Right Now
Weather
60.8°F
Mostly Cloudy
Today: Haze, high 72°F
Air Quality (PM2.5, Salinas)
33
GoodNearest reporting area, 2.2 mi away. Preliminary and may be revised. Source: EPA AirNow.
Active Weather Alerts
1
Marine Weather Statement (statewide feed)
- Marine Weather Statement — Coastal Waters from Point Pinos to Point Piedras Blancas California out to 10 nm
Population & People
Population
161,761
Median age
32.4
Median household income
$91,908
Poverty rate
13.6%
Unemployment rate
4.7%
Bachelor's degree+
16.5%
Avg. commute
25 min
Hispanic or Latino
80.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Housing & Rent
Median home value
$654,100
Median gross rent
$1,991/mo
Homeownership rate
46.98%
HUD FMR — 2 bedroom
$4,214
HUD Fair Market Rent (Santa Cruz County, 31 mi from Salinas), 2026. Efficiency $3179, 1BR $3298, 2BR $4214, 3BR $5377, 4BR $5659. This is a different official figure from Census median gross rent above.
Energy
California gasoline midgrade
$5.71
California commercial electricity
26.36¢/kWh
California industrial electricity
21.62¢/kWh
California residential electricity
32.54¢/kWh
Economy
Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total
4250840.8
Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total
3388904.8
All-Transactions House Price Index for California
976.79
Unemployment Rate
5.2%
Source: FRED, California-specific series.