County
37.3
California
37.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
73.9
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Poway 73.9
San Diego County 57.1
California 60.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Poway San Diego County California
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 23.5% 20.9% 22%
Working age (18-64) 57.5% 63.7% 62.3%
Senior (65+) 19% 15.4% 15.7%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 73.9 57.1 60.4
Child dependency ratio 40.8 32.8 35.2
Old-age dependency ratio 33 24.3 25.1
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
57.8%
Black
2.7%
Asian
12.3%
Hispanic
18.8%
Other
8.4%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
61%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Poway 61%
San Diego County 68.1%
California 69.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Poway population
Poway San Diego County California
Hispanic or Latino 18.8% 34.6% 40.2%
Mexican 15.5% 29.7% 32.3%
Puerto Rican 0.6% 0.8% 0.6%
Cuban 0.1% 0.2% 0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino 2.7% 3.9% 7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 81.2% 65.4% 59.8%
One race 74.6% 60.1% 55.4%
White 57.8% 42.4% 33.8%
Black or African American 2.7% 4.4% 5.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
Asian 12.3% 12.1% 15.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.5% 0.4% 0.3%
Some Other Race 0.9% 0.6% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 6.6% 5.3% 4.4%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

78.9% family
Family 78.9%
Non family 21.1%
% family households
Poway 78.9%
San Diego County 66.1%
California 67.8%

Average household size

2.93
persons per household
Poway
2.93
San Diego County
2.72
California
2.84

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Poway population
Poway San Diego County California
Total households 16,423 1,171,278 13,548,091
Average houshold size 2.93 2.72 2.84
Family households 12,962 774,697 9,191,176
Average family size 3.23 3.29 3.41
Married couple family 10,818 579,994 6,557,184
Other families 2,144 194,703 2,633,992
Male householder 725 60,586 857,732
Female householder 1,419 134,117 1,776,260
Non-family households 3,461 396,581 4,356,915
One-person households 2,585 288,146 3,289,307
Male householder 1,045 134,893 1,493,062
Senior (65+) living alone 588 38,549 460,668
Female householder 1,540 153,253 1,796,245
Senior (65+) living alone 1,054 71,209 886,142
Other living arrangements 876 108,435 1,067,608

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

16,936
housing units
Poway 16,936
San Diego County 1,250,641
California 14,644,735

Occupancy status

97% occupied
Occupied 97%
Vacant 3%
vacancy rate
Poway 3%
San Diego County 6.3%
California 7.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

80.7%
Single family houses
Single family houses
80.7%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
16%
Mobile homes
3.2%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1979
Half of houses were built before 1979, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
0.8%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
18.2%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
69.1%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
11.9%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Poway San Diego County California
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.1 4.9 5
1–3 rooms 10.7% 22% 21%
4–6 rooms 46.5% 54.1% 54.7%
7+ rooms 42.8% 24% 24.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.1% 4.2% 5%
1 bedroom 6.2% 13.6% 13.2%
2 bedrooms 13.5% 30% 26.9%
3 bedrooms 31.3% 29.6% 32.8%
4+ bedrooms 47.9% 22.5% 22.1%
At a glance
Median year built 1979 1980 1976
Total housing units 16,936 1,250,641 14,644,735
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

75.2% owners
Renter-occupied 24.8%
Owner-occupied 75.2%
homeownership rate
Poway 75.2%
San Diego County 54.6%
California 55.9%

Average household size

2.91
Owner-occupied
2.96
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Poway 2.91
San Diego County 2.82
California 2.95

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Poway San Diego County California
Total occupied units 16,423 1,171,278 13,548,091
Year moved in
2020 or later 17% 26.8% 23.4%
2010 to 2019 37.5% 41.7% 41.2%
2000 to 2009 19.3% 15.2% 17%
1999 or earlier 26.1% 16.3% 18.5%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 95.6% 93.5% 91.8%
1.01 to 1.50 3.5% 4.2% 5%
1.51 or more 0.9% 2.3% 3.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 2.7% 5.5% 7.1%
1 vehicle 20.1% 30.6% 30.7%
2 vehicles 39.7% 39.4% 36.3%
3 or more vehicles 37.5% 24.5% 25.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas 65.2% 57.2% 64.4%
Electricity 26.1% 35% 29.5%
Solar 4.6% 2.1% 1.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0.1% 0.1% 0.2%
All other fuels 1% 0.8% 1.6%
No fuel used 3.2% 4.7% 3%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.2% 0.3% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.7% 0.7% 1.2%
No telephone service available 0.5% 0.8% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$1,034,800
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Poway
$1,034,800
San Diego County
$854,700
California
$734,700

Housing Cost Burden

31.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
31.3%
Owners without a mortgage
14.1%
Renters
55.6%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Poway San Diego County California
Property value
Median Value $1,034,800 $854,700 $734,700
Under $100,000 2% 3.6% 4.2%
$100,000 - $200,000 2.5% 1.9% 2.7%
$200,000 - $300,000 0.9% 1.7% 4.3%
$300,000 - $500,000 3.9% 8.5% 17.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 38.1% 50% 42.1%
$1,000,000 and more 52.6% 34.2% 29.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 72.2% 69.6% 67.4%
Without a mortgage 27.8% 30.4% 32.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $3,446 $3,184 $2,946
Without a mortgage $1,082 $871 $829
Gross rent
Median rent $2,301 $2,246 $2,036

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

54.2%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Poway 54.2%
San Diego County 43.2%
California 37.1%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Poway 5.9%
San Diego County 10.8%
California 15.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

12,296
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.6%
K–12
71%
College / Undergraduate
17.5%
Graduate / Professional
5.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

52.8%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Poway
52.8%
San Diego County
46%
California
46.8%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Poway San Diego County California
Total enrolled (age 3+) 12,296 815,500 9,917,839
Nursery / preschool 5.6% 5.3% 5%
K–12 71% 61.5% 64.9%
Kindergarten 7.4% 4.7% 4.9%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 21.4% 18.2% 18.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 21% 18.9% 19.9%
High School: Grades 9–12 21.2% 19.7% 21.5%
College or graduate school 23.4% 33.2% 30.1%
College, undergraduate 17.5% 27% 24.3%
Graduate, professional school 5.9% 6.2% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 52.8% 46% 46.8%
School type
Public school 85.9% 83.7% 85%
Private school 14.1% 16.3% 15%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

34,253
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
2.6%
HS graduate
14.1%
Some college no degree
17.4%
Associates degree
8.4%
Bachelors degree
31%
Graduate or professional degree
23.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
41.1% · 58.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
36.9% · 63.1%
HS graduate
47.4% · 52.6%
Some college no degree
48.9% · 51.1%
Associates degree
44.8% · 55.2%
Bachelors degree
51.1% · 48.9%
Graduate or professional degree
54.3% · 45.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Poway San Diego County California
Population (25+) 34,253 2,281,385 27,073,960
Less than 9th grade 3.3% 5.9% 8.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 2.6% 4.9% 6.5%
High school diploma or GED 14.1% 17.9% 20.5%
Some college, no degree 17.4% 20% 19.3%
Associate's degree 8.4% 8.1% 7.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 54.2% 43.2% 37.1%
Bachelor's degree 31% 26% 22.7%
Graduate or professional 23.2% 17.2% 14.4%
High School or higher 94.1% 89.1% 84.7%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$76,967
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$32,279
HS graduate
$47,141
Some college or associates
$54,003
Bachelors degree
$91,500
Graduate or professional degree
$120,938

Poverty Rate

2.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
29.5%
HS graduate
8.9%
Some college or associates
4.7%
Bachelors degree or higher
2.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Poway San Diego County California
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $76,967 $60,895 $56,395
Less than high school graduate $32,279 $32,835 $32,480
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $47,141 $41,666 $41,382
Some college or associate's degree $54,003 $51,030 $50,157
Bachelor's degree $91,500 $80,982 $80,933
Graduate or professional degree $120,938 $107,001 $111,188
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 29.5% 19.4% 20%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 8.9% 13.6% 13.9%
Some college or associate's degree 4.7% 9.4% 10.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.4% 4.3% 5%

About Neilsberg Research

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Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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