Los Osos is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 14,465 people and three associated neighborhoods, Los Osos is the 361st largest community in California.

Housing costs in Los Osos are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 13.77% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Los Osos is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

The citizens of Los Osos are among the most well-educated in the nation: 46.31% of adults in Los Osos have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Los Osos in 2022 was $44,183, which is middle income relative to California, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $176,732 for a family of four. However, Los Osos contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Los Osos is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Los Osos home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Los Osos residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Los Osos also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 18.35% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Los Osos include Irish, German, English, Italian, and European.

The most common language spoken in Los Osos is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.