Mountain Center, California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 45, Mountain Center'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

Mountain Center is a small community located in California, within Riverside County. The total population is 45. It ranks as the 1524th most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in Mountain Center is 72.8 years. This is 92% higher than the state median of 37.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Mountain Center is $46,875. This is 53% lower than the state median of $99,122. It is also 42% lower than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Mountain Center. 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 Mountain Center, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $446,200. Housing costs are 39% lower than the state median of $734,700. The home-value-to-income ratio of 9.5x suggests that housing affordability is a significant concern for many residents. 61.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 10% higher than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

Every resident counted in Mountain Center was recorded as White (non-Hispanic). A figure of exactly 100.0% reflects a survey sample too small to capture the community's full composition rather than a precise measurement.

Education

11.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 70% lower 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 Mountain Center, 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.