Carnelian Bay, California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 391, Carnelian Bay's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Carnelian Bay is a small community located in California, within Placer County. The total population is 391. It ranks as the 1269th most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in Carnelian Bay is 40.5 years. This is 7% higher than the state median of 37.9 years. 11.3% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Carnelian Bay is $247,791. This is 150% higher than the state median of $99,122. It is also 207% higher than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Carnelian Bay. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Carnelian Bay, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $910,000. Housing costs are 24% higher than the state median of $734,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.7x. 88.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 59% higher than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Carnelian Bay is White (non-Hispanic), making up 72.4% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 20.0%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (72.4% vs 33.8%). The Hispanic or Latino population (20.0%) is well below the state average of 40.2%.

Education

58.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 59% higher than the state rate of 37.1%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Carnelian Bay, California is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against California state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,570 Census-designated places in California. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.