Santa Ana California City Guide

Santa Ana’s population is around 333,500. To give an idea of population growth trends, the population in 2010 was 325,216. The city’s annual growth rate is 0.35%, while the 10 year growth rate is almost 2.50%.

49% of Santa Ana’s population is female, so about 163,668 residents are women. Almost 170,000 residents are male, which equals 51% of the city’s population.

The median resident age in Santa Ana is 31, which is comparably lower than both statewide and national medians. Over 25% of residents are under 18 years old, while about 28% of the population is 20-34. Another 26% of residents are between 35-54.

To give an idea of the city’s diversity, over 44% of Santa Ana’s population is White. Almost 12% of residents are Asian, 1.1% of residents are African American or Black, and 1.9% are biracial or multiracial.

77% of the city’s residents identify as having Hispanic or Latino roots. About 2% of residents are German, 1.3% are Irish, and 0.7% are Italian.

Spanish is the most common language, seeing as almost 70% of Santa Ana residents are fluent in this language. Less than 20% of residents only speak English, while 7.8% of residents speak Vietnamese.

Over 44% of residents were born outside of the U.S.

Santa Ana’s high school dropout rate is reportedly 42%. For context, California’s same rate is 17%, and the U.S. rate is 12%. 58% of the city’s adult population has earned a GED or graduated high school. About 6% of Santa Ana’s population has received no formal schooling.

Around 22% of Santa Ana residents have some college education or hold an associate’s degree. From there, 14% of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher. Just 2% of the population holds a doctorate degree, while about 4% have earned a professional school degree.

97% of the city’s students attend public schools, and 3% of students attend local private schools.

The median property value in Santa Ana is estimated to be $530K, which is high compared to national trends but is seen as affordable when stacked against California averages.

5.7% of properties in the city are worth under $64K, and 3.1% are worth between $64K-$128K. 6.6% of real estate is priced between $128K-$256K, and 12.3% of properties are valued between $256K-$385K. 21.4% of properties are priced between $385K-$513K, and 24% are worth between $513K-$641K. Another 22.5% of Santa Ana properties vary between $641K-$962K, and 4.4% of real estate is worth over $962K.

Santa Ana’s property appreciation rates are among some of the highest in the nation. Specifically, real estate appreciated 78.12% between December 2009 and December 2019, which breaks down into an average annual appreciation rate of 5.94%. With this in mind, buying real estate in Santa Ana is likely to pay off in time.

There are around 76,000 listed housing options in Santa Ana, and 44.8% of properties are owner-occupied, which leaves 55.2% of residences being rented. The vacancy rate in the city tracks around 2.5%.

22.3% of properties have 1 bedroom, and 31.4% have 2 bedrooms. 28.4% of Santa Ana residences have 3 bedroom layouts, and 14.7% have 4 bedroom layouts. Meanwhile, just 3.2% of properties have 5 or more bedrooms.

3.9% of properties were built in or after 2000, and 41% of housing options were constructed between 1970-1999. The majority of Santa Ana homes at 48.2% were built between 1940-1969, and 6.8% of residences were constructed in or before 1939.

Around 52% of properties in the city are single family detached homes, and 31.6% are apartment complexes. 9.7% of residences are smaller apartment buildings, and 6.2% of housing options in the city are condominiums and attached properties.

Santa Ana’s average resident salary is $41K, and the city estimates the median household income to be slightly under $62K. Santa Ana’s per capita income is almost $20K.

The unemployment rate in this part of California is 5.6%, while the overall poverty rate is 17.7%. 7% of residents earn less than $15K annually, and almost 25% of residents make $15K-$25K. Another 24% of the population makes $25K-$35K.

From there, around 19% of residents make $35K-$50K, and almost 11% earn $50K-$65K. Another 3.7% of Santa Ana residents earn $65K-$75K, while 5% earn $75K-$100K. Another 5% of the population makes over $100K annually.