Monterey County, California


Monterey County, officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monterey County comprises the Salinas, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders on the southern part of Monterey Bay, after which it is named. Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency: the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Scenic features along the coastline - including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula - have made the county famous around the world. Back when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule, the city of Monterey was its capital. Today, the economy of the county is mostly based on tourism in its coastal regions, and on agriculture in the region of the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's inhabitants live near the northern coast or in Salinas Valley; the southern coast and inland mountainous regions are sparsely populated.
WWW countyofmonterey.gov

History

Monterey County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to San Benito County in 1874. The area was originally populated by Ohlone, Salinan and the Esselen tribes.
The county derives its name from Monterey Bay. The bay was named by Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602 in honor of the Conde de Monterrey, then the Viceroy of New Spain. Monterrey is a variation of Monterrei, a municipality in the Galicia region of Spain where the Conde de Monterrey and his father were from.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is roughly 1.5 times larger than the state of Delaware, and roughly similar in population and the size to Santa Barbara County.

Adjacent counties

Santa Cruz County to the north, San Benito County, Fresno County, and Kings County to the east as well as San Luis Obispo County to the south.

National protected areas

In October 2019, the Bureau of Land Management ended a five-year moratorium on leasing federal land in California to fossil fuel companies, opening 725,000 acres to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.

Marine protected areas

Flora and fauna

Monterey County has habitat to support the following endangered species:

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 439,035, with a median age of 35.0 years; 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.6 males age 18 and older.
The racial makeup of the county was 36.2% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 2.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.1% Asian, 0.5% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 34.2% from some other race, and 17.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 60.4% of the population.
85.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 131,789 households in the county, of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 143,631 housing units, of which 8.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 50.9% were owner-occupied and 49.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 173,456186,166162,045136,435120,07759.72%52.34%40.33%32.87%27.35%
Black or African American alone 18,42521,50614,08511,3009,0516.34%6.05%3.51%2.72%2.06%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 2,9272,1241,7821,3611,3141.01%0.60%0.44%0.33%0.30%
Asian alone 19,69625,36523,20323,77725,1236.78%7.13%5.78%5.73%5.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx1,5431,8681,8590.38%0.45%0.38%0.45%0.42%
Other race alone 8119291,1907412,1700.28%0.26%0.30%0.18%0.49%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx9,9459,57214,120xx2.48%2.31%3.22%
Hispanic or Latino 75,129119,570187,969230,003265,32125.87%33.62%46.79%55.41%60.43%
Total290,444355,660401,762415,057439,035 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Income, education and poverty 2013

Generally, the western/southern parts of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Creekbridge, and eastern parts of Prunedale were the county's most affluent and educated. These areas had a median household income significantly above that of the California or the U.S. overall and comprised roughly 8%-10% of neighborhoods. Educational attainment was at least on part with, or above, state and national levels, in these areas while the percentage of people living in poverty was typically a third or less than national and statewide average.
Social deprivation was concentrated in the central and eastern parts of Salinas, and central areas of Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Soledad and King City. In central and eastern Salinas up to 46% of individuals lived below the poverty line and those without a secondary educations formed a plurality or majority of residents. Overall, the Salinas metropolitan area, defined as coterminous with Monterey County, was among the least educated urban areas in the nation.

Most affluent neighborhoods

Roughly 8% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income above $100,000 per year, about 60% above the national median. This coincided with the top 20 census block groups in the county listed below.
Most affluent neighborhoods
RankneighborhoodCensus Reference/Geo-UnitMedian Household Income
1Carmel Valley Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.02$152,411
2Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 3, Census Tract 107.01$143,508
3Jacks Peak, MontereyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 132$142,143
4Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 107.02$141,364
5Skyline Forest, MontereyBlock Group 3, Census Tract 128$130,221
6Yankee Point, CarmelBlock Group 3, Census Tract 117$126,389
7Carmel Valley Block Group 3, Census Tract 116.02$122,056
8Carmel Valley Block Group 4, Census Tract 116.02$118,159
9Carmel Valley Block Group 2, Census Tract 110$118,125
10Carmel Valley Block Group 4, Census Tract 110$115,667
11Carmel Block Group 2, Census Tract 117$115,357
12Jacks Peak, MontereyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 132$113,750
13Skyline Forest, MontereyBlock Group 5, Census Tract 128$111,500
14City of Carmel Block Group 1, Census Tract 118.02$110,962
15Las Palmas, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 107.01$110,918
16Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Country ClubBlock Group 4, Census Tract 119$107,500
17Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 107.02$105,511
18Carmel Valley Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.04$104,902
19City of Carmel Block Group 2, Census Tract 118.01$101,984
20Creekbridge, SalinasBlock Group 2, Census Tract 106.03$100,673
141*United StatesN/A$53,046
104*CaliforniaN/A$61,094
154*City of SalinasN/A$49,264

''* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups.''

Least affluent neighborhoods

About 4.5% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income below $30,000 per year, about 60% below the national median. This coincided with the 10 poorest of the 20 lowest income neighborhoods listed in the table below.
Least affluent neighborhoods
RankneighborhoodCensus Reference/Geo-UnitMedian Household Income
1Downtown SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 13$21,411
2Central SeasideBlock Group 3, Census Tract 137$22,994
3East Salinas Block Group 1, Census Tract 7.01$23,250
4Downtown MontereyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 127$24,911
5Central Marina Block Group 3, Census Tract 142.01$25,464
6Hebbron Heights, East SalinasBlock Group 2, Census Tract 5.01$26,211
7East Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.01$26,771
8East Salinas Block Group 2, Census Tract 7.02$26,875
9Hebbron Heights, East SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 5.01$28,750
10Downtown MontereyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 127$29,070
11West Santa Rita, SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 105.06$30,250
12North-Central Salinas/ChinatownBlock Group 2, Census Tract 18.02$30,625
13Central King CityBlock Group 2, Census Tract 113.02$31,579
14Central King CityBlock Group 1, Census Tract 113.02$33,043
15Central SoledadBlock Group 3, Census Tract 111.01$33,110
16East SeasideBlock Group 1, Census Tract 135$33,242
17East Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.02$33,244
18East SoledadBlock Group 1, Census Tract 111.02$33,616
19East SalinasBlock Group 3, Census Tract 8$33,938
20North Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 4$34,057
86*United StatesN/A$53,046
118*CaliforniaN/A$61,094
73*City of SalinasN/A$49,264

''* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups.''

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Monterey County had a population of 415,057. The racial makeup of Monterey County was 230,717 White, 12,785 African American, 5,464 Native American, 25,258 Asian, 2,071 Pacific Islander, 117,405 from other races, and 21,357 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 230,003 persons ; 50.2% of Monterey County is Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, and 0.5% Puerto Rican.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 401,762 people, 121,236 households, and 87,896 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 131,708 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 55.9% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 27.8% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 46.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.3% were of German and 5.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 52.9% spoke English, 39.6% Spanish and 1.6% Tagalog as their first language.
There were 121,236 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.65.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 female residents there were 107.3 male residents. For every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were 107.7 male residents.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,305, and the median income for a family was $51,169. Men had a median income of $38,444 versus $30,036 for the women. The per capita income for the county was $20,165. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government of Monterey County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution and law as a general law county. At the local level, Monterey County is governed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Like all governing bodies in California, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is empowered with both legislative and executive authority over the entirety of Monterey County and is the primary governing body for all unincorporated areas within the County boundaries. The Board has five elected members, each of whom represents one of five districts. Taken together, the five districts comprise the entirety of the county.
Current board members:
  • Luis Alejo - 1st District
  • Glenn Church - 2nd District
  • Chris Lopez - 3rd District
  • Wendy Root Askew - 4th District
  • Mary Adams - 5th District
The Board conducts its meetings in the county seat, Salinas, and is a member of the regional governmental agency, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

Supervisorial districts

Supervisorial district boundaries are divided roughly equally according to population, using data from the most recent census. In addition, any redistricting changes should approximately comply with both California law as well as the federal Voting Rights Act. Boundaries are adjusted decennially based on data reported by the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census. The next supervisorial election will be held on March 8, 2022.

District 1

The 1st District is geographically the smallest supervisorial district in Monterey County and is entirely within the city limits of the city of Salinas.
Luis Alejo represents the 1st District on the Board of Supervisors. His current term expires in December 2024.

District 2

As the northernmost supervisorial district in Monterey County, the 2nd District includes the communities of Boronda, Castroville, Las Lomas, Moss Landing, Pajaro, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, the northern neighborhoods of the city of Salinas, and those portions of the community of Aromas that are located within Monterey County.
John Phillips is currently the Supervisor for the 2nd District. His current term expires in December 2026.

District 3

The 3rd District covers the majority of the Salinas Valley and southern Monterey County, extending to its border with San Luis Obispo County. The district includes the unincorporated communities of Spreckels, Chualar, and Jolon; the eastern portion of the city of Salinas; the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, and King City; the military installations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts; and portions of the Los Padres National Forest.
The 3rd District is represented by Chris Lopez. His current term expires in December 2026.

District 4

The 4th District includes the southwest portion of the city of Salinas, the cities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and the former military installation at Fort Ord.
currently holds the seat for 4th District Supervisor. Her current term expires in December 2024.

District 5

The 5th District is geographically the largest of the five supervisorial districts, and covers most of the Monterey Peninsula and southern coastline of Monterey County down to the southern county border with San Luis Obispo County. The 5th District includes the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, and Pacific Grove; the unincorporated communities of Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, San Benancio, Corral de Tierra, and Jamesburg; military installations at the Presidio of Monterey, the Defense Language Institute, and the Naval Postgraduate School; and the Ventana Wilderness area of the Los Padres National Forest.
Mary L. Adams is currently the 5th District Supervisor. Her current term expires in December 2024.

State and federal representatives

In the United States House of Representatives, Monterey County is split between two districts:
  • , and
  • .
In the California State Assembly, Monterey County is split between, and.
In the California State Senate, Monterey County in.

Policing

The Monterey County Sheriff provides court protection, jail management, and coroner service for the entire county, in addition to patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated municipalities within the county that have their own municipal police departments are: Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, King City, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and
Gonzales.

Politics

Overview

For most of the 20th century, Monterey County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1900 until 1992, the only Democrats to carry the county were Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Since 1992, the county has become a Democratic stronghold in Presidential and congressional elections, with George H. W. Bush in 1988 being the last Republican to win Monterey County.
According to the California Secretary of State, as of April 2008, Monterey County has 147,066 registered voters. Of those voters, 72,550 are registered Democratic, 42,744 are registered Republican, 5,488 are registered with other political parties, and 26,284 declined to state a political party. Except for Sand City, all of the other cities, towns, and the unincorporated area of Monterey County have more individuals registered with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. In Sand City, the Republicans have the advantage by 1 voter.
In August 2018, it adopted a flag designed by a Watsonville resident.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Media

Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area. Radio stations Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz area of dominant influence or continuous measurement market. Local newspapers include the Monterey County Herald, Monterey County Weekly, Salinas Californian and the Carmel Pine Cone.

Home prices

As of December 2005, Monterey County ranked among America's ten most expensive counties, with Santa Barbara County topping the list with a median home price of $753,790. In Monterey County, the median home price was $699,900. In the northern, more densely populated part in the county, the median home price was even higher, at $712,500, making it the fourth most expensive housing market in California. The disparity between the median household income of roughly $48,305 and the median home price of $700k has been cause for recent concern over excluding potential home buyers from the market. The end of the United States housing bubble has caused prices to drop substantially, with median home prices having fallen to $280,000 as at September 2008.

Transportation

Major highways

Public transportation

Monterey County is served by Amtrak trains and Greyhound Lines buses.
Monterey-Salinas Transit provides transit service throughout most of Monterey County, with buses to Big Sur and King City as well as in Monterey, Salinas and Carmel. MST also runs service to San Jose, California in Santa Clara County.

Airports

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Other places

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Monterey County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'SalinasCity163,542
2SeasideCity32,366
3MontereyCity30,218
4SoledadCity24,925
5MarinaCity22,359
6GreenfieldCity18,937
7PrunedaleCDP18,885
8Pacific GroveCity15,090
9King CityCity13,332
10GonzalesCity8,647
11CastrovilleCDP7,515
12Carmel ValleyCDP6,189
13Del Monte ForestCDP4,204
14Carmel-by-the-SeaCity3,220
15Las LomasCDP3,046
16PajaroCDP2,882
17Aromas CDP2,708
18Pine CanyonCDP1,871
19BorondaCDP1,760
20Del Rey OaksCity1,592
21ElkhornCDP1,588
22ChualarCDP1,185
23SpreckelsCDP692
24San ArdoCDP392
25LockwoodCDP368
26Sand CityCity325
27San LucasCDP324
28Moss LandingCDP237
29Bradley'CDP69

Education

School districts include:
Unified:
Secondary:
Elementary: