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Compass
540 South Coast Highway, Ste 202 Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CA DRE# 01429647 -
Alcove Collective
The official headcount in Laguna Beach, CA, sits just over 22,000 residents, a figure that barely moved between the last two census counts. While many coastal California cities see constant construction and shifting demographics, this town is hemmed in by the Pacific Ocean and thousands of acres of protected wilderness, leaving little room for new housing.
For buyers and sellers, tracking these numbers reveals exactly what drives the local real estate market. The cost of a home here depends on a fixed housing stock and slow turnover, not a wave of newcomers competing for space.
Laguna Beach has about 22,391 residents, a count that has changed little since 2010 because the town is surrounded by ocean, steep hillsides, and protected open space. A stable headcount doesn't mean a stable market, as prices move based on how few homes change hands, and with 5.4 months of supply, buyers currently have room to negotiate. For the full price picture rather than just the headcount, reading the Laguna Beach housing market guide is the better next step.
This guide is for anyone looking up the Laguna Beach population who wants to know whether that number says anything useful about buying or selling a home there.
The California Department of Finance reports 22,440 residents as of January 1, 2026, which is a slight drop from 22,549 the year before. This is consistent with recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, which placed the population at 22,391 as of mid-2025. The 2020 decennial count recorded 23,032 residents.
You'll often see different numbers online depending on the source and the vintage of the data. A decennial count is a hard tally taken every ten years, while the state and the Census Bureau issue annual estimates based on tax and housing records. When a listing or article quotes a population figure, check which source and year they're citing.
Between 2010 and 2020, the city added just over 300 residents, moving from 22,723 to 23,032 people. The headcount stays mostly flat because the town is largely built out and ringed by 22,000 acres of preserved open space and wilderness parks that make up the Laguna Greenbelt. Steep canyon terrain and hillside topography further restrict where developers can break ground.
The state's 6th-cycle housing-element allocation sets how many new units the city must plan for: 394 total housing units for the 2021-2029 period. That's modest new supply relative to demand, so resale homes remain most of what you can buy.
Before assuming you can add a unit or rebuild a larger house on a specific lot, ask the city's Community Development Department about coastal development permits and hillside rules. You can find more details on local construction in the new home developments and build your own home pages.
Laguna Beach covers 8.89 square miles of land area, producing a density of 2,589.6 people per square mile as of 2020. You won't find large subdivisions here. Homes sit tight on narrow coastal strips and along winding canyon roads, and the physical layout of the town explains why large-scale building stays rare.
The city has 13,598 total housing units, with an owner-occupied rate of 66.1%. A portion of that stock is held for seasonal or occasional use, which means the resident headcount understates how many households are competing for properties. A home can sell to a seasonal buyer without the official population changing at all.
Single-family properties make up the bulk of turnover, accounting for 74 of the 89 total sales in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. For a closer look at condos and townhomes, review the types of homes page. The seasonal housing stock means the town feels considerably fuller in summer than the permanent headcount suggests.
The median sale price for all homes in Laguna Beach reached $3,285,935 in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. During that same window, the all-homes median rose 17.4% year over year, while the single-family median rose 9.2%. With so few sales closing, a handful of higher-priced transactions or a shift in property types can easily push the median up or down in either direction.
Don't read one quarter's jump as a sign that the entire market is rising at that exact speed. If you're pricing a specific property, the property valuation guide offers a more targeted look. If you're using population trends to gauge demand, skip the headcount and look directly at turnover and supply metrics instead.
You can get a rough sense of market turnover from the recent sales data. There were 89 total homes sold in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. Annualize that quarter by multiplying by four and you get about 356 sales a year against a total base of 13,598 housing units. Only a small slice of Laguna Beach's homes changes hands in a typical year.
At the same time, there were 158 homes for sale during that 90-day window, meaning more homes were sitting than selling. Scarce resale turnover, not population growth, is what sets prices here, and listings that linger give buyers an opening.
One caveat: annualizing a single quarter is rough. Sales are seasonal, so one 90-day window can over- or understate the yearly pace. Treat the result as an order of magnitude, not a forecast.
A 71-day median time on market for all homes and a 96.1% sale-to-list ratio tell you that offers below asking are normal here. Only 8% of homes sold above list price recently. If you want the most room to negotiate on price, focus on listings that have already passed the 71-day median, because a below-ask offer on a stale listing is consistent with how the market is clearing.
Single-family homes are where most of the action is, accounting for 74 of the 89 sales in the latest quarter, so that's where you'll find the widest choice. Sellers should plan accordingly: if you want a realistic timeline, use the 69-day single-family median as your baseline, then review the how long to sell guide for more context.
Review a listing's price history and days on market before writing an offer. For other local factors, you can look into property taxes, cost of living, and commute times directly. To confirm school assignments, use the district's own address lookup rather than relying on listing descriptions. Alcove Collective can pull recent sales for a specific street if you need detailed comparable data.
The median price per square foot for all homes was $1,600 in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. High home values reflect the cost of entry here. You can see where prices run highest on the most expensive areas page.
Yes, housing is the dominant cost, with the single-family median sale price reaching $3,373,655 for the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, based on 74 sales. The cost of living page has details on utilities, groceries, and other daily expenses.
Laguna Beach is in Orange County and covers 8.89 square miles. It's a separate city from neighboring towns, so searchers often compare it directly to Laguna Niguel and Laguna Hills.
It sits on the Orange County coast between Los Angeles and San Diego. The drive to downtown Los Angeles is approximately 50 miles, taking about 55 minutes to an hour depending on the route. You can check the commute times page for more details on daily driving.
The US Postal Service assigns 92651 as the standard zip code covering most residential and business addresses in the city, while 92652 is used for PO boxes. Confirm the zip code for a specific address with a USPS lookup, because some nearby addresses carry Laguna names but sit in other cities.
The resident population sits just over 22,000, and the city receives a large influx of visitors during summer and festival weekends. If congestion near a specific home concerns you, visit the street on a summer weekend before you commit. The getting around page has information on parking and trolley options.
Safety metrics rest on official crime data from the Laguna Beach Police Department and FBI reporting. Because the city has a large visitor population, per-resident crime rates can sometimes appear inflated relative to the stable headcount. The safety page has a closer look at the data.
The city is known for its coves, coastline, and origins as an early-1900s art colony. The first Festival of Arts was produced by local artist John H. Hinchman and held in downtown Laguna in August 1932. You can learn more about its past and current events on the history and things to do pages.
Compass
540 South Coast Highway, Ste 202 Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CA DRE# 01429647
Alcove Collective