Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California
County
County of Monterey
Images, from top down, left to right: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Main Street in Salinas, the seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Mission Soledad, Big Sur Coastline
Flag Seal
Interactive map of Monterey County
Location in the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
Incorporated	February 18, 1850[1]
Named for	Monterey Bay
County seat	Salinas
Largest city	Salinas
Government
• Type	Council–CAO
• Body	Board of Supervisors
• Chair	Luis Alejo
• Vice Chair	Glenn Church
• Board of Supervisors[2]	Supervisors Luis Alejo Glenn Church Chris Lopez Wendy Root Askew Mary L. Adams
• County Administrative Office	Sonia M. De La Rosa
Area
• Total	3,771 sq mi (9,770 km2)
• Land	3,281 sq mi (8,500 km2)
• Water	491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
Highest elevation [3]	5,865 ft (1,788 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	439,035
• Density	134/sq mi (52/km2)
GDP [4]
• Total	$33.249 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes	805, 831
Congressional districts	18th, 19th
Website	countyofmonterey.gov

Monterey County (/ˌmɒntəˈreɪ/ ^ⓘ MON-tə-RAY), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035.^[5] The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.^[6]

Monterey County comprises the Salinas, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders on the southern part of Monterey Bay, after which it is named. (The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County.) Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency: the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

Scenic features along the coastline - including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula - have made the county famous around the world. Back when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule, the city of Monterey was its capital. Today, the economy of the county is mostly based on tourism in its coastal regions, and on agriculture in the region of the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's inhabitants live near the northern coast or in Salinas Valley; the southern coast and inland mountainous regions are sparsely populated.

Monterey County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to San Benito County in 1874. The area was originally populated by Ohlone, Salinan and the Esselen tribes.

The county derives its name from Monterey Bay. The bay was named by Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602 in honor of the Conde de Monterrey (or Count of Monterrey), then the Viceroy of New Spain.^[7] Monterrey is a variation of Monterrei, a municipality in the Galicia region of Spain where the Conde de Monterrey and his father (the Fourth Count of Monterrei) were from.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,771 square miles (9,770 km²), of which 3,281 square miles (8,500 km²) is land and 491 square miles (1,270 km²) (13%) is water.^[8] The county is roughly 1.5 times larger than the state of Delaware, and roughly similar in population and the size to Santa Barbara County.

Santa Cruz County to the north, San Benito County, Fresno County, and Kings County to the east as well as San Luis Obispo County to the south.

• Los Padres National Forest (part)
• Pinnacles National Park (part)
• Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
• Ventana Wilderness (part)

In October 2019, the Bureau of Land Management ended a five-year moratorium on leasing federal land in California to fossil fuel companies, opening 725,000 acres (1100 sq. miles; 29,000 ha) to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.^[9]

Monterey County has habitat to support the following endangered species:

• Hickman's potentilla
• Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander
• Santa Cruz Tarweed
• Southern Steelhead Trout
• Yadon's piperia

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,872		—
1860	4,739		153.2%
1870	9,876		108.4%
1880	11,302		14.4%
1890	18,637		64.9%
1900	19,380		4.0%
1910	24,146		24.6%
1920	27,980		15.9%
1930	53,705		91.9%
1940	73,032		36.0%
1950	130,498		78.7%
1960	198,351		52.0%
1970	250,071		26.1%
1980	290,444		16.1%
1990	355,660		22.5%
2000	401,762		13.0%
2010	415,057		3.3%
2020	439,035		5.8%
2023 (est.)	430,723	[10]	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[better source needed][13] 1990–2000[14] 2010[15] 2020[16]

Monterey County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[17]	Pop 2010[15]	Pop 2020[16]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	162,045	136,435	120,077	40.33%	32.87%	27.35%
Black or African American alone (NH)	14,085	11,300	9,051	3.51%	2.72%	2.06%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1,782	1,361	1,314	0.44%	0.33%	0.30%
Asian alone (NH)	23,203	23,777	25,123	5.78%	5.73%	5.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1,543	1,868	1,859	0.38%	0.45%	0.42%
Other Race alone (NH)	1,190	741	2,170	0.30%	0.18%	0.49%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	9,945	9,572	14,120	2.48%	2.31%	3.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	187,969	230,003	265,321	46.79%	55.41%	60.43%
Total	401,762	415,057	439,035	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Generally, the western/southern parts of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Creekbridge (Salinas), and eastern parts of Prunedale were the county's most affluent and educated (see dark blue on map). These areas had a median household income significantly above that of the California or the U.S. overall (typically above $95,000 vs. $60,000 for California and $52,000 for the U.S.)^[19] and comprised roughly 8%-10% of neighborhoods (as defined by Census Block Groups).^[20] Educational attainment was at least on part with, or above, state and national levels,^[21] in these areas while the percentage of people living in poverty was typically a third or less than national and statewide average (with the exception of South Salinas).^[22]

Social deprivation (poverty and low levels of educational attainment) was concentrated in the central and eastern parts of Salinas, and central areas of Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Soledad and King City. In central and eastern Salinas up to 46% of individuals lived below the poverty line and those without a secondary educations formed a plurality or majority of residents.^[21][22] Overall, the Salinas metropolitan area, defined as coterminous with Monterey County, was among the least educated urban areas in the nation.

Roughly 8% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income above $100,000 per year, about 60% above the national median. This coincided with the top 20 census block groups in the county listed below.^[19][20]

Most affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income above $100k/yr.)^[20][23]

Rank	neighborhood	Census Reference/Geo-Unit	Median Household Income
1	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.02	$152,411
2	Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley	Block Group 3, Census Tract 107.01	$143,508
3	Jacks Peak, Monterey	Block Group 1, Census Tract 132	$142,143
4	Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley	Block Group 2, Census Tract 107.02	$141,364
5	Skyline Forest, Monterey	Block Group 3, Census Tract 128	$130,221
6	Yankee Point, Carmel	Block Group 3, Census Tract 117	$126,389
7	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 3, Census Tract 116.02	$122,056
8	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 4, Census Tract 116.02	$118,159
9	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 2, Census Tract 110	$118,125
10	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 4, Census Tract 110	$115,667
11	Carmel (East, outside of city limits)	Block Group 2, Census Tract 117	$115,357
12	Jacks Peak, Monterey	Block Group 2, Census Tract 132	$113,750
13	Skyline Forest, Monterey	Block Group 5, Census Tract 128	$111,500
14	City of Carmel (Southern half)	Block Group 1, Census Tract 118.02	$110,962
15	Las Palmas, Salinas Valley	Block Group 2, Census Tract 107.01	$110,918
16	Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Country Club	Block Group 4, Census Tract 119	$107,500
17	Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley	Block Group 1, Census Tract 107.02	$105,511
18	Carmel Valley (North-West)	Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.04	$104,902
19	City of Carmel (Northern half)	Block Group 2, Census Tract 118.01	$101,984
20	Creekbridge (incl. Falcon Meadows), Salinas	Block Group 2, Census Tract 106.03	$100,673
141*	United States	N/A	$53,046
104*	California	N/A	$61,094
154*	City of Salinas	N/A	$49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups (e.g. if the U.S. overall was a Census Block Group in Monterey County, it would be the 141st most affluent of 226).

About 4.5% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income below $30,000 per year, about 60% below the national median. This coincided with the 10 poorest of the 20 lowest income neighborhoods listed in the table below.^[19][20]

Least affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income of $34.1k or less)^[20][23]

Rank	neighborhood	Census Reference/Geo-Unit	Median Household Income
1	Downtown Salinas	Block Group 1, Census Tract 13	$21,411
2	Central Seaside	Block Group 3, Census Tract 137	$22,994
3	East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.)	Block Group 1, Census Tract 7.01	$23,250
4	Downtown Monterey	Block Group 1, Census Tract 127	$24,911
5	Central Marina (Del Monte Blvd.)	Block Group 3, Census Tract 142.01	$25,464
6	Hebbron Heights, East Salinas	Block Group 2, Census Tract 5.01	$26,211
7	East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.)	Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.01	$26,771
8	East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.)	Block Group 2, Census Tract 7.02	$26,875
9	Hebbron Heights, East Salinas	Block Group 1, Census Tract 5.01	$28,750
10	Downtown Monterey	Block Group 2, Census Tract 127	$29,070
11	West Santa Rita, Salinas	Block Group 1, Census Tract 105.06	$30,250
12	North-Central Salinas/Chinatown	Block Group 2, Census Tract 18.02	$30,625
13	Central King City	Block Group 2, Census Tract 113.02	$31,579
14	Central King City	Block Group 1, Census Tract 113.02	$33,043
15	Central Soledad	Block Group 3, Census Tract 111.01	$33,110
16	East Seaside	Block Group 1, Census Tract 135	$33,242
17	East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.)	Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.02	$33,244
18	East Soledad	Block Group 1, Census Tract 111.02	$33,616
19	East Salinas	Block Group 3, Census Tract 8	$33,938
20	North Salinas (E. Bernal Drive./Natividad Rd.)	Block Group 3, Census Tract 4	$34,057
86*	United States	N/A	$53,046
118*	California	N/A	$61,094
73*	City of Salinas	N/A	$49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups (e.g. if the U.S. overall was a Census Block Group in Monterey County, it would be the 86th poorest of 226).

Population, race, and income
Total population[24]	411,385
White[24]	296,264	72.0%
Black or African American[24]	12,848	3.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native[24]	3,826	0.9%
Asian[24]	25,419	6.2%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[24]	1,941	0.5%
Some other race[24]	56,356	13.7%
Two or more races[24]	14,731	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[25]	224,435	54.6%
Per capita income[26]	$25,508
Median household income[27]	$59,737
Median family income[28]	$63,523

Places by population and race

Place	Type[29]	Population[24]	White[24]	Other[24] [note 1]	Asian[24]	Black or African American[24]	Native American[24] [note 2]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[25]
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,357	87.0%	3.9%	9.1%	0.0%	0.0%	28.2%
Boronda	CDP	1,606	58.0%	31.2%	9.9%	0.0%	0.9%	82.6%
Bradley	CDP	75	74.7%	20.0%	0.0%	5.3%	0.0%	2.7%
Carmel-by-the-Sea	City	3,728	90.0%	3.6%	6.4%	0.0%	0.0%	8.1%
Carmel Valley	CDP	6,189	80.8%	9.2%	2.2%	0.0%	0.0%	6.8%
Carmel Valley Village	CDP	4,676	88.6%	9.2%	2.2%	0.0%	0.0%	6.8%
Castroville	CDP	5,809	61.9%	31.0%	2.5%	0.0%	4.6%	94.5%
Chualar	CDP	1,182	83.0%	13.4%	1.6%	0.9%	1.1%	92.0%
Del Monte Forest	CDP	4,312	82.1%	1.9%	15.2%	0.0%	0.7%	2.7%
Del Rey Oaks	City	1,734	87.1%	8.2%	3.4%	1.3%	0.0%	16.3%
Elkhorn	CDP	1,828	90.9%	7.1%	2.0%	0.0%	0.0%	30.1%
Gonzales	City	8,074	79.9%	17.9%	0.8%	1.4%	0.0%	89.4%
Greenfield	City	15,864	66.4%	21.3%	4.2%	1.0%	7.1%	87.9%
King City	City	12,629	74.6%	22.8%	1.5%	0.8%	0.3%	87.2%
Las Lomas	CDP	2,820	84.8%	15.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	89.3%
Lockwood	CDP	255	96.1%	0.0%	0.0%	3.9%	0.0%	14.1%
Marina	City	19,636	44.8%	17.9%	5.5%	28.6%	3.2%	29.5%
Monterey	City	27,861	76.4%	10.5%	10.0%	2.6%	0.6%	14.7%
Moss Landing	CDP	232	95.3%	4.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	52.6%
Pacific Grove	City	14,995	85.7%	5.3%	6.5%	1.7%	0.8%	7.9%
Pajaro	CDP	2,939	88.5%	8.4%	2.4%	0.5%	0.1%	95.1%
Pine Canyon	CDP	2,235	70.8%	18.8%	0.0%	0.0%	10.3%	50.5%
Prunedale	CDP	18,938	80.0%	11.7%	5.5%	1.3%	1.4%	41.4%
Salinas	City	148,780	68.6%	22.7%	6.4%	1.7%	0.6%	75.1%
San Ardo	CDP	591	66.7%	32.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.8%	85.3%
Sand City	City	292	75.7%	19.5%	2.4%	2.4%	0.0%	38.4%
San Lucas	CDP	242	69.4%	26.4%	0.0%	4.1%	0.0%	96.3%
Seaside	City	32,735	58.9%	20.8%	8.5%	9.1%	2.7%	40.3%
Soledad	City	25,548	66.6%	17.0%	2.7%	12.0%	1.7%	69.4%
Spreckels	CDP	803	87.9%	9.7%	0.0%	1.5%	0.9%	14.3%
‡ Data for Monterey County area of this CDP

Places by population and income

Place	Type[29]	Population[30]	Per capita income[26]	Median household income[27]	Median family income[28]
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,357	$28,115	$75,750	$90,729
Boronda	CDP	1,606	$12,288	$39,899	$49,405
Bradley	CDP	75	$29,332	$75,625	$75,625
Carmel-by-the-Sea	City	3,728	$56,172	$76,463	$98,889
Carmel Valley	CDP	6,189	$93,346	$128,083	$106,545
Carmel Valley Village	CDP	4,676	$48,272	$82,566	$106,545
Castroville	CDP	5,809	$12,836	$46,795	$41,250
Chualar	CDP	1,182	$13,492	$48,654	$48,269
Del Monte Forest	CDP	4,312	$79,282	$119,663	$133,103
Del Rey Oaks	City	1,734	$37,814	$76,923	$101,087
Elkhorn	CDP	1,828	$26,959	$78,750	$75,288
Gonzales	City	8,074	$17,545	$52,928	$50,324
Greenfield	City	15,864	$14,921	$56,011	$51,250
King City	City	16,360	$14,337	$52,634	$49,735
Las Lomas	CDP	2,820	$11,861	$49,750	$49,208
Lockwood	CDP	255	$51,739	$91,316	$76,923
Marina	City	19,636	$23,976	$51,817	$63,778
Monterey	City	27,861	$36,148	$62,720	$73,685
Moss Landing	CDP	232	$25,884	$80,385	$81,635
Pacific Grove	City	14,995	$43,319	$70,211	$89,708
Pajaro	CDP	2,939	$10,873	$38,542	$41,313
Pine Canyon	CDP	2,235	$20,909	$61,514	$62,163
Prunedale	CDP	18,938	$29,157	$76,431	$80,208
Salinas	City	148,780	$18,060	$50,568	$50,945
San Ardo	CDP	591	$11,615	$49,063	$50,313
Sand City	City	292	$30,061	$39,500	$78,750
San Lucas	CDP	242	$12,548	$49,250	$51,250
Seaside	City	32,735	$22,262	$58,403	$62,520
Soledad	City	25,548	$9,971	$53,140	$53,660
Spreckels	CDP	803	$32,730	$73,287	$96,250
‡ Data for Monterey County area of this CDP

The 2010 United States Census reported that Monterey County had a population of 415,057. The racial makeup of Monterey County was 230,717 (55.6%) White, 12,785 (3.1%) African American, 5,464 (1.3%) Native American, 25,258 (6.1%) Asian (2.8% Filipino, 0.7% Korean, 0.6% Chinese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.4% Indian), 2,071 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 117,405 (28.3%) from other races, and 21,357 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 230,003 persons (55.4%); 50.2% of Monterey County is Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, and 0.5% Puerto Rican.^[31]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Monterey County	415,057	230,717	12,785	5,464	25,258	2,071	117,405	21,357	230,003
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Carmel-by-the-Sea	3,722	3,464	11	8	111	6	45	77	174
Del Rey Oaks	1,624	1,326	16	12	128	4	52	86	169
Gonzales	8,187	3,464	81	124	190	14	3,958	356	7,276
Greenfield	16,330	5,976	183	878	179	13	8,453	648	14,917
King City	12,874	6,173	150	347	172	8	5,451	573	11,266
Marina	19,718	8,904	1,487	140	3,931	544	2,738	1,974	5,372
Monterey	27,810	21,788	777	149	2,204	91	1,382	1,419	3,817
Pacific Grove	15,041	12,710	199	78	872	49	469	664	1,615
Salinas	150,441	68,973	2,993	1,888	9,438	478	59,041	7,630	112,799
Sand City	334	223	13	3	16	1	61	17	123
Seaside	33,025	15,978	2,783	347	3,206	529	7,579	2,603	14,347
Soledad	25,738	12,625	2,945	367	757	103	8,189	752	18,308
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Aromas‡	1,358	1,026	7	24	35	1	194	71	511
Boronda	1,710	661	10	26	116	7	774	116	1,457
Bradley	93	85	0	2	0	0	5	1	11
Carmel Valley	4,407	6,189	21	22	70	11	120	119	328
Carmel Valley Village	4,407	4,044	21	22	70	11	120	119	328
Castroville	6,481	2,807	96	96	169	9	2,955	349	5,841
Chualar	1,190	337	1	2	11	0	827	12	1,151
Del Monte Forest	4,514	3,922	43	10	388	3	57	91	167
Elkhorn	1,565	1,122	9	7	63	3	286	75	588
Las Lomas	3,024	1,167	37	93	53	24	1,490	160	2,696
Lockwood	379	297	4	6	2	0	56	14	100
Moss Landing	204	149	7	1	2	1	30	14	46
Pajaro	3,070	1,451	15	78	53	0	1,281	192	2,889
Pine Canyon	1,822	1,173	29	15	18	0	490	97	984
Prunedale	17,560	11,771	177	199	672	58	3,639	1,044	7,322
San Ardo	517	252	1	3	5	0	245	11	363
San Lucas	269	113	0	4	6	0	127	19	224
Spreckels	673	483	0	13	26	0	130	21	193
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	51,377	38,253	690	522	2,365	114	7,281	2,152	14,949
‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in Monterey County

As of the census^[32] of 2000, there were 401,762 people, 121,236 households, and 87,896 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile (47 people/km²). There were 131,708 housing units at an average density of 40 units per square mile (15 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.9% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 27.8% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 46.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.3% were of German and 5.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 52.9% spoke English, 39.6% Spanish and 1.6% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 121,236 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 female residents there were 107.3 male residents. For every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were 107.7 male residents.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,305, and the median income for a family was $51,169. Men had a median income of $38,444 versus $30,036 for the women. The per capita income for the county was $20,165. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

At the local level, Monterey County is governed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Like all governing bodies in California, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is empowered with both legislative and executive authority over the entirety of Monterey County and is the primary governing body for all unincorporated areas within the County boundaries. The Board has five elected members, each of whom represents one of five districts. Taken together, the five districts comprise the entirety of the county.^[33]

Current board members:

• Luis Alejo - 1st District
• Glenn Church - 2nd District
• Chris Lopez - 3rd District
• Wendy Root Askew - 4th District
• Mary Adams - 5th District

The Board conducts its meetings in the county seat, Salinas, and is a member of the regional governmental agency, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.^[34][35]

Supervisorial district boundaries are divided roughly equally according to population, using data from the most recent census.^[36] In addition, any redistricting changes should approximately comply with both California law as well as the federal Voting Rights Act.^[36] Boundaries are adjusted decennially based on data reported by the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census.^[36] The next supervisorial election will be held on March 8, 2022.^[37]

The 1st District is geographically the smallest supervisorial district in Monterey County and is entirely within the city limits of the city of Salinas.^[33][38]

Luis Alejo represents the 1st District on the Board of Supervisors.^[39] His current term expires in December 2024.^[40]

As the northernmost supervisorial district in Monterey County, the 2nd District includes the communities of Boronda, Castroville, Las Lomas, Moss Landing, Pajaro, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, the northern neighborhoods of the city of Salinas, and those portions of the community of Aromas that are located within Monterey County.^[33][41]

John Phillips is currently the Supervisor for the 2nd District.^[42] His current term expires in December 2026.^[40]

The 3rd District covers the majority of the Salinas Valley and southern Monterey County, extending to its border with San Luis Obispo County. The district includes the unincorporated communities of Spreckels, Chualar, and Jolon; the eastern portion of the city of Salinas; the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, and King City; the military installations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts; and portions of the Los Padres National Forest.^[33][43]

The 3rd District is represented by Chris Lopez.^[44] His current term expires in December 2026.^[40]

The 4th District includes the southwest portion of the city of Salinas, the cities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and the former military installation at Fort Ord.^[33][45]

Wendy Root Askew currently holds the seat for 4th District Supervisor.^[46] Her current term expires in December 2024.^[40]

The 5th District is geographically the largest of the five supervisorial districts, and covers most of the Monterey Peninsula and southern coastline of Monterey County down to the southern county border with San Luis Obispo County. The 5th District includes the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, and Pacific Grove; the unincorporated communities of Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, San Benancio, Corral de Tierra, and Jamesburg; military installations at the Presidio of Monterey, the Defense Language Institute, and the Naval Postgraduate School; and the Ventana Wilderness area of the Los Padres National Forest.^[33][47][48]

Mary L. Adams is currently the 5th District Supervisor.^[33] Her current term expires in December 2024.^[40]

In the United States House of Representatives, Monterey County is split between two districts:

• California's 18th congressional district, represented by Democrat Zoe Lofgren, and
• California's 19th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta.

In the California State Assembly, Monterey County is split between the 29th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Robert Rivas, and the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Dawn Addis.^[49]

In the California State Senate, Monterey County is split between the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Shannon Grove, and the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat John Laird.^[50]

The Monterey County Sheriff provides court protection, jail management, and coroner service for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated municipalities within the county that have their own municipal police departments are: Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, King City, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and Gonzales.

Population and registered voters
Total population[24]	411,385
Registered voters[51][note 3]	168,245	40.9%
Democratic[51]	87,040	51.7%
Republican[51]	40,721	24.2%
Democratic–Republican spread[51]	+46,319	+27.5%
American Independent[51]	3,927	2.3%
Green[51]	1,129	0.7%
Libertarian[51]	852	0.5%
Peace and Freedom[51]	392	0.2%
Americans Elect[51]	12	0.0%
Other[51]	241	0.1%
No party preference[51]	33,931	20.2%

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[24]	Registered voters[51] [note 3]	Democratic[51]	Republican[51]	D–R spread[51]	Other[51]	No party preference[51]
Carmel-by-the-Sea	3,728	74.8%	40.5%	33.6%	+6.9%	8.8%	20.4%
Del Rey Oaks	1,734	65.1%	47.9%	26.4%	+21.5%	6.6%	21.8%
Gonzales	8,074	34.6%	66.8%	14.0%	+52.8%	5.4%	15.9%
Greenfield	15,864	26.3%	70.3%	11.6%	+58.7%	3.3%	16.0%
King City	12,629	21.6%	58.7%	22.6%	+36.1%	4.1%	16.2%
Marina	19,636	46.4%	48.2%	21.8%	+26.4%	7.9%	25.1%
Monterey	27,861	49.8%	47.4%	24.6%	+22.8%	7.1%	23.4%
Pacific Grove	14,995	64.0%	49.1%	23.6%	+25.5%	7.6%	22.3%
Salinas	148,780	34.1%	60.2%	18.8%	+41.4%	4.6%	18.2%
Sand City	292	51.0%	37.6%	24.8%	+12.8%	14.1%	29.5%
Seaside	32,735	35.6%	54.1%	18.9%	+35.2%	6.7%	22.9%
Soledad	25,548	19.5%	67.9%	11.4%	+56.5%	4.0%	18.1%

For most of the 20th century, Monterey County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1900 until 1992, the only Democrats to carry the county were Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Since 1992, the county has become a Democratic stronghold in Presidential and congressional elections, with George H. W. Bush in 1988 being the last Republican to win Monterey County.

United States presidential election results for Monterey County, California^[52]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	46,299	28.24%	113,953	69.52%	3,671	2.24%
2016	34,895	26.16%	89,088	66.78%	9,425	7.06%
2012	37,390	30.27%	82,920	67.13%	3,208	2.60%
2008	38,797	29.89%	88,453	68.15%	2,533	1.95%
2004	47,838	38.38%	75,241	60.36%	1,574	1.26%
2000	43,761	37.23%	67,618	57.53%	6,155	5.24%
1996	39,794	36.66%	57,700	53.15%	11,064	10.19%
1992	36,461	31.25%	54,861	47.01%	25,367	21.74%
1988	50,022	49.83%	48,998	48.81%	1,361	1.36%
1984	55,710	57.16%	40,733	41.79%	1,027	1.05%
1980	47,452	54.67%	29,086	33.51%	10,256	11.82%
1976	40,896	51.02%	36,849	45.97%	2,408	3.00%
1972	47,004	57.04%	32,545	39.49%	2,859	3.47%
1968	33,670	50.16%	28,261	42.10%	5,193	7.74%
1964	24,579	37.90%	40,093	61.83%	172	0.27%
1960	33,428	56.26%	25,805	43.43%	180	0.30%
1956	29,514	59.54%	19,932	40.21%	127	0.26%
1952	30,578	62.51%	18,051	36.90%	286	0.58%
1948	17,233	50.59%	15,704	46.10%	1,126	3.31%
1944	12,246	45.82%	14,342	53.66%	140	0.52%
1940	11,810	44.01%	14,758	55.00%	265	0.99%
1936	7,565	37.70%	12,267	61.13%	235	1.17%
1932	6,200	39.37%	8,942	56.77%	608	3.86%
1928	7,228	63.12%	4,138	36.13%	86	0.75%
1924	4,744	61.07%	886	11.41%	2,138	27.52%
1920	4,817	67.76%	1,771	24.91%	521	7.33%
1916	3,599	44.81%	3,878	48.28%	555	6.91%
1912	1	0.01%	3,392	46.26%	3,939	53.72%
1908	2,486	53.64%	1,616	34.87%	533	11.50%
1904	2,453	59.17%	1,415	34.13%	278	6.71%
1900	1,964	50.10%	1,825	46.56%	131	3.34%
1896	1,878	45.82%	2,149	52.43%	72	1.76%
1892	1,709	41.65%	1,606	39.14%	788	19.21%
1888	1,875	48.55%	1,866	48.32%	121	3.13%
1884	1,476	50.72%	1,381	47.46%	53	1.82%
1880	1,260	50.36%	1,205	48.16%	37	1.48%

According to the California Secretary of State, as of April 2008, Monterey County has 147,066 registered voters.^{[citation needed]} Of those voters, 72,550 (49.3%) are registered Democratic, 42,744 (29.1%) are registered Republican, 5,488 (3.7%) are registered with other political parties, and 26,284 (17.9%) declined to state a political party. Except for Sand City, all of the other cities, towns, and the unincorporated area of Monterey County have more individuals registered with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. In Sand City, the Republicans have the advantage by 1 voter.

In August 2018, it adopted a flag designed by a Nob Hill resident.^[53]

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population[24]	411,385
Violent crime[54]	2,118	5.15
Homicide[54]	51	0.12
Forcible rape[54]	125	0.30
Robbery[54]	657	1.60
Aggravated assault[54]	1,285	3.12
Property crime[54]	6,885	16.74
Burglary[54]	3,151	7.66
Larceny-theft[54][55]	6,245	15.18
Motor vehicle theft[54]	1,808	4.39
Arson[54]	90	0.22

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[56]	Violent crimes[56]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[56]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Carmel	3,822	7	1.83	99	25.90
Del Rey Oaks	1,668	2	1.20	37	22.18
Gonzales	8,404	36	4.28	102	12.14
Greenfield	16,765	120	7.16	306	18.25
King City	13,214	54	4.09	332	25.12
Marina	30,227	191	6.03	1,347	24.62
Monterey	28,508	153	5.37	1,016	35.64
Pacific Grove	15,437	27	1.75	249	16.13
Salinas	154,413	1,027	6.65	4,906	31.77
Sand City	343	7	20.41	76	221.57
Seaside	33,887	109	3.22	499	14.73
Soledad	26,253	80	3.05	284	10.82

Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area (DMA). Radio stations Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz area of dominant influence (ADI) or continuous measurement market (CMM). Local newspapers include the Monterey County Herald, Monterey County Weekly, Salinas Californian and the Carmel Pine Cone.

As of December 2005, Monterey County ranked among America's ten most expensive counties, with Santa Barbara County topping the list with a median home price of $753,790. In Monterey County, the median home price was $699,900. In the northern, more densely populated part in the county, the median home price was even higher, at $712,500, making it the fourth most expensive housing market in California. The disparity between the median household income of roughly $48,305 and the median home price of $700k has been cause for recent concern over excluding potential home buyers from the market. The end of the United States housing bubble has caused prices to drop substantially, with median home prices having fallen to $280,000 as at September 2008.^[57]

• U.S. Route 101
• State Route 1
• State Route 25
• State Route 68
• State Route 146
• State Route 156
• State Route 183
• State Route 198

Monterey County is served by Amtrak trains and Greyhound Lines buses. Monterey-Salinas Transit provides transit service throughout most of Monterey County, with buses to Big Sur and King City as well as in Monterey, Salinas and Carmel. MST also runs service to San Jose, California in Santa Clara County.

• Monterey Regional Airport is located just east of the city of Monterey, California. Commercial flights are available.
• Marina Municipal Airport is located in the city of Marina, California.
• Salinas Municipal Airport is located in the southeast part of Salinas, California.
• Mesa Del Rey Airport is located in the city of King City, California.

• Big Sur
• Laguna Seca Ranch
• Fort Ord Military Base decommissioned in the 1990s, some of it was converted to California State University, Monterey Bay
• Naval Postgraduate School
• Fort Hunter Liggett
• Presidio of Monterey, home to the Defense Language Institute and one of three presidios in California
• Jacks Peak Park, including the highest point on the Monterey Peninsula

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Monterey County.^[58]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Salinas	City	163,542
2	Seaside	City	32,366
3	Monterey	City	30,218
4	Soledad	City	24,925
5	Marina	City	22,359
6	Greenfield	City	18,937
7	Prunedale	CDP	18,885
8	Pacific Grove	City	15,090
9	King City	City	13,332
10	Gonzales	City	8,647
11	Castroville	CDP	7,515
12	Carmel Valley	CDP	6,189
13	Del Monte Forest	CDP	4,204
14	Carmel-by-the-Sea	City	3,220
15	Las Lomas	CDP	3,046
16	Pajaro	CDP	2,882
17	Aromas (partially in San Benito County)	CDP	2,708
18	Pine Canyon	CDP	1,871
19	Boronda	CDP	1,760
20	Del Rey Oaks	City	1,592
21	Elkhorn	CDP	1,588
22	Chualar	CDP	1,185
23	Spreckels	CDP	692
24	San Ardo	CDP	392
25	Lockwood	CDP	368
26	Sand City	City	325
27	San Lucas	CDP	324
28	Moss Landing	CDP	237
29	Bradley	CDP	69

School districts include:^[59]

Unified:

Secondary:

• Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (While it is a K-12 unified school district, it only serves grades 9–12 in its section of this county)
• Salinas Union High School District
• South Monterey County Joint Union High School District

Elementary:

• 
  Big Sur - Midcounty coastline with the McWay Rocks in foreground
• 
  California State University at Monterey Bay
• 
  Carmel-by-the-Sea - Beach scene
• 
  Carmel-by-the-Sea - Golden Bough Playhouse
• 
  Carmel-by-the-Sea - Forest Theater
• 
  Castroville - Main entrance to the city
• 
  Gonzales - Water tower
• 
  Gorda, California - A view of the Pacific Ocean
• 
  Marina neighborhood
• 
  Main Street - Salinas
• 
  Monterey - Monterey Bay Aquarium
• 
  Monterey - Cannery Row
• 
  Monterey - Fisherman's Wharf
• 
  Monterey - Commercial Wharf
• 
  Hat in three stages of landing by Claes Oldemburg - Salinas
• 
  Monterey - Beachside recreational trail
• 
  Monterey - Scuba diving lessons in Monterey Bay
• 
  Monterey - Fremont Peak, viewed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium
• 
  Monterey County - Strawberry fields in rural area
• 
  Lapis Road looking south
• 
  Junipero Serra Peak, highest point in the county
• 
  Salinas - John Steinbeck's former home
• 
  Marina Sunset
• 
  Monterey - Colton Hall
• 
  Salinas - Newer Spanish-Revival style house in Harden Ranch
• 
  Salinas - An average 1,400 sq ft (130 m²) home in North Salinas
• 
  Salinas - Residential neighborhood at Harden Ranch, Salinas
• 
  Salinas - Downtown
• 
  Salinas - National Steinbeck Center
• 
  Agricultural fields in the Salinas Valley
• 
  Steinbeck House - Salinas
• 
  Soledad - Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

• Coastal California
• List of museums in the California Central Coast
• List of school districts in Monterey County, California
• Monterey County reforestation
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monterey County, California
• List of tourist attractions in Monterey County, California
• Fort Hunter Liggett

• Official website
• Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Carmel Magazine: The Lifestyle Magazine of the Monterey Peninsula
• Finding Aid to the Monterey County Miscellany, 1844-1850 at The Bancroft Library
• Arts Council for Monterey County

36°14′N 121°19′W / 36.24°N 121.31°W / 36.24; -121.31