Population 13,782 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Ocean Beach
Household size in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.91 | 2.87 | 3.04 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.99 | 2.98 | 3.10 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.05 | 2.99 | 3.09 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.00 | 2.86 | 3.01 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.09 | −0.02 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Ocean Beach is a place of small households, averaging 2.00 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has climbed from 1.91 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the southeast.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32.9 | 36.1 | 35.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 35.2 | 36.7 | 36.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 35.4 | 37.8 | 37.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.8 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +6.9 | +2.8 | +3.1 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in Ocean Beach are younger than 39.8 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The median age has climbed from 32.9 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Residents skew youngest in the northeast and oldest in the southwest.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.4% | 11.8% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.1% | 11.7% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.1% | 10.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.9% | 10.4% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.5 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 4.9% of households in Ocean Beach, well below the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share is down 1.5 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Ocean Beach has a lower share of single-parent households than the great majority of San Diego neighborhoods.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Ocean Beach
Renters in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 72.1% | 44.1% | 42.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 71.8% | 46.6% | 45.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 71.4% | 46.7% | 45.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 69.0% | 45.4% | 44.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −3.2 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Ocean Beach rent: 69.0% of occupied homes are rented, far above the national share of 34.8%. Expect more apartments, and more turnover, than in owner-heavy areas. About a third of owners (34.0%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Since 2006–10, the renter share has fallen 3.2 points, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.5% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 16.1% | 7.9% | 8.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.4% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.8% | 7.1% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Ocean Beach than nationally: 7.8%, against 9.6% for the U.S. That is in line with the rest of the San Diego area. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 1.7 points, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1957 | 1977 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1959 | 1978 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1960 | 1979 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1962 | 1981 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
Ocean Beach is a place of older homes: half were built before 1962, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the northeast, while the southwest has the oldest housing. Of San Diego's 81 neighborhoods, only seven have older homes.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,436 | $1,408 | $1,298 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,362 | $1,481 | $1,379 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,999 | $1,868 | $1,721 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,515 | $2,468 | $2,229 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,079 | +$1,061 | +$931 | +$606 |
The median renter in Ocean Beach pays $2,515 a month for rent and utilities, well above the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $1,079 a month from 2006–10, a 75% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 36.1% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. The priciest rents are in the southwest; the most affordable are in the northwest.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Ocean Beach
Bachelor's degrees in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 52.7% | 33.5% | 29.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 53.4% | 34.7% | 30.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 59.6% | 38.2% | 32.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 62.0% | 42.8% | 36.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +9.3 pts | +9.3 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
Ocean Beach is highly educated: just over six in ten adults 25 and older (62.0%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 9.3 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the southeast and least in the northwest.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 96.3% | 84.9% | 79.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 98.3% | 85.5% | 80.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 95.9% | 87.3% | 82.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.9% | 89.0% | 84.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | +4.0 pts | +4.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Ocean Beach: 97.9% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 1.6 points, as it has nationally. Few San Diego neighborhoods have a higher share of high school graduates: only seven of 81.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Ocean Beach
| Period | Ocean Beach | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.5% | 9.9% | 11.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.8% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.3% | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.3%, unemployment in Ocean Beach is close to the national rate of 5.4%. The rate is lower than in the San Diego area overall (6.1%). Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Ocean Beach compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Beach | 2.00 | 39.8 | 4.9% | 69.0% | 7.8% | 1962 | $2,515 | 62.0% | 97.9% | 5.3% |
| Loma Portal | 2.22 | 36.5 | 7.4% | 63.8% | 7.8% | 1968 | $2,688 | 60.2% | 97.6% | 3.4% |
| Roseville | 2.56 | 44.4 | 5.8% | 34.8% | 4.1% | 1955 | $2,598 | 63.5% | 95.4% | 7.5% |
| Wooded Area | 2.17 | 41.7 | 3.6% | 26.4% | 6.2% | 1958 | $2,964 | 71.3% | 98.0% | 7.1% |
| Midtown District | 2.73 | 37.0 | 4.3% | 71.8% | 9.6% | 1988 | $2,425 | 43.4% | 96.6% | 12.0% |
| Mission Hills-San Diego | 2.37 | 46.6 | 7.2% | 39.8% | 7.7% | 1958 | $2,641 | 69.7% | 94.8% | 4.4% |
| Moreno Mission | 2.18 | 26.6 | 7.1% | 65.7% | 18.9% | 1979 | $2,710 | 57.8% | 95.8% | 7.2% |
| Pacific Beach | 2.05 | 35.2 | 5.2% | 68.4% | 9.9% | 1972 | $2,545 | 68.7% | 96.6% | 4.7% |
| Middletown | 1.75 | 45.3 | 4.4% | 59.6% | 13.2% | 1963 | $1,990 | 62.3% | 97.0% | 7.4% |
| Bay Park | 2.37 | 41.6 | 5.9% | 49.1% | 7.1% | 1964 | $2,701 | 61.5% | 95.9% | 2.9% |
| Little Italy | 1.52 | 35.9 | 2.0% | 81.1% | 9.6% | 2005 | $2,800 | 76.9% | 94.3% | 4.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati, OH · Neighbors Southwest, Beaverton, OR · Nevin, Los Angeles, CA · New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA · Oak Park, San Diego, CA · Old Everett, Lansing, MI · Old Town, Torrance, CA · Orchards Area, Orchards, WA · Original Daly City, Daly City, CA · Otay Mesa West, San Diego, CA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Ocean Beach. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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