Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

San Diego County, CA

Welcome to San Diego County.

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San Diego County is the second most populous in the state of California, representing 8% of the state's population.

Total GDP for the county increased 32%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $295.6 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, San Diego County voted four out of six times for Democratic candidates and two times for Republicans.

San Diego County comprises San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is San Diego.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Imperial County, Orange County, and Riverside County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
45.66%49.63%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
46.44%52.58%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
54.15%43.95%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
52.58%45.02%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
56.3%36.57%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
60.21%37.46%++
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%32%
Government
Enterprises
18%13%
Private Industries82%36%
Agriculture<1%41%
Mining<1%72%
Utilities1%33%
Construction4%40%
Manufacturing10%30%
– Durable7%29%
– Nondurable2%32%
Trade10%36%
– Wholesale5%36%
– Retail6%36%
Transportation2%55%
Information5%27%
Finance & Insurance4%33%
Real Estate15%30%
Professional &
Business Services
17%54%
Educational Services1%8%
Healthcare &
Social Services
6%36%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%18%
Accommodation &
Food Services
4%29%
Other Services22%18%
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 Dealers34387
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
40885
📺 Electronics & Appliance20284
🛒 Grocery Stores110693
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores42990
⚕️ Health & Personal Care86391
⛽ Gasoline Stations54588
👕 Clothing Stores90589
👠 Shoe Stores18278
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry24082
🏸 Sporting Goods26186
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers6169
🏬 Department Stores24183
💐 Florists11885
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops20483
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 13678
🍺 Bars & Taverns33188
🍽️ Full-service restaurants261893
🍔 Limited-service restaurants305293
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers308195
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation55692
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%121%$548,800 N/A
Top 20%49%$319,500 More than $250,000
Next highest 20%23%$150,000 $187,300
Middle 20%15%$97,400 $119,500
Second lowest 20%9%$58,300 $76,500
Bottom 20%3%$21,000 $40,300
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries78%$123,900
Self-Employment14%$50,200
Investment Income123%$34,600
Social Security26%$22,700
Supplemental Security5%$11,000
Public Assistance3%Below $10,000
Retirement22%$39,600
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%4%4%
$25K
– $49K
1%4%4%4%
$50K
– $99K
1%10%8%6%
$100K
– $199K
1%13%12%6%
$200K
& more
<1%6%8%3%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$68,300 $50,000
African-American$42,400 $34,700
Hispanic$40,100 $29,800
Asian$62,000 $46,600
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$34,700 $22,700
Highschool & GED$44,100 $31,400
Some College to
Associate’s
$54,600 $39,500
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$86,900 $61,700
Graduate Degree$117,000 $83,300
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$96,400 $69,800
STEM2$109,800 $90,000
Gray-Collar3$76,200 $48,500
Pink-Collar4$26,900 $22,000
Sales5$52,100 $28,000
Blue-Collar6$37,900 $29,900
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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