Population 15,395 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in San Carlos
Household size in San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.41 | 2.87 | 3.04 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.48 | 2.98 | 3.10 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.56 | 2.99 | 3.09 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.65 | 2.86 | 3.01 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.24 | −0.02 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
At 2.65 people per household, San Carlos sits right at the national average. The typical household here is smaller than in the wider San Diego area, where it has 2.86 people. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.41, even as the national average fell.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.9 | 36.1 | 35.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 48.8 | 36.7 | 36.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.0 | 37.8 | 37.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.8 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | −6.0 | +2.8 | +3.1 | +2.3 |
San Carlos skews a little older than the country: its median age is 41.8, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has dropped from 47.9 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose. Residents skew youngest in the northwest and oldest in the northeast.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.9% | 11.8% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.9% | 11.7% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 3.9% | 10.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.5% | 10.4% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +2.6 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 8.5% of households in San Carlos, well below the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has risen 2.6 points, even as the national share fell.
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 San Carlos
Renters in San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.3% | 44.1% | 42.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 26.0% | 46.6% | 45.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 22.4% | 46.7% | 45.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 24.5% | 45.4% | 44.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.2 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 24.5% of households in San Carlos rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly three in ten owners (28.8%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. The renter share has risen 3.2 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. Few San Diego neighborhoods have a lower share of renters: only seven of 81.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.8% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.2% | 7.9% | 8.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.7% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.0% | 7.1% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.8 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in San Carlos: 6.0% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. That is in line with the rest of the San Diego area. Vacancy has edged down 0.8 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1971 | 1977 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1971 | 1978 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1972 | 1979 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1971 | 1981 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +0 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
The housing in San Carlos is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1971, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. Newer construction is concentrated in the northeast, while the west has the oldest housing.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,531 | $1,408 | $1,298 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,528 | $1,481 | $1,379 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $2,099 | $1,868 | $1,721 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,949 | $2,468 | $2,229 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,418 | +$1,061 | +$931 | +$606 |
The median renter in San Carlos pays $2,949 a month for rent and utilities, well above the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $1,418 a month from 2006–10, a 93% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 32.0% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Rents run highest in the south and lowest 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 San Carlos
Bachelor's degrees in San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 49.7% | 33.5% | 29.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 52.7% | 34.7% | 30.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 55.3% | 38.2% | 32.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 67.8% | 42.8% | 36.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +18.0 pts | +9.3 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
San Carlos is highly educated: about two-thirds of adults 25 and older (67.8%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 18.0 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the east and least in the west.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 94.6% | 84.9% | 79.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 96.9% | 85.5% | 80.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 96.8% | 87.3% | 82.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.7% | 89.0% | 84.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.0 pts | +4.0 pts | +4.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in San Carlos: 97.7% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 3.0 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. San Carlos has a higher share of high school graduates than at least four in five San Diego neighborhoods.
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 San Carlos
| Period | San Carlos | San Diego area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.8% | 7.9% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.8% | 9.9% | 11.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.6% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.1% | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.3 pts | −1.8 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 6.1%, unemployment in San Carlos is close to the national rate of 5.4%. 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).
San Carlos 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Carlos | 2.65 | 41.8 | 8.5% | 24.5% | 6.0% | 1971 | $2,949 | 67.8% | 97.7% | 6.1% |
| Del Cerro | 2.74 | 41.1 | 7.4% | 19.2% | 3.1% | 1966 | $2,624 | 61.5% | 98.5% | 3.4% |
| Allied Gardens | 2.79 | 37.8 | 14.0% | 39.0% | 6.4% | 1978 | $2,744 | 59.8% | 95.4% | 3.6% |
| Lake Murray | 2.67 | 43.1 | 6.1% | 29.2% | 4.9% | 1970 | $2,573 | 50.7% | 95.0% | 4.8% |
| College Area | 2.92 | 25.5 | 5.5% | 65.3% | 18.2% | 1969 | $2,237 | 53.7% | 95.9% | 9.1% |
| Rolando | 2.29 | 36.1 | 8.2% | 45.7% | 6.4% | 1963 | $1,879 | 47.2% | 93.5% | 5.3% |
| Tierrasanta | 2.86 | 36.7 | 7.6% | 44.4% | 8.4% | 1982 | $3,169 | 52.6% | 97.3% | 6.5% |
| Grantville | 2.08 | 34.2 | 6.5% | 69.6% | 10.5% | 1990 | $2,514 | 48.5% | 94.6% | 7.4% |
| El Cerritos | 2.68 | 32.7 | 16.6% | 54.7% | 4.1% | 1973 | $2,181 | 45.5% | 89.5% | 4.2% |
| Talmadge | 2.14 | 39.3 | 11.0% | 63.8% | 4.8% | 1965 | $2,244 | 48.6% | 86.7% | 5.2% |
| Darnall | 3.06 | 35.2 | 23.1% | 34.5% | 2.3% | 1968 | $2,067 | 23.7% | 80.6% | 4.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Original Town, Carrollton, TX · North Aurora, Aurora, CO · North Broadway, Newark, NJ · North Burnet, Austin, TX · North City, San Diego, CA · North Collinwood, Cleveland, OH · North Hill, Akron, OH · Northwest Yonkers, Yonkers, NY · Oleander Sunset, Bakersfield, CA · New Tacoma, Tacoma, WA
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 San Carlos. 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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