Hot semi-arid
San Marcos, California
San Diego County, California · Population 94k · 581 ft elevation
Living in San Marcos
San Marcos has a hot semi-arid climate: hot summers (July highs around 87°F) and mild winters (January lows around 45°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 15″ a year, and it essentially never sees snow.
Skies are exceptionally sunny (86% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is poor: a median AQI of 67, with about 33 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
There is plenty to explore outdoors around San Marcos: about 15% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,500 ft around town.
San Marcos at a glance
- Population
- 94k
- Elevation
- 581 ft
- Average daily high
- 77°F81th percentile
- Average daily low
- 54°F81th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 15″9th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 0″0th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,845 hrs98th percentile
- Median AQI
- 6796th percentile
- Median home value
- $792k94th percentile
- Median rent
- $2,191/mo90th percentile
- Median household income
- $105k77th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.79%35th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 95%76th percentile
- Walkability index
- 10.368th percentile
- Average commute
- 27 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 48%56th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 69%
- Violent crime rate
- 106 per 100k33th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 397 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 10093th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 8584th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 3%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 15%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,510 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°F | 45°F | 3.2″ | — | 250 hrs |
| Feb | 69°F | 46°F | 3.6″ | — | 236 hrs |
| Mar | 71°F | 49°F | 2.2″ | — | 307 hrs |
| Apr | 74°F | 52°F | 1.0″ | — | 336 hrs |
| May | 77°F | 57°F | 0.3″ | — | 386 hrs |
| Jun | 82°F | 60°F | 0.1″ | — | 405 hrs |
| Jul | 87°F | 65°F | 0.1″ | — | 394 hrs |
| Aug | 89°F | 65°F | 0.1″ | — | 380 hrs |
| Sep | 87°F | 63°F | 0.2″ | — | 337 hrs |
| Oct | 81°F | 57°F | 0.6″ | — | 311 hrs |
| Nov | 75°F | 49°F | 1.1″ | — | 263 hrs |
| Dec | 68°F | 44°F | 2.1″ | — | 241 hrs |
Near San Marcos
- Lake San Marcos, CA · 5k
- Escondido, CA · 150k
- Vista, CA · 99k
- Carlsbad, CA · 115k
- Hidden Meadows, CA · 3.9k
- Rancho Santa Fe, CA · 2.6k
- Encinitas, CA · 62k
- Fairbanks Ranch, CA · 2.8k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology