Monterey is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 29,571 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Monterey is the 257th largest community in California.

Monterey home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Monterey real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

The armed forces are a huge part of the life in Monterey, employing 15.72% of the workforce. While it is a military town, the civilian sector still plays an important role in the local economy, where the Education and Healthcare industries employ 14.01% and 12.10% of the civilian workforce, respectively.

Also of interest is that Monterey has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Monterey is also a city of artists. Monterey has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Monterey’s character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 21.26% 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.

Monterey, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Monterey 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.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Monterey. 53.97% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Monterey in 2022 was $57,335, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $229,340 for a family of four. However, Monterey contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Monterey is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Monterey home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Monterey residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Monterey also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 19.28% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Monterey include German, Irish, English, Italian, and French.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Monterey's cultural character, accounting for 16.23% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Monterey is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.