Alpine, California

Area Profile

15,180 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Alpine, in San Diego County.

45out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 8% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
Opportunity2,881st of 4,199 cities measured47
SchoolsTop 46% of 4,162 cities measured52
Growth2,362nd of 4,224 cities measured47
Housing affordability4,087th of 4,218 cities measured29
ClimateTop 10% of 4,225 cities measured84
Physical resilience4,074th of 4,226 cities measured9
Access3,890th of 4,226 cities measured64
Economic stability2,993rd of 4,226 cities measured46
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.7% and median household income $108,660, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for San Diego County, CA, which contains Alpine, rather than for Alpine alone.

In the public schools here, 45% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 22.7 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 10,424 units authorized over the past twelve months, 19% below the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for San Diego County, CA, which contains Alpine, rather than for Alpine alone.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
15,180
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$108,660
Top 14% nationally
Density
567/sq mi
26.8 sq mi of land
Median age
42.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
California
Nearest major airport
TRM
64 mi · Jacqueline Cochran Rgnl
Median home value
$864,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across San Diego County, CA, which contains Alpine, is 4.7% — higher than in all but 36% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across San Diego County, CA, which contains Alpine, fell 2.0% over the past year, to 1,557,954 employed residents.

33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 74% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $108,660 is higher than in 86% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsSan Diego County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$90,05074th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftSan Diego County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$86,13271st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$7,6672024 ACS 5-Year$108,660Top 14%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$5,3642024 ACS 5-Year$49,644Top 18%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year12.7%Bottom 42%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year32.4 minBottom 24%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year33.0%Top 26%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year75.5%44th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentSan Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 20261,557,954Top 3%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)San Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−1.6%Bottom 29%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)San Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−2.0%Bottom 20%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceSan Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 20261,634,42197th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year72.1%Bottom 31%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$79,060Top 19%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$58,690Top 26%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%78th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)San Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 2026−0.3%Top 38%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateSan Diego County, CA’s figureJuly 20264.7%Bottom 36%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year16.1%79th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024112k104k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $108,660 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides57,080$35,300
Fast Food and Counter Workers42,550$42,190
Retail Salespersons34,390$37,810
Cashiers30,420$37,020
Registered Nurses28,680$139,520
Office Clerks, General28,470$49,920

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for San Diego County, CA, which contains this city.

45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 60% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 22.7 students for every full-time teacher across 6 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
6
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
22.7
across all schools here
Math proficiency
44.8%
Top 38% in California
Reading proficiency
59.5%
Top 35% in California
All 6 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Joan MacQueen MiddleAlpine Union Elementary40519.336%57%
Shadow Hills ElementaryAlpine Union Elementary37720.942%62%
Boulder Oaks ElementaryAlpine Union Elementary36722.952%57%
The Heights Charter · charterThe Heights Charter District28331.452%62%
Creekside Early Learning CenterAlpine Union Elementary22725.2——
Mountain View Learning AcademyAlpine Union Elementary6421.345%65%

32.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against California’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 11% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 110.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area is up 41% over five years, and up 2.5% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $6,056 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.70% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $3,050, some 55% above the $1,973 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $3,050 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $122,000 a year, about 112% of the median household income here of $108,660.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,973 a month.

A median home at $864,000 costs 7.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $121,944, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Cost of living
110.7

Prices here run about 11% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
34.8%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
7.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$3,050
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,973
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$864,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Alpine’s median household income of $108,660, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2023110.7Bottom 20%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+2.5%38th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+40.8%45th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+96.1%53rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.92024 ACS 5-Year7.1Bottom 2%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year73.9%46th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3862024 ACS 5-Year5,61290th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$2,500Bottom 6%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$4,060Bottom 4%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$3,050Bottom 5%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$2002024 ACS 5-Year$1,973Bottom 8%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$32,4632024 ACS 5-Year$864,00097th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$4982024 ACS 5-Year$6,05694th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$14,2212024 ACS 5-Year$121,944Top 14%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year0.70%29th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year34.8%Bottom 21%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±162024 ACS 5-Year1468th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.2%53rd percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year3.3%28th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1572024 ACS 5-Year19878th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

47/ 100
Ranks 2,362 of 4,224 published city profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Federal tax returns show San Diego County, which contains Alpine, lost about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $90,050, close to the $86,132 of households that moved out.

At 3.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for San Diego County, CA, which contains Alpine, rather than for Alpine alone.

Units permitted
10K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.2
Top 43% nationally
Year over year
−19%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
56.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.7%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
58%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$90,050
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$86,132
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Los Angeles County, CA 9,296 people · 8.8% of arrivals
  2. Riverside County, CA 8,425 people · 8.0% of arrivals
  3. Orange County, CA 5,810 people · 5.5% of arrivals
  4. San Bernardino County, CA 2,928 people · 2.8% of arrivals
  5. Maricopa County, AZ 2,636 people · 2.5% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Riverside County, CA 12,708 people · 10% of departures
  2. Los Angeles County, CA 6,906 people · 5.6% of departures
  3. Orange County, CA 4,787 people · 3.8% of departures
  4. Maricopa County, AZ 3,877 people · 3.1% of departures
  5. Clark County, NV 3,142 people · 2.5% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for San Diego County, CA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Alpine, CA is not one. This is the figure for San Diego County, CA, which contains this city.

Weather & climate

8 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 89°F and January a low of 37°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 14.6 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 71, in the Moderate band, and about 52 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station RAMONA AP, 16.4 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year1052024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals14.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals37°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals89°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals81991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year522024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year712024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals24°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
71
Moderate on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
105
90th percentile index
Days above 100
52
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

9 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, wildfire and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 42% of it.

WildfireHigh
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeHigh
Heat waveModerate
AvalancheModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, lightning, hail, coastal flooding, tornado, drought, tsunami, strong wind, winter weather, volcanic activity, hurricane, cold wave, ice storm.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

San Diego County records 1.9 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 5.4 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 18.7 per 100,000 residents in San Diego County.

Homicide
1.9
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
5.4
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
18.7
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
10.0
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Alpine (San Diego County) rather than Alpine itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Jacqueline Cochran Rgnl at 64 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year95.8%Top 21%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle64 miBottom 7%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%Top 14%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Jacqueline Cochran RgnlTRM64 mi8,500 ft
Palm Springs IntlPSP70 mi10,000 ft
March ARBRIV77 mi13,302 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
45
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Other cities in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
San DiegoSan Diego County1,389,52651San Diego vs Alpine
Chula VistaSan Diego County276,37549Chula Vista vs Alpine
OceansideSan Diego County172,24243Oceanside vs Alpine
EscondidoSan Diego County149,66841
CarlsbadSan Diego County114,37351
El CajonSan Diego County104,44940
VistaSan Diego County99,11444
San MarcosSan Diego County94,88250
EncinitasSan Diego County61,48054
La MesaSan Diego County60,79748
SanteeSan Diego County59,33244
National CitySan Diego County58,89332

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Alpine side by side with a similar place.

Alpine vs RamonaAlpine vs Punta Gorda

Moving to Alpine from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Alpine

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Alpine with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Alpine closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
9190118,197$114,167$852,000—