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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

Location in the state of California

Country

February 18, 1850

Largest city

Salinas

Government

• Type

Council–CAO

• Body

Board of Supervisors

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

5,865 ft (1,788 m)

Population

(2020)

• Total

439,035

• Density

134/sq mi (52/km²)

Time zone

UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)

• Summer (DST)

UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)

Area codes

805, 831

Congressional districts

18th, 19th

Monterey County (ⁱ/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. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.

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.

History

Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey, namesake of Monterey Bay and thus the city and the county.

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. 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.

Geography

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. 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.

Adjacent counties

Monterey

Counties and bodies of water adjacent to Monterey County, California

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.

National protected areas

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.

Marine protected areas

Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area
Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve
Elkhorn Slough State Marine Conservation Area
Moro Cojo Slough State Marine Reserve
Portuguese Ledge State Marine Conservation Area
Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area
Lovers Point State Marine Reserve
Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area
Asilomar State Marine Reserve

Flora and fauna

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

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
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	3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**Monterey County, California - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	136,435	120,077	32.87%	27.35%
Black or African American alone (NH)	11,300	9,051	2.72%	2.06%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1,361	1,314	0.33%	0.30%
Asian alone (NH)	23,777	25,123	5.73%	5.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1,868	1,859	0.45%	0.42%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	741	2,170	0.18%	0.49%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	9,572	14,120	2.31%	3.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	230,003	265,321	55.41%	60.43%
Total	415,057	439,035	100.00%	100.00%

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 can be of any race.

Income, education and poverty 2013

Median Household Income across the populated northern half of Monterey County, as of 2014.

Percent of affluent households (i.e. $150k annual income or higher) across census tracts in most populated area of the county.

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.) and comprised roughly 8%-10% of neighborhoods (as defined by Census Block Groups). Educational attainment was at least on part with, or above, state and national levels, 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).

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. Overall, the Salinas metropolitan area, defined as coterminous with Monterey County, was among the least educated urban areas in the nation.

Most affluent neighborhoods

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.

Most affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income above $100k/yr.)

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).

Least affluent neighborhoods

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.

Least affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income of $34.1k or less)

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).

2011

Thematic map showing percentage of households speaking only English at home.

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

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
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	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
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

2010

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.

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

2000

As of the census 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.

Media

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.

Home prices

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.

Transportation

Major highways

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

Public transportation

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.

Airports

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.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Aromas
Boronda
Bradley
Carmel Valley Village
Castroville
Chualar
Del Monte Forest, includes the well-known community of Pebble Beach
Elkhorn
Fort Hunter Liggett
Las Lomas
Lockwood
Moss Landing
Pajaro
Pine Canyon
Prunedale
San Ardo
San Lucas
Spreckels

Unincorporated communities

Other places

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

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Monterey County.

† 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

Education

School districts include:

Unified:

Aromas-San Juan Unified School District
Big Sur Unified School District
Gonzales Unified School District - It serves grades PK-12 in some sections and grades 9-12 only in other sections
Carmel Unified School District
Coalinga-Huron Unified School District
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
North Monterey County Unified School District
Pacific Grove Unified School District
Pajaro Valley Joint Unified School District
Shandon Joint Unified School District
Soledad Unified School District

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: