San Marcos, CA

This city of 94,961 residents needs 1,539 more housing units over the next five years. San Marcos is a CDBG-entitlement community, see how the ROAD to Housing Act could change that funding. San Marcos is part of the San Diego Association of Governments.

Housing snapshot

Population
94,961 (2026)
Households
31,218
Median household income
$122,462 (2026)
Typical home value
$1,040,313
Owner-occupied
61%
Five-year housing need
1,539 units

Comparison to other California municipalities

San Marcos: $122,462 Median income (2026 estimate)
<$27K >$231K
San Marcos: 1.25 jobs to household ratio
<0.15 >2.52
San Marcos: Permits since 2021 represent 8.3% of housing
<0% >10.5%
On this page

How affordable is this community?

The typical home in San Marcos, CA is valued at $1,040,313, well above the California average of $713,253. With a median household income of $122,462 in San Marcos, CA, the typical home is far out of reach for most households, requiring roughly $126,263 more in annual income to afford.

This chart tracks whether housing prices are keeping pace with local incomes. The gap between what homes cost and what households can afford reveals affordability trends over time.

How is the population changing?

San Marcos, CA has a population of roughly 94,882, growing modestly at 0.8% per year.

Population growth patterns reveal how communities are evolving. This chart shows historical population changes by age group and projects future trends based on demographic patterns.

How has employment changed over time?

Jobs by industry sector since 2012. Switch between local jobs — counted where the jobs are located — and resident jobs, counted where the workers live. On the local view the most recent year is a nowcast: it grows the latest local LODES job mix forward using recent county employment growth from QCEW and the BLS local employment series, so the newest point tracks today's economy instead of data that is roughly two years old.

How are households changing by income?

With roughly 31,218 households, San Marcos, CA is growing modestly at 0.8% per year.

Understanding how households at different income levels are growing or declining helps identify which groups face the greatest housing pressure and where new housing is most needed.

Who lives here today?

In San Marcos, CA, detached single-family accounts for 52% of the housing stock. Homeownership is the norm in San Marcos, CA, with 61% of units owner-occupied.

Households may have different structure type preferences depending on characteristics such as household size, income, employment, presence of children, age of individuals, and lifestyle choices. Understanding the housing stock in corresponding terms helps assess how well existing units align with existing households' ideals.

What does the housing stock look like?

The mix of housing types and ownership patterns shapes a community's character. This chart breaks down housing units by structure type and whether they're owner-occupied or rented.

How much new housing supply is needed?

To keep up with growth and fill current housing shortages, San Marcos, CA needs 1,539 new units over the next 5 years.

1,539
Units to address shortages in existing housing stock
Production needs to address vacancy rates and other factors.
103
Replacement housing
Effective annual loss rate is 0.6 per 1,000 units.
145
Ownership vacancy adjustment
Owner-occupied vacancy is 0.8%. This is below the minimum stable target of 1.5%.
337
Rental vacancy adjustment
Rental vacancy is 4.8%. This is below the minimum stable target of 7.4%.
954
Overcrowding adjustment
Overcrowding rate is 6.4%. This is above National avg. of 3.4%.
1,539
Total 5-year housing production need (2026-2031)
308
Annual production pace
Average units needed per year to meet 5-year need
4.7%
Total housing unit growth
Percent increase in housing stock over 5 years
0.9%
Annual housing unit growth
Average percent increase in housing stock per year

Build Now Act: how could CDBG funding change?

The Build Now Act (Section 213 of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act) ties a CDBG entitlement community's grant to how much housing it is building. This is a CommunityScale estimate from public ACS data, not HUD's official determination — HUD calculates from Census Master Address File block counts.

How does this place compare to similar communities?