El Portal, California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 505, El Portal'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

El Portal is a small community located in California, within Mariposa County. The total population is 505. It ranks as the 1212th most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in El Portal is 37.0 years. This is 2% lower than the state median of 37.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in El Portal is $55,847. This is 44% lower than the state median of $99,122. It is also 31% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 4.5%. This is 62% lower than the state poverty rate of 12.0%. This exceptionally low poverty rate indicates strong economic prosperity across the community. The survey records no unemployed residents in El Portal, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $247,800. Housing costs are 66% lower than the state median of $734,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.4x. 58.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 4% higher than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

El Portal has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 91.9% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 6.3%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (91.9% vs 33.8%). The Hispanic or Latino population (6.3%) is well below the state average of 40.2%.

Education

69.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places El Portal in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 86% higher than the state rate of 37.1%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 91.2%. Notably, 35.7% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for El Portal, 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.