Morro Bay, CA · standard
ZIP Code 93442
San Luis Obispo County, California - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 10,789
- 93/sq mi
- $95,623
- Median income
- $918,700
- Median home value
- 46.8%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Morro Bay pairs an upper-quartile household income with top-decile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 22%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 3%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 93
- people per sq mi
- 66%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 93442 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 93442 (Morro Bay, CA) fell -1.6% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 331.8 in 2023 to 326.5 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 93442 is a mid-sized community (a standard USPS delivery area) in Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, California, home to 10,789 residents across 116.3 square miles, a density of 93 people per square mile, in the Los Angeles time zone.
ZIP 93442 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $95,623 (6% below the average California ZIP), while per-capita income is $63,155. The poverty rate is 8.8%, with unemployment at 7.5%; those measures add context to the income figure. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $918,700 (19% above the average California ZIP), while 65.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and median rent is $1,855.
A solid share of residents have a four-year degree: 46.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 54.5, and the average commute is 21 minutes. The page also surfaces 6 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in San Luis Obispo County, so 93442 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 93442
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Morro Bay, CA
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 93442.
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
89 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
65 establishments
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Professional, scientific, and technical services
41 establishments
- Construction
Construction
40 establishments
- Health care and social assistance 35
Health care and social assistance
35 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 93442, Morro Bay, CA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
10,789
Population
116.3
Area (sq mi)
93
People / sq mi
Los Angeles
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 93442?
54.5
Median Age
50.1%
Male
49.9%
Female
6.4%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$95,623
Median Household Income
-6% vs state ZIP avg
$63,155
Per Capita Income
8.8%
Poverty Rate
7.5%
Unemployment Rate
20.5 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
6,924housing units
6,924
Total Housing Units
5,433
Occupied Units
1,491
Vacant Units
2.10
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$918,700
Median Home Value
+19% vs state ZIP avg
$1,855
Median Rent
1974
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
-1.6%
YoY Change (2024)
327
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+227%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 93442 have decreased 1.6% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +227% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.0% | 242 |
| 2021 | +10.4% | 267 |
| 2022 | +15.0% | 307 |
| 2023 | +8.1% | 332 |
| 2024 | -1.6% | 327 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 392 business establishments in ZIP 93442, employing approximately 3,322 people with a combined annual payroll of $130,240,000.
392
Businesses
3,322
Employees
$130.2M
Annual Payroll
14
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 89 | 22.7% |
| Retail trade | 65 | 16.6% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 41 | 10.5% |
| Construction | 40 | 10.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 35 | 8.9% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 27 | 6.9% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 26 | 6.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 15 | 3.8% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 15 | 3.8% |
| Manufacturing | 9 | 2.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 8 | 2.0% |
| Information | 8 | 2.0% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 6 | 1.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 0.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 93442 vs 93402 →
ZIP 93442 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 93405
San Luis Obispo (93405)
35,440 residents
- 93422
Atascadero (93422)
31,375 residents
- 93402
Los Osos (93402)
14,318 residents
- 93442 10,789
Morro Bay (93442)
10,789 residents
- 93465 9,153
Templeton (93465)
9,153 residents
- 93430 2,972
Cayucos (93430)
2,972 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 93442 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 93442 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 93465
Templeton (93465)
$129,259 median income
- 93402
Los Osos (93402)
$109,090 median income
- 93442
Morro Bay (93442)
$95,623 median income
- 93422
Atascadero (93422)
$91,780 median income
- 93430
Cayucos (93430)
$89,519 median income
- 93405
San Luis Obispo (93405)
$60,399 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 93442 ranks #3 of 6 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 93442, both outside CA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (10,789 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.