Morro Bay, California
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 1.3% since 2020.
10,613
people, the 370th-largest of California's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among California's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
75.0%
of 3,668 jobs located in Morro Bay are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 77% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,858
a month. California's median is $2,036.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,912 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in San Luis Obispo County.
- $1,521 Tract 101.03
- $3,433 Tract 102.06
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$765–$1,147
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,858 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 62 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 13% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 78% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.2–0.6% to the 6,531 homes here.
15–37
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 25% more than California's.
$918,200
median home value in Morro Bay.
- $918,200 Morro Bay
- $734,700 California
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year