Sand City, California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 404, Sand City'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

Sand City is a small community located in California, within Monterey County. The total population is 404. It ranks as the 1263rd most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in Sand City is 36.8 years. This is 3% lower than the state median of 37.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Sand City is $77,917. This is 21% lower than the state median of $99,122. It is also 3% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 36.3%. This is 202% higher than the state poverty rate of 12.0%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The unemployment rate is 2.6%. This is 60% lower than the state rate of 6.6%. The median home value is $1,080,400. Housing costs are 47% higher than the state median of $734,700. The home-value-to-income ratio of 13.9x suggests that housing affordability is a significant concern for many residents. 18.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 67% lower than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Sand City is Hispanic or Latino, making up 46.5% of the population. White (non-Hispanic) residents account for 34.4%. The Asian population (1.7%) is well below the state average of 15.3%.

Education

36.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 2% lower 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 70.7%. Notably, 16.4% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Sand City, 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.