What percentage of people rent in Salinas, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Salinas, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

53.0% (±1.5 points) of the occupied homes in Salinas, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 23,129 renting households against 20,491 that own their home.

In Salinas, the share of households that rent went from 55.2% in 2015–2019 to 53.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.2 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 53.0% (±1.5 points)
Renting households: 23,129 (±776)
Median renter income: $71,375 (±$3,917)

Who rents and who owns in Salinas

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Salinas	Monterey County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	53.0% (±1.5 points)	47.9% (±1.0 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	23,129 (±776)	63,496 (±1,278)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	20,491 (±770)	68,993 (±1,365)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	3.8 (±0.1)	3.3 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.4 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$71,375 (±$3,917)	$73,346 (±$3,092)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$119,430 (±$5,748)	$125,231 (±$3,038)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Salinas, the renter share is higher than in Monterey County (47.9%).

It is also higher than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Monterey County, Salinas ranks 9 of 21 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 140 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Salinas has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	55.2% (±1.4 points)	53.0% (±1.5 points)	−2.2 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,411 (±$27)	$1,991 (±$47)	+41.1%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$61,527 (±$1,424)	$91,908 (±$2,961)	+49.4%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Salinas

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Salinas
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Salinas	—	53.0% (±1.5 points)	—
Boronda	2.3 mi	59.4% (±20.2 points)	Not measurably different
Castroville	8.4 mi	54.5% (±8.7 points)	Not measurably different
Prunedale	8.5 mi	23.3% (±4.5 points)	Lower
Marina	8.6 mi	57.1% (±3.1 points)	Higher
Elkhorn	9.6 mi	16.8% (±11.0 points)	Lower
Seaside	11 mi	64.6% (±3.2 points)	Higher
San Juan Bautista	12 mi	34.5% (±9.7 points)	Lower
Aromas	13 mi	26.7% (±12.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Prunedale, CA (23.3%), Elkhorn, CA (16.8%), San Juan Bautista, CA (34.5%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Marina, CA (57.1%), Seaside, CA (64.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Monterey County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
3	Seaside	64.6% (±3.2 points)
4	Monterey	63.8% (±3.2 points)
5	Boronda	59.4% (±20.2 points)
6	King City	57.9% (±7.6 points)
7	Marina	57.1% (±3.1 points)
8	Castroville	54.5% (±8.7 points)
9	Salinas	53.0% (±1.5 points)
10	Pacific Grove	49.6% (±3.1 points)
11	Greenfield	45.5% (±5.2 points)
12	Gonzales	45.0% (±8.5 points)
13	Soledad	42.0% (±7.7 points)
14 (tie)	Carmel-by-the-Sea	39.9% (±11.4 points)
14 (tie)	Las Lomas	39.9% (±15.6 points)

Showing 13 of 21 places in Monterey County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Salinas

How many renters are there in Salinas?

Salinas has an estimated 23,129 (±776) renting households, 53.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Salinas?

In Salinas, the share of households that rent went from 55.2% in 2015–2019 to 53.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.2 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Salinas?

A renting household in Salinas has 3.8 people on average, against 3.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Salinas?

The median renting household in Salinas, CA has an income of $71,375 (±$3,917) a year, against $119,430 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Salinas city, California (place:64224, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.