Scores by category

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

Safety75#784/3,096
Economy88#377/3,143
Housing1#3,122/3,140
Health97#99/3,144
Healthcare97#105/3,143
Environment1#3,075/3,108
Education64#1,128/3,144
Infrastructure96#140/3,144
Community49#1,597/3,144
Leisure & amenities87#401/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Comfortable days · high62.4%
100/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Firearm deaths · low4.1 /100k
99/100California 6.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Suicide rate · low8.3 /100k
99/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Adult obesity · low23.9%
99/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Adult smoking · low9.3%
99/100California 12.6%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Median household income · high$114,858
98/100California $100,130United States $81,6042024U.S. Census BureauModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.1 µg/m³
0/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
High ozone days · high17 days
0/100California 38 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cost of buying a home today · high71.4%
0/100California 54.7%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Home price to income ratio · high8.3×
1/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Students per teacher · high22.8×
1/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education Statistics
Severe housing problems · high26.2%
1/100California 25.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Trends

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

Drought exposureImproving
85% (2021) → 13% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−72 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
47.8% (Dec 2021) → 71.4% (Aug 2026)
+24 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
High ozone daysImproving
42 days (2017) → 17 days (2022)
−60%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsImproving
27.5 /100k (2021) → 13.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Days with unhealthy airImproving
11.2% (2020) → 3.6% (2025)
−7.6 pts5 years
Homicide rateImproving
3.0 /100k (2021) → 1.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−37%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, Orange County, California improved on 14 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 12 moved within the margin of error and 2 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.

Improved14

Unemployment−4.7 points8.8% → 4.1%
Commute−1.3 min28.0 min → 26.7 min
Arts & recreation+24%5.0 /10k → 6.2 /10k
Uninsured−2.2 points8.8% → 6.6%
Gyms+10%1.9 /10k → 2.1 /10k

Declined4

Transit use−0.8 points1.9% → 1.2%
Price / income+0.7×7.5× → 8.3×
Violent crime+18%225 /100k → 265 /100k
Traffic deaths+12%6.2 /100k → 7.0 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Orange County, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.0 /10k2020	6.2 /10k2025	+24%	Improved	76%
Average commute time	28.0 min2015-2019	26.7 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Improved	82%
Average weekly wage	$1,3762020	$1,6322025	+19%	Improved	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	40.6%2015-2019	44.1%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	63%
Broadband subscriptions	90.7%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	7%
Child poverty rate	12.6%2019	11.4%2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Distance to an airport	9 mi2020	9 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	19.1 /100k2020	13.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−31%	Improved	54%
Effective property tax rate	0.70%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	32%
Firearm deaths	4.7 /100k2020	4.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−13%	Within the margin of error	69%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+7.3%	Within the margin of error	75%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.9 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	65%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	87.1%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Improved	44%
Home price to income ratio	7.5×2015-2019	8.3×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	19%
Homicide rate	2.3 /100k2020	1.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−17%	Within the margin of error	38%
Income adjusted for local prices	$62,7522019	$82,8012024	+32%	Improved	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4692015-2019	0.4662020-2024	−0.003	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$95,7612019	$114,8582024	+20%	Improved	24%
New business applications	12.9 /1k2020	15.9 /1k2025	+23%	Improved	25%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−2.5%	Within the margin of error	58%
Poverty rate	9.5%2019	9.7%2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Property crime rate	1,925 /100k2020	1,326 /100k2025	−31%	Improved	42%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	+3.5%	Within the margin of error	77%
Public transit commuters	1.9%2015-2019	1.2%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Declined	23%
Rent as share of income	33.2%2015-2019	33.4%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	56.6%2015-2019	56.6%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Restaurants and bars	9.5 /10k2020	9.9 /10k2025	+3.9%	Within the margin of error	61%
Suicide rate	9.3 /100k2020	8.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−11%	Within the margin of error	77%
Traffic deaths	6.2 /100k2015-2019	7.0 /100k2020-2024	+12%	Declined	40%
Unemployment rate	8.8%2020	4.1%2025	−4.7 points	Improved	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.8%2019	6.6%2024	−2.2 points	Improved	73%
Violent crime rate	225 /100k2020	265 /100k2025	+18%	Declined	20%

“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 Orange County, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Orange 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, Orange County, California itself moved +2.3 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

3,165,820 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (+0.8 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,165,820 residents

Orange County, California
California share

White37%1,168,199
Black1.5%47,885
Hispanic or Latino34%1,082,931
Asian22%701,672
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%3,748
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.3%8,452
Other or two or more races4.8%152,933

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−3.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,217,917 residents

Orange County, California
California share

No high school diploma13%287,073
High school or GED17%385,710
Some college18%398,901
Associate degree7.6%168,634
Bachelor's degree28%615,032
Graduate degree16%362,567

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−2.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,082,960 households (±2,606)

Orange County, California
California share

Under $25k10%109,511
$25k–50k11%116,745
$50k–75k11%121,108
$75k–100k11%119,041
$100k–150k19%202,114
$150k–200k13%138,983
$200k or more25%275,458

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+9.9 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,082,960 households (±2,606)

Orange County, California
California share

Own56%610,659
Rent44%472,301

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−1.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

459,675 households (±4,130)

Orange County, California
California share

Under $7503.8%17,329
$750–1,0001.3%6,113
$1,000–1,5006.7%31,007

Home values

610,659 homes (±4,388)

Orange County, California
California share

Under $150k4.3%25,950
$150k–250k1.7%10,489
$250k–400k2.7%16,497

Age of homes

1,146,169 homes (±308)

Orange County, California
California share

2010 or later9.3%106,945
2000–20098.3%95,410
1980–199926%292,777

Size of homes

1,146,169 homes (±308)

Orange County, California
California share

Studio3.8%43,966
1 bedroom13%144,269
2 bedrooms28%318,016

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,565,842 workers (±6,376)

Orange County, California
California share

Drive alone68%1,057,284
Carpool8.9%139,549
Public transit1.2%18,009
Walk1.7%26,586
Bike0.6%8,871
Work from home19%290,235
Other1.6%25,308

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+12.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,275,607 workers (±6,057)

Orange County, California
California share

Under 15 min20%260,717
15–29 min40%514,740
30–44 min23%299,585

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, 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.

Orange County has 106,961 employer establishments, 340 for every 10,000 residents (1.37× the US rate of 248; 1.29× California's), with 1,580,778 paid employees at an average annual pay of $75,083. The Census Bureau also counts 334,683 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 106,961; 334,683 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 340; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 1,580,778
Average annual pay: $75,083; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	11,839	37.6	1.80×More than typical	100,035	$71,640	16,094
Restaurants and other eating places	7,707	24.5	1.33×More than typical	144,694	$28,059	1,233
Lessors of real estate	7,200	22.9	1.86×More than typical	39,830	$87,081	41,207
Management, scientific and technical consulting	5,500	17.5	2.60×More than typical	23,977	$90,330	17,159
Specialty trade contractors	4,824	15.3	0.99×About typical	71,672	$81,573	11,063
Offices of physicians	4,197	13.3	2.06×More than typical	27,911	$99,547	3,089
Limited-service restaurants	3,354	10.6	1.33×More than typical	58,754	$25,179	454
Legal services	3,050	9.7	1.80×More than typical	18,899	$115,288	4,482
Offices of other health practitioners	2,980	9.5	1.56×More than typical	17,648	$46,141	6,950
Full-service restaurants	2,919	9.3	1.21×About typical	67,911	$31,852	487
Offices of dentists	2,876	9.1	2.27×More than typical	15,947	$52,099	1,093
Real estate agents and brokers	2,860	9.1	1.87×More than typical	6,845	$87,124	10,561

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,149,341 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 $2.5B on contracts performed in Orange County, California: $801 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.5B; +84% vs FY2025
Per resident: $801; US $1,994
Sole-source: 41%; US 30%
Single offer: 10%; 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

U.S. Customs and Border Protection$415.8M16%
Department of the Navy$316.3M13%
Defense Logistics Agency$279.6M11%
Department of the Army$268.8M11%
Department of Housing and Urban Development$243.6M9.7%
Department of the Air Force$237.1M9.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs$160.3M6.4%
U.S. Special Operations Command$142.9M5.7%

Top recipients

ANDURIL INDUSTRIES, INC.$729.9M29%
CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES LLC$235.8M9.3%
PARKER-HANNIFIN CORPORATION$137.2M5.4%
RRDS INC$106M4.2%
L3HARRIS INTERSTATE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION$102.2M4.1%

Spending by fiscal year

3.4BFY2017
3.5BFY2018
3.6BFY2019
3.7BFY2020
3.2BFY2021
1.9BFY2022
2.1BFY2023
3.2B

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$661.5M26%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$415.3M16%
Securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage · 5231$235.8M9.3%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$219.9M8.7%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$130.9M5.2%

Largest awards

SINGLE FAMILY MASTER SUBSERVICER SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF GINNIE MAE'S MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (MBS) PROGRAMS.$1.1B
CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES LLC· Orange County, CA· Professional services· Aug 9, 2023 – Jul 23, 2026· 86615623C00016
C-17 SUSTAINMENT MATERIAL$539M
THE BOEING COMPANY· Orange County, CA· Professional services· Oct 1, 2017 – Apr 23, 2026· FA852618F0002
XLUUV(ORCA)SYSTEM DESIGN&TECH DATA PKG$461.1M
THE BOEING COMPANY· Orange County, CA· Research & development· Sep 28, 2017 – May 5, 2026· N0002417C6307
PURCHASE OF TOWERS

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Explore contracts in Orange 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 $22.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Orange County, California: $7,122 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $22.4B; +2.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,122; US $12,955
Loan face value: $19.8B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$11.1B49%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$3.2B14%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$2.1B9.2%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$1B4.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$826.1M3.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$786.6M3.5%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$612.6M2.7%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$500.8M2.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE$360.2M1.6%
IRVINE, CA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA$326.5M1.5%
SACRAMENTO, CA
ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY$252M1.1%
SANTA ANA, CA
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY -FULLERTON$139.6M0.6%
FULLERTON, CA
ANAHEIM HOUSING AUTHORITY

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$13B58%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$6.3B28%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$981.8M4.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$543.4M2.4%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

17.2BFY2021
16.1BFY2022
17.5BFY2023
19.3BFY2024
21.8BFY2025
22.4BFY2026

County aggregates

90%

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 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Orange 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 Orange 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.

Orange County, California
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2017	$1,069	$1,436
FY2018	$1,092	$1,552
FY2019	$1,150	$1,654
FY2020	$1,163	$1,880
FY2021	$1,003	$1,810
FY2022	$609	$1,917
FY2023	$654	$2,079
FY2024	$1,027	$2,047
FY2025	$434	$2,165
FY2026	$801 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2017	$17.95	$93.28
FY2018	$25.93	$105
FY2019	$53.39	$128
FY2020	$49.44	$145
FY2021	$25.12	$117
FY2022

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2021	$1,516	$5,748
FY2022	$885	$5,221
FY2023	$908	$5,364
FY2024	$1,355	$5,501
FY2025	$721	$5,732
FY2026	$1,065

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2021	$61.53	$298
FY2022	$123	$357
FY2023	$42.99	$301
FY2024	$99.98	$319
FY2025	$132	$360
FY2026	$107

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2021	$229	$239
FY2022	$208	$185
FY2023	$248	$229
FY2024	$259	$229
FY2025	$273	$249
FY2026	$252

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2021	$119	$2,304
FY2022	$73.00	$2,197
FY2023	$103	$2,274
FY2024	$110	$2,267
FY2025	$87.10	$2,397
FY2026	$94.62

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Orange County, California and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Orange County, California	United States
FY2021	$1,903	$1,186
FY2022	$939	$465
FY2023	$129	$76.52
FY2024	$179	$120
FY2025	$212	$148
FY2026	$182

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.

Orange County, California
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Orange County, California and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	2.2%	2.0%
2015

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/06059

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.

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

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA56Central county

Cities and towns in Orange County

Places whose residents live mostly in Orange 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 2026-10-03
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/06059

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	−5.0%	−4.2%
2015	−0.2%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.7%	+3.3%
2018	+4.3%	+6.8%
2019	+8.3%	+10.5%
2020	+19.7%	+19.4%
2021	+25.7%	+26.1%
2022	+27.7%	+30.6%
2023	+30.3%	+35.0%
2024	+36.1%	+41.0%
2025	+41.9%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	−9.4%	−5.5%
2015	−3.2%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.8%	+4.1%
2018	+8.0%	+8.9%
2019	+13.8%	+13.5%
2020	+22.7%	+20.8%
2021	+33.8%	+32.1%
2022	+38.2%	+35.4%
2023	+46.2%	+42.9%
2024	+53.7%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	3.0/1k	3.3/1k
2015	3.4/1k	3.7/1k
2016	3.6/1k	3.7/1k
2017	3.0/1k	3.9/1k
2018	2.4/1k	4.1/1k
2019	2.8/1k	4.2/1k
2020	1.9/1k	4.4/1k
2021	2.5/1k	5.2/1k
2022	1.9/1k	5.0/1k
2023	2.1/1k	4.5/1k
2024	2.2/1k	4.3/1k
2025	1.6/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	−6.8%	−6.9%
2015	−4.5%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+5.4%	+4.7%
2018	+9.5%	+7.5%
2019	+17.3%	+14.0%
2020	+21.0%	+16.9%
2021	+22.7%	+21.0%
2022	+29.9%	+29.7%
2023	+34.5%	+34.9%
2024	+40.7%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	−4.4% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−5.2% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+15.9% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+19.6% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+20.4% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+30.4% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+50.2% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+66.0% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+78.7% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+93.6% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+93.2% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	5.6%	6.2%
2015	4.5%	5.3%
2016	4.0%	4.9%
2017	3.5%	4.4%
2018	3.0%	3.9%
2019	2.8%	3.7%
2020	8.8%	8.1%
2021	6.0%	5.4%
2022	3.2%	3.7%
2023	3.5%	3.6%
2024	3.9%	4.0%
2025	4.1%	4.3%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	12.9%	15.5%
2015	12.7%	14.7%
2016	11.1%	14.0%
2017	11.5%	13.4%
2018	10.5%	13.1%
2019	9.5%	12.3%
2020	9.0%	11.9%
2021	9.9%	12.8%
2022	10.0%	12.6%
2023	9.2%	12.5%
2024	9.7%	12.1%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2015	−3.6% (Dec 2015)	−3.3% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+4.7% (Dec 2017)	+4.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+8.1% (Dec 2018)	+8.8% (Dec 2018)
2019	+11.3% (Dec 2019)	+13.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+13.4% (Dec 2020)	+15.2% (Dec 2020)
2021	+35.3% (Dec 2021)	+32.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+42.5% (Dec 2022)	+42.1% (Dec 2022)
2023	+47.8% (Dec 2023)	+46.3% (Dec 2023)
2024	+50.9% (Dec 2024)	+50.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+55.2% (Dec 2025)	+53.5% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	13.4%	13.5%
2015	10.0%	10.9%
2016	8.2%	10.0%
2017	8.3%	10.2%
2018	8.1%	10.4%
2019	8.8%	10.8%
2020	7.5%	10.4%
2021	7.9%	10.2%
2022	7.3%	9.5%
2023	7.1%	9.5%
2024	6.6%	9.8%

Calendar years	Orange County, California	United States
2014	9.6/1k	8.5/1k
2015	9.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	10.0/1k	9.1/1k
2017	10.4/1k	9.8/1k
2018	11.5/1k	10.7/1k
2019	11.7/1k	10.6/1k
2020	12.9/1k	13.1/1k
2021	14.8/1k	16.2/1k
2022	14.3/1k	15.1/1k
2023	15.6/1k	16.2/1k
2024	14.8/1k	15.4/1k
2025	15.9/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined4

Counties like Orange County, California five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Public money & outcomes

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Representation in Congress

House

Senate

Metro area

Cities and towns in Orange County

Neighboring counties

Similar counties

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined4

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Household income

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

House

Senate

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought