Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety53#1,457/3,096
Economy51#1,541/3,143
Housing1#3,112/3,140
Health84#518/3,144
Healthcare86#441/3,143
Environment87#400/3,108
Education10#2,817/3,144
Infrastructure82#553/3,144
Community33#2,109/3,144
Leisure & amenities74#823/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Monterey County, California ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Comfortable days · high46.7%
100/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA
Firearm deaths · low4.6 /100k
98/100California 6.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Suicide rate · low10.0 /100k
97/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Life expectancy · high81.0 yrs
96/100California 79.7 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Broadband subscriptions · high93.8%
95/100California 93.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

High school diploma or higher · low73.3%
1/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Severe housing problems · high30.6%
1/100California 25.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Home price to income ratio · high8.0×
1/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Cost of buying a home today · high64.5%
1/100California 54.7%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Unemployment rate · high7.9%
2/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Students per teacher · high21.3×
2/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education Statistics

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureImproving
81% (2021) → 0% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−81 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
47.4% (Dec 2021) → 64.5% (Aug 2026)
+17 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Homicide rateImproving
8.5 /100k (2021) → 3.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−59%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Firearm deathsImproving
10.8 /100k (2021) → 4.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.2% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Monterey County, California improved on 12 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 15 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Firearm deaths−43%8.0 /100k → 4.6 /100k
Arts & recreation+25%3.0 /10k → 3.8 /10k
Uninsured−2.6 points11.9% → 9.3%
Real income+36%$49,960 → $68,024
Unemployment−3.3 points11.2% → 7.9%

Declined4

Transit use−0.4 points1.6% → 1.1%
Violent crime+24%343 /100k → 425 /100k
Price / income+0.8×7.3× → 8.0×
Commute+1.9 min23.4 min → 25.4 min

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Monterey County, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.0 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+25%	Improved	77%
Average commute time	23.4 min2015-2019	25.4 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Declined	22%
Average weekly wage	$1,0172020	$1,2232025	+20%	Improved	25%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.7%2015-2019	28.2%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	63%
Broadband subscriptions	84.2%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Improved	47%
Child poverty rate	18.4%2019	18.0%2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Distance to an airport	54 mi2020	54 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	21.0 /100k2020	20.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−0.5%	Within the margin of error	25%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Firearm deaths	8.0 /100k2020	4.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−43%	Improved	94%
Grocery stores	2.5 /10k2020	2.7 /10k2025	+9.9%	Within the margin of error	78%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+19%	Within the margin of error	71%
High school diploma or higher	71.5%2015-2019	73.3%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Improved	48%
Home price to income ratio	7.3×2015-2019	8.0×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	19%
Homicide rate	4.3 /100k2020	3.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−19%	Within the margin of error	40%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,9602019	$68,0242024	+36%	Improved	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4572015-2019	0.4642020-2024	+0.007	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$76,5092019	$91,7612024	+20%	Improved	24%
New business applications	5.6 /1k2020	8.1 /1k2025	+45%	Improved	52%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−5.4%	Within the margin of error	49%
Poverty rate	12.6%2019	13.7%2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Property crime rate	1,792 /100k2020	1,136 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	51%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	+3.7%	Within the margin of error	77%
Public transit commuters	1.6%2015-2019	1.1%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Declined	34%
Rent as share of income	32.5%2015-2019	32.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent-burdened households	55.5%2015-2019	55.6%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	9.3 /10k2025	+4.4%	Within the margin of error	62%
Suicide rate	11.0 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−9.1%	Within the margin of error	74%
Traffic deaths	11.2 /100k2015-2019	10.9 /100k2020-2024	−2.9%	Within the margin of error	59%
Unemployment rate	11.2%2020	7.9%2025	−3.3 points	Improved	67%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.9%2019	9.3%2024	−2.6 points	Improved	78%
Violent crime rate	343 /100k2020	425 /100k2025	+24%	Declined	17%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 2303 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3144 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Counties like Monterey County, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Monterey County, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Monterey County, California itself moved −0.2 points in standing on average over the same 31 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

437,613 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

132,489 households (±685)

Monterey County, California
California share

Under $25k11%13,927
$25k–50k14%18,302
$50k–75k14%18,252

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

132,489 households (±685)

Monterey County, California
California share

Own52%68,993
Rent48%63,496

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

188,150 workers (±2,074)

Monterey County, California
California share

Drive alone70%132,218
Carpool9.9%18,579
Public transit1.1%2,145

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Salinas, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Monterey County has 9,212 employer establishments, 212 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.81× California's), with 116,784 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,396. The Census Bureau also counts 28,349 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,212; 28,349 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 212; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 116,784
Average annual pay: $60,396; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Monterey County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	818	18.8	1.03×About typical	14,568	$29,732	163
Ambulatory health care services	766	17.6	0.85×About typical	6,481	$78,295	1,260
Specialty trade contractors	681	15.7	1.01×About typical	4,057	$70,112	1,209
Lessors of real estate	456	10.5	0.85×About typical	1,481	$59,182	2,805
Construction of buildings	405	9.3	1.23×About typical	2,064	$69,577	940
Full-service restaurants	380	8.8	1.14×About typical	7,385	$34,088	53
Services to buildings and dwellings	319	7.3	1.09×About typical	1,942	$41,626	2,153
Limited-service restaurants	305	7	0.88×About typical	5,469	$24,822	51
Building equipment contractors	268	6.2	1.03×About typical	1,532	$72,736	296
Offices of physicians	267	6.2	0.95×About typical	1,788	$112,636	314
Truck transportation	247	5.7	1.13×About typical	1,132	$67,152	468
Building finishing contractors	241	5.6	1.46×More than typical	1,303	$59,276	402

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 434,107 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $571.5M on contracts performed in Monterey County, California: $1,318 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $571.5M; −29% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,318; US $1,995
Sole-source: 5.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 17%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Acquisition Service$434.9M76%
Department of the Army$77.4M14%
Department of the Navy$29.7M5.2%
Defense Information Systems Agency$12.6M2.2%
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services$4M0.7%
Forest Service$2.2M0.4%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$2.1M0.4%
Defense Commissary Agency$1.8M0.3%

Top recipients

DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP$221M39%
PERATON INC.$62.1M11%
HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (HUMRRO)$37.4M6.5%
BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC$34.9M6.1%
LEIDOS, INC.$22.3M3.9%
CLEARAVENUE LLC$17.8M3.1%
GUIDEHOUSE DIGITAL LLC$13.7M2.4%
CA DEPT OF REHABILITATION$12.8M2.2%

Spending by fiscal year

557.3MFY2017
639.7MFY2018
577.9MFY2019
728.2MFY2020
647.6MFY2021
623.5MFY2022
731.7MFY2023
1BFY2024
802.6MFY2025
571.5MFY2026

What was bought

IT & telecom$443.4M78%
Professional services$61.5M11%
Facilities & utilities$26.5M4.6%
Education & social services$12.1M2.1%
Equipment maintenance$9.7M1.7%
Transportation & logistics$6.5M1.1%

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$382.6M67%
Educational support services · 6117$46.2M8.1%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$30.9M5.4%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$18.7M3.3%
Facilities support services · 5612$16.6M2.9%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$16.6M2.9%
Special food services · 7223$13M2.3%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$8.6M1.5%

Largest awards

AWARD OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GLOBAL ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT SERVICES IT GEMS REQUIREMENT$487M
DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP· Monterey County, CA· IT & telecom· Feb 2, 2024 – Sep 29, 2026· 47QFMA24F0013
WORLD WORLDWIDE COTS HARDWARE SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND INTEGRATION SERVICES II CONTINUATION (WWHWSW II - MODIFICATION 01)$319.6M
PERATON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LLC· Monterey County, CA· IT & telecom· Sep 3, 2020 – Jan 20, 2026· 47QFMA20F0023
WORLDWIDE COTS HARDWARE SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND INTEGRATION SERVICES II (WWHWSW II)$172.8M
PERATON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LLC· Monterey County, CA· IT & telecom· Aug 23, 2018 – Feb 19, 2026· 47QFMA18F0041
MAINTENANCE, SUPPLY, AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AT FORT CARSON, CO. THIS AWARD INCLUDE CLAUSE 252.223-7999 IN ACCORDANCE WITH EO14042.$124.3M
AKIMA FACILITIES OPERATIONS LLC· Monterey County, CA· Equipment maintenance· Nov 23, 2021 – Jun 9, 2026· W52P1J22F0005
CALL ORDER 22 ENTITLEMENTS AND BENEFITS MAINTENANCE AND MODERNIZATION SERVICES$123.7M
PERATON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS LLC· Monterey County, CA· IT & telecom· Jun 10, 2021 – Aug 19, 2026· 47QFMA21F0023
ENTERPRISE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT$110.7M
DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP· Monterey County, CA· IT & telecom· Sep 27, 2021 – Sep 24, 2026· 47QFMA21F0043

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

Explore contracts in Monterey County, California

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Monterey County, California: $5,235 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.3B; −1.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,235; US $12,975
Loan face value: $76.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.3B59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$160.9M7.1%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$106.1M4.7%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$102.6M4.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$98.5M4.3%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$64.4M2.8%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$51.7M2.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$46.1M2.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA$136.7M6.0%
SACRAMENTO, CA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF COUNTY OF MONTE$103.5M4.6%
SALINAS, CA
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY$24.4M1.1%
SEASIDE, CA
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$19.4M0.9%
SALINAS, CA
MONTEREY COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION$11.8M0.5%
SALINAS, CA
MONTEREY PENINSULA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$8.6M0.4%
MONTEREY, CA
MONTEREY PENINSULA AIRPORT DISTRICT$7.7M0.3%
MONTEREY, CA
CLINICA DE SALUD DEL VALLE DE SALINAS$6.8M0.3%
SALINAS, CA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.6B70%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$193.7M8.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$137.5M6.1%
Department of Transportation
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$118.3M5.2%
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$103.5M4.6%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education$62.2M2.7%
Farm Service Agency$10.7M0.5%
Department of Agriculture
Health Resources and Services Administration$8.1M0.4%
Department of Health and Human Services

By type

Direct payments$2.1B92%
Grants$182.4M8.0%
Other assistance$4.2M0.2%
Insurance$549.4K0.0%
Loans$00.0%
$76.1M lent or guaranteed

Assistance by fiscal year

2.1BFY2021
1.9BFY2022
2.1BFY2023
2.2BFY2024
2.3BFY2025
2.3BFY2026

County aggregates

84%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Monterey County, California

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Monterey County, California compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Monterey County, California
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2017	$1,285	$1,436
FY2018	$1,476	$1,552
FY2019	$1,334	$1,654
FY2020	$1,653	$1,880
FY2021	$1,475	$1,810
FY2022	$1,430	$1,917
FY2023	$1,685	$2,079
FY2024	$2,324	$2,047
FY2025	$1,850	$2,165
FY2026	$1,318 (partial year)	$1,912
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2017	$41.61	$93.28
FY2018	$159	$105
FY2019	$70.89	$128
FY2020	$307	$145
FY2021	$170	$117
FY2022	$76.88	$138
FY2023	$150	$159
FY2024	$158	$157
FY2025	$523	$149
FY2026	$12.40 (partial year)	$211
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2021	$2,108	$5,748
FY2022	$1,895	$5,221
FY2023	$2,249	$5,364
FY2024	$2,893	$5,501
FY2025	$2,246	$5,732
FY2026	$1,738 (partial year)	$5,464
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2021	$104	$298
FY2022	$285	$357
FY2023	$250	$301
FY2024	$208	$319
FY2025	$168	$360
FY2026	$334 (partial year)	$349

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2021	$169	$239
FY2022	$161	$185
FY2023	$264	$229
FY2024	$186	$229
FY2025	$281	$249
FY2026	$263 (partial year)	$201

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2021	$110	$2,304
FY2022	$59.79	$2,197
FY2023	$67.68	$2,274
FY2024	$48.99	$2,267
FY2025	$48.68	$2,397
FY2026	$30.61 (partial year)	$2,610
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Monterey County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Monterey County, California	United States
FY2021	$963	$1,186
FY2022	$432	$465
FY2023	$33.76	$76.52
FY2024	$62.94	$120
FY2025	$102	$148
FY2026	$71.92 (partial year)	$108

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Monterey County, California
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	3.3%	2.0%
2015	2.5%	2.1%
2016	2.0%	1.7%
2017	1.0%	1.4%
2018	2.7%	1.6%
2019	1.3%	1.4%
2020	−7.3%	−6.1%
2021	2.8%	3.4%
2022	5.5%	4.3%
2023	−1.2%	2.1%
2024	1.7%	1.2%
2025	−0.9%	0.5%

Average weekly wageChange since 2016, %

Table view

Average weekly wage, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	−6.4%	−4.2%
2015	−3.0%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.8%	+3.3%
2018	+5.7%	+6.8%
2019

Unemployment ratepercent

Table view

Unemployment rate, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	9.2%	6.2%
2015	8.1%	5.3%
2016	7.8%	4.9%
2017	7.3%	4.4%
2018	6.5%	3.9%
2019

Personal income per capitaChange since 2016, %

Table view

Personal income per capita, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	−8.8%	−5.5%
2015	−2.1%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.0%	+4.1%
2018	+3.0%	+8.9%
2019

New homes permittedper 1,000 people

Table view

New homes permitted, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	0.8/1k	3.3/1k
2015	1.4/1k	3.7/1k
2016	1.4/1k	3.7/1k
2017	1.8/1k	3.9/1k
2018	1.7/1k	4.1/1k
2019

Median household incomeChange since 2016, %

Table view

Median household income, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	−8.8%	−6.9%
2015	−4.7%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+11.6%	+4.7%
2018	+10.6%	+7.5%
2019

Poverty ratepercent

Table view

Poverty rate, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	17.0%	15.5%
2015	15.3%	14.7%
2016	12.9%	14.0%
2017	11.9%	13.4%
2018	13.3%	13.1%
2019	12.6%

Typical home valueChange since 2016, %

Table view

Typical home value, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	−14.8% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−7.0% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017

Typical asking rentChange since 2016, %

Table view

Typical asking rent, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2015	−5.1% (Dec 2015)	−3.3% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+8.4% (Dec 2017)	+4.4% (Dec 2017)
2018

Uninsured residents (under 65)percent

Table view

Uninsured residents (under 65), Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	17.4%	13.5%
2015	11.9%	10.9%
2016	11.0%	10.0%
2017	11.5%	10.2%
2018	11.9%	10.4%
2019

New business applicationsper 1,000 people

Table view

New business applications, Monterey County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Monterey County, California	United States
2014	4.0/1k	8.5/1k
2015	4.2/1k	8.7/1k
2016	4.1/1k	9.1/1k
2017	4.5/1k	9.8/1k
2018	5.0/1k	10.7/1k
2019

Calendar years

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

No jump in federal money met the criteria in the years loaded, so there is no comparison for this place.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/06053

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Monterey County, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Metro area

The metro or micro area Monterey County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Salinas, CA61Central county

Cities and towns in Monterey County

Places whose residents live mostly in Monterey County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-08
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/06053

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends