Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Monterey County, CA

Welcome to Monterey County.

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Monterey County has a population of 437.6 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 3,771.2 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 28%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $33.2 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Monterey County voted six out of six times for Democrats and zero time for Republicans.

Monterey County comprises Salinas, CA metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Salinas.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Fresno County, Kings County, San Benito County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Cruz County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
57.53%37.23%++
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
60.41%38.41%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
68.15%29.89%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
67.13%30.27%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
66.78%26.16%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
69.52%28.24%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%28%
Government
Enterprises
18%16%
Private Industries82%31%
Agriculture20%17%
Mining1%14%
Utilities3%139%
Construction3%13%
Manufacturing3%9%
– Durable1%21%
– Nondurable2%4%
Trade13%45%
– Wholesale7%58%
– Retail6%31%
Transportation2%22%
Information1%22%
Finance & Insurance2%21%
Real Estate13%28%
Professional &
Business Services
6%38%
Educational Services1%11%
Healthcare &
Social Services
6%37%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
2%129%
Accommodation &
Food Services
5%22%
Other Services22%23%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers4949
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
5851
📺 Electronics & Appliance2840
🛒 Grocery Stores20779
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores5159
⚕️ Health & Personal Care8762
⛽ Gasoline Stations11259
👕 Clothing Stores13167
👠 Shoe Stores2228
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry5356
🏸 Sporting Goods1823
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers912
🏬 Department Stores4036
💐 Florists1215
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops3042
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 1315
🍺 Bars & Taverns2834
🍽️ Full-service restaurants39078
🍔 Limited-service restaurants30572
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers12963
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation20683
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%122%$555,000 N/A
Top 20%50%$309,900 More than $250,000
Next highest 20%22%$136,400 $170,400
Middle 20%15%$91,200 $109,900
Second lowest 20%9%$56,400 $73,200
Bottom 20%4%$23,200 $40,600
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries78%$110,000
Self-Employment14%$57,500
Investment Income121%$47,700
Social Security31%$22,700
Supplemental Security4%$10,500
Public Assistance3%Below $10,000
Retirement22%$43,900
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
<1%3%3%4%
$25K
– $49K
1%6%4%5%
$50K
– $99K
1%11%9%7%
$100K
– $199K
1%10%13%7%
$200K
& more
<1%3%8%4%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$68,800 $46,700
African-American$33,000 $46,600
Hispanic$34,800 $27,000
Asian$51,500 $46,400
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$33,500 $22,300
Highschool & GED$44,200 $32,200
Some College to
Associate’s
$55,700 $42,800
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$81,200 $58,200
Graduate Degree$108,900 $84,500
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$87,500 $63,800
STEM2$90,300 $67,100
Gray-Collar3$79,300 $41,300
Pink-Collar4$24,000 $24,300
Sales5$42,800 $25,300
Blue-Collar6$40,600 $28,200
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding++
Cold Waves
Drought++$
Earthquake+++$$
Hail+
Heat Waves++$
Hurricane
Ice Storm
Landslide+$
Lightning++
Riverine Flooding+++$
Strong Wind+
Tornado+$
Tsunami++
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+++$
Winter Weather+
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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