The San Diego area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state.
History
The county began with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769.
San Diego County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to Riverside County in 1893 and to Imperial County in 1907.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 11,721 km² (4,526 mi²). 10,878 km² (4,200 mi²) of it is land and 843 km² (326 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.20% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 2,813,833 people, 994,677 households, and 663,449 families residing in the county. The population density is 259/km² (670/mi²). There are 1,040,149 housing units at an average density of 96/km² (248/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 66.52% White, 5.74% Black or African American, 0.86% Native American, 8.88% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 12.82% from other races, and 4.69% from two or more races. 26.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 994,677 households out of which 33.90% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.70% are married couples living together, 11.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% are non-families. 24.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.73 and the average family size is 3.29.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 32.00% from 25 to 44, 19.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $47,067, and the median income for a family is $53,438. Males have a median income of $36,952 versus $30,356 for females. The per capita income for the county is $22,926. 12.40% of the population and 8.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.50% are under the age of 18 and 6.80% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns