State Ledger
State profile

California FIPS 06

Population
39,455,353
Median household income
$84,097
Nonfarm employment
18,103,800
Business establishments
1,029,689

State Highlights

Largest employer sector
Health care and social assistance
2,347,305 employees
Business concentration
14.3%
of private employment in Health care and social assistance
Home prices, 1 year
+0.9%
FHFA
Federal outlays per capita
$9,070.15
USASpending.gov

Economy & Labor

Total nonfarm employment

BLS Current Employment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted · persons · 20 months available · latest observation: August 2026
Employment ratio
45.8%
employed ÷ population
Unemployed population (ACS)
1,303,741
Vs. July
▲ 74,500
Business density
26.0 per 1,000
establishments per capita

Leading Industries

Leading industries by employment

Ranked by private-sector employment, same measure as the Business & Industry tab · see the full breakdown there
1 Health care and social assistance 2,347,305 employees
2 Accommodation and food services 1,788,988 employees
3 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 1,738,165 employees
4 Retail trade 1,702,044 employees
5 Professional, scientific, and technical services 1,430,821 employees

Leading Public Companies

Top 5 by latest reported revenue

SEC EDGAR / XBRL Company Facts · see the full listing on the Public Companies tab
Apple Inc. · AAPL
$416.16B
Electronic Computers
$402.84B
Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc.
NVIDIA CORP · NVDA
$215.94B
Semiconductors & Related Devices
$200.97B
Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc.
$94.43B
Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation

Population & People

Homeownership rate
55.5%
7.34M of 13.22M occupied homes are owner-occupied

Population by age

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimate (table B01001) · reconciles to total population
0–17
8.99M · 22.8%
18–24
3.67M · 9.3%
25–34
5.94M · 15.1%
35–44
5.34M · 13.5%
45–54
5.04M · 12.8%
55–64
4.80M · 12.2%
65–74
3.36M · 8.5%
75+
2.31M · 5.8%

Housing & Real Estate

Median home value
$573,200
Median gross rent
$1,698 / month
Vacancy rate
7.8%
Total housing units
14.33M
Owner-occupied homes
7.34M
Renter-occupied homes
5.88M
Home prices, 1 year
+0.9%
Home prices, 5 years
+28.1%
Latest FHFA period
2026 Q2

ACS: 2021 ACS 5-year · FHFA: 2026 Q2

ACS housing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau — median home value reflects owner-reported value, not a current sale price. House-price changes are from the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, a measure of price appreciation over time, not a home-value estimate.

Federal Spending

Total federal outlays
$358.60B
Outlays per capita
$9,070.15
Total prime award value
$447.34B

Source: USASpending.gov · specific reporting period not published in this dataset