Back to GreatPlacesToRetire.com GreatPlacesToRetire


Retire To San Luis Obispo, CA
City Report

San Luis Obispo, California is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics.


Click for San_Luis_Obispo, California Weather Forecast

Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides a birds-eye view of the city.

Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to San Luis Obispo in that certain data category. Check back often for home price updates.


San Luis Obispo, California
Mission San Luis Obispo
© iStockPhoto.com/vsolanoy

View the latest San Luis Obispo real estate blogs!

To San Luis Obispo City Profile
To San Luis Obispo Profile

Back to Home


San Luis Obispo, California


Population
. 1990 2000 2007
San Luis Obispo County blank 246,681 blank
San Luis Obispo 41,958 44,174 43,516



San Luis Obispo
Home Sales Prices
(new & existing homes)
. Average Annual Average Yr-Over-Yr Change
2010 .$465,113-1.8%
Jun $451,759 . .
May $502,114 . .
Apr $403,839 . .
Mar $544,552 . .
Feb $463,778 . .
Jan $437,344 . .
2009 .$473,703-12.8%
2008 .$543,364-7.6%
2007 . $588,024 -11.0%
2006 . $660,836 4.4%
2005 . $633,016 13.4%
 Local Home Resources Resources:
     






Cost of Living (2010)
165% GPTR 99 City Average
127%



Home Sales Price Comparison
(2010)
. . GPTR 99 City Avg
Near Large City Los Angeles na
Home Sales Price in Los Angeles $331,000 $213,000
Home Sales Price Bargain Index 141% of Los Angeles home prices 155%



San Luis Obispo
Distance to Nearest Large City
(pop. > 200,000)
122 miles  to Bakersfield GPTR 99 City Average
97 miles



Air Quality
. Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days Unhealthy Days
2008 192 100 41 2
2007 225 122 18 0
2006 275 81 9 0
2005 351 13 1 0




San Luis Obispo
Water Quality
. % Good % Threatened % Impaired
2006 na na na
2004 32 0 68
2002 33 1 66




Taxes
(2009-2010)
blank Tax Rate Days Worked to Pay State Rank Tax Rate
(99 City Avg)
Days Worked to Pay
(99 City Avg)
State and Local Sales Tax 9.1% -- 2* 6.8% --
Federal, State and Local Tax -- 104 days 7* -- 99 days
* State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes



San Luis Obispo
Recreation
. # of Parks # of Parks
(99 City Avg)
National Parks, Historic Sites, etc.
(managed by National Park Service)
Pinnacles National Monument 7
National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc.
(other federal agency-managed sites)
15 26
State Parks, Sites, etc. 10 11



Crime Report
(crimes per 10,000 population)
. Total Crimes Violent Crimes Property Crimes
2008 426 31 395
2007 470 39 431
2006 429 36 393
2005 443 38 405




San Luis Obispo
Climate
(1971-2000)
. . 99 City Avg
January - Avg Low Temp 42 F 27 F
January - Avg Daily Temp 53 F 37 F
July - Avg Daily Temp 67 F 74 F
July - Avg High Temp 80 F 86 F
Avg Annual Precipitation 24 in 35 in



Elevation
315 feet GPTR 99 City Average
1,660 feet



San Luis Obispo
Natural Hazards
. Risk Level 99 City Average
Total Hazard Risk Higher Moderate
Earthquake 40% .6%
Tsunami Risk No Risk
Hurricane 0 0
Flood Very High Very High
Tornado Very Low Low
Volcano No Risk No Risk
Wildfire High Low



Demographics
(2006)
. . 99 City Avg
White 84.1% 83.3%
Black 1.5% 6.9%
Native American 0.6% 0.8%
Asian 5.3% 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
Other 4.8% 3.3%
Multiple Races 3.6% 2.4%
Hispanic (of any race) 11.7% 8.7%



San Luis Obispo
Median Age (2006)
26 years GPTR 99 City Average
36 years



Family Income & Housing
(2006)
. . 99 City Average
Total Housing Units 19,306 26,131
Occupied Housing Units 97% 86%
Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) 3% 14%
Home Ownership Rate 42% 54%
Median Family Income $56,319 $55,423
Average Family Size 2.90 2.91



San Luis Obispo
Medical Care
(2009)
Hospital/Medical Center City Distance from City Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO GPTR 99 City
Average
French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo In the city Yes 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center San Luis Obispo In the city Yes



Population Density
(2007)
. . 99 City Avg
Land Area (sq mi) 11 31
People Per Square Mile 3,956 2,035



San Luis Obispo
Building Permits
(single family homes)
2009 29
2008 69
2007 48
2006 38
2005 27




Heating and Cooling Degree Days
(avg annual)
. . 99 City Avg
Total Degree Days 2,614 5,926
HDD 2,138 4,677
CDD 476 1,249



EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(San Luis Obispo Area)
San Luis Obispo Area EPA Cleanup Sites


Legend:
Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites and 4)Brownfields Properties (EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)



San Luis Obispo Area Interactive Maps

(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out, change format, navigate or rotate. Click map and drag mouse
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)



Top of Page Back to Home Compare Cities Report

To San Luis Obispo City Profile
To San Luis Obispo Profile

To add this San Luis Obispo city report to your blog or web site, embed this code inside your html:




GreatPlacesToRetire.com Terms & Privacy | Site Map | About Us | Data Sources | Links | Advertise | Revised: 07/15/2010

Copyright © 2010 Great Places To Retire