Housing data for Santa Margarita, CA
Santa Margarita, CA has an estimated 1,149 residents and 682 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County.
46.8% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,149 (±567)
- Housing units
- 682 (±408)
- Households that rent
- 46.8%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +2.4%
What stands out in Santa Margarita
Median home value: $684,000 (±$129,346) in Santa Margarita, lower than in San Luis Obispo County ($824,700).
Housing in Santa Margarita at a glance
- Rent burden: 95.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 46.8% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $684,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $3,105 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $6,489 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Bedrooms: 48.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 24.0% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 97.7% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 21.3 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +2.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 38.0% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Santa Margarita against San Luis Obispo County, its state and the nation
| Santa Margarita | San Luis Obispo County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,149 (±567) | 281,555 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 682 (±408) | 125,669 (±104) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 46.8% (±32.8 points) | 37.9% (±1.0 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,992 (±$45) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | — | $97,446 (±$2,876) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $684,000 (±$129,346) | $824,700 (±$12,237) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $6,489 (±$1,179) | $5,636 (±$132) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 24.0% (±21.4 points) | 43.8% (±1.5 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 21.3 minutes (±5.3) | 22.3 minutes (±0.7) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 72.6% (±33.5 points) | 93.1% (±0.7 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 37.5 years (±16.9) | 40.4 years (±0.3) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Santa Margarita covers 0.5 square miles of land, about 2,222 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Santa Margarita has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,122 (±471) | 1,149 (±567) | +2.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 594 (±192) | 682 (±408) | +14.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $525,300 (±$102,206) | $684,000 (±$129,346) | +30.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,864 (±$966) | $3,105 (±$617) | +66.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,222 (±$588) | $6,489 (±$1,179) | +192.0% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 28.4% (±20.8 points) | 46.8% (±32.8 points) | +18.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 25.2% (±36.6 points) | 0.0% (±12.5 points) | −25.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in San Luis Obispo County
Santa Margarita has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for San Luis Obispo County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for San Luis Obispo County recorded 280 violent and 959 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Santa Margarita
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Polytechnic State University | 6.6 mi | — | $564,700 | 39.4% |
| Atascadero | 8.0 mi | $1,854 | $716,500 | 35.4% |
| San Luis Obispo | 9.2 mi | $1,965 | $935,100 | 59.7% |
| Los Ranchos | 12 mi | — | $1,244,900 | 6.1% |
| Templeton | 13 mi | $2,533 | $810,400 | 26.5% |
| Los Osos | 13 mi | $2,047 | $805,800 | 27.1% |
| Avila Beach | 15 mi | $1,878 | $1,243,300 | 13.5% |
| Morro Bay | 15 mi | $1,858 | $918,200 | 34.6% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Santa Margarita, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,894 | $2,079 | $2,720 | $3,634 | $4,208 |
HUD income limits for Santa Margarita, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $32,100 | $53,500 | $85,700 |
| 2 people | $36,700 | $61,150 | $97,950 |
| 3 people | $41,300 | $68,800 | $110,200 |
| 4 people | $45,850 | $76,450 | $122,400 |
| 5 people | $49,550 | $82,550 | $132,200 |
| 6 people | $53,200 | $88,700 | $142,000 |
| 7 people | $56,900 | $94,800 | $151,800 |
| 8 people | $60,550 | $100,900 | $161,600 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $129,600.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Santa Margarita is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
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 Santa Margarita
What is the average home value in Santa Margarita, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $684,000 (±$129,346) for owner-occupied homes in Santa Margarita (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Santa Margarita?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Santa Margarita, CA is $3,105 (±$617) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Santa Margarita?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Santa Margarita, CA is $6,489 (±$1,179) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common way to heat a home in Santa Margarita?
Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Santa Margarita, used by 97.7% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How long is the average commute in Santa Margarita?
Workers who live in Santa Margarita, CA take an average of 21.3 minutes each way (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Santa Margarita growing?
Santa Margarita, CA had an estimated 1,149 residents in 2020–2024 and 1,122 in 2015–2019, a change of +2.4%: not a measurable change by the Census Bureau’s test.
Is Santa Margarita growing?
In Santa Margarita, the number of residents went from 1,122 in 2015–2019 to 1,149 in 2020–2024 (+2.4%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Margarita CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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) for Santa Margarita CDP, California (place:69182, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .