Circuit City, Sand City CA, 2009
Sand City’s story
56 years in pictures
Census counts: 212 in 1970, 325 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1913 on.
- 1970Sand City is settled
Photo: Clotee Pridgen Alloc… · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
323
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Median home value
$1.08M
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
36.8
years
Jobs based here
1,342
A job hub
Is Sand City a good place to live?
36% of residents live below the poverty line in Sand City, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Sand City’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, at 1,522 acres. Sand City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Sand City stand out
Where Sand City beats most towns.
Small town
323 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
SeasideSand City
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sand City: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sand City, and how to reach them.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCal Am Water Company - MontereyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpEvery weekCurbside recyclingTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMonterey County ElectionsMonterey County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9395593955 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sand City.
Work & commute
Sand City has 9.8 jobs for every working resident, and 1,338 people commute in
Most working residents leave Sand City for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Sand City is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Sand City has added 107 jobs, to 1,342 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Sand City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sand City3%
Monterey31%
Seaside12%
Salinas8%
Del Monte Forest7%
5 mi
median commute distance
1,342
jobs based in Sand City
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Very high risk in Sand City, with earthquakes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities.
82risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Sand City stands out in California and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler
Sand City’s July high is 65°F. Sand City has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain.
68°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–60°
Spring48–62°
Summer53–65°
Fall50–66°
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
68°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Sand City
198 crimes were reported in Sand City in 2025: 184 property and 14 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Sand City is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
14
violent crimes reported in 2025
184
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Sand City is
Sand City beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 29% of Sand City adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Sand City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better10 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Sand City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 5.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.2% | 7.3% |
| More smokers | 18% | 10.9% |
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
4.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Younger than California overall
People 65 and older are 12% of residents (16% statewide). 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California. 29% never finished high school.
36.8median age · CA 37.9
Sand CityCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma29%
High school10%
Some college15%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate16%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 16% and 52% women
The Census survey reached too few of Sand City’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±17.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Sand City | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 29.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 10.2% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
4%conserved
4%
conserved · 74 of 1,853 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary | — | 1,522 |
| 2. Fort Ord Dunes State Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Calabrese Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 78 attractions →Monterey Bay Aquarium and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sand City. Close and well known come first.
3 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
3 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
7 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive
34 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year11 mi Canyon & gorgeMonterey Canyon
26 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach BoardwalkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sand City
18pages on Sand City
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Sand City
Naval Postgraduate SchoolUniversity or college · Public · Monterey2.3 miMonterey Peninsula CollegeCommunity college · Public · Monterey3 mi$1,188 in-state tuitionMiddlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Monterey3.2 mi
About 8 of every 100 Sand City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,338 people come to Sand City for work
Where Sand City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,342jobs based in Sand City
3%of working residents work in town
5 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sand City
City in California, United States
Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet (22 m). The population was 325 at the 2020 census. The city is predominantly a business community, and has a number of larger retail stores. The West End area of Sand City, once an industrial area, hosts a growing artists' colony. Every August, the artists of Sand City and neighboring areas hold a street fair called the "West End Celebration".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 72 ft
- Area code
- 831
Questions about Sand City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sand City, CA a good place to live?
Sand City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.