436,251 people (2024 Census estimate, −1.0% since 2020)
3,282 square miles of land · 133 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
157 active community water systems list Monterey County in the area they serve, reporting 461,823 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CAL AM WATER COMPANY - MONTEREY groundwater (surface-influenced) · private · CA2710004 | 128,928 served |
| CWSC SALINAS groundwater · private · CA2710010 | 114,286 served |
| ALCO WATER SERVICE groundwater · private · CA2710001 | 56,253 served |
| MARINA COAST WATER DISTRICT groundwater · local government · CA2710017 | 38,918 served |
| SOLEDAD, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA2710011 | 19,732 served |
| GREENFIELD, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA2710008 | 18,967 served |
| CWSC KING CITY groundwater · private · CA2710009 | 14,046 served |
| GONZALES, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA2710007 | 8,333 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 820 people were held in Monterey County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 789.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
25 school districts have their office in Monterey County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $368.3 million — $299.3 million to run schools, about $18,321 per student, plus $53.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $82.2 million local (mostly property tax), $251 million state, $40.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $141.2 million.
Spent $206.5 million — $161.7 million to run schools, about $17,464 per student, plus $33.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $93.8 million local (mostly property tax), $103.6 million state, $22.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $225.6 million.
Spent $177.8 million — $169 million to run schools, about $20,429 per student, plus $3.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $37.8 million local (mostly property tax), $130.4 million state, $32.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $59.4 million.
Spent $156 million — $132.7 million to run schools, about $17,675 per student, plus $12.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $31 million local (mostly property tax), $162.4 million state, $24 million federal. Long-term debt: $94.9 million.
Spent $89.2 million — $82.3 million to run schools, about $17,342 per student, plus $3.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $23 million local (mostly property tax), $85.4 million state, $9.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $61.3 million.
Spent $96.4 million — $91.4 million to run schools, about $20,398 per student, plus $2.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $32.7 million local (mostly property tax), $64.7 million state, $10.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $33.6 million.
Spent $81.3 million — $59.5 million to run schools, about $17,812 per student, plus $16 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.6 million local (mostly property tax), $73.3 million state, $11.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $44.4 million.
Spent $57.7 million — $52.4 million to run schools, about $16,217 per student, plus $2.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $13.7 million local (mostly property tax), $53.4 million state, $5.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $22.7 million.
And 17 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Monterey County about $402.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
378 bridges in Monterey County: 215 in good condition, 136 fair, and 27 poor (7.1%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| SANBORN RD over UP RR & AMTRAK · built 1948 | 28,392 vehicles a day |
| SANBORN RD over UP RR & AMTRAK · built 1967 | 28,392 vehicles a day |
| US HIGHWAY 101 SB over BRADLEY RD · built 1965 | 8,100 vehicles a day |
| MONTE RD over SALINAS RIVER · built 1943 | 2,200 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 1 over LIMEKILN CREEK · built 1957 | 2,000 vehicles a day |
| SARGENTS ROAD over PANCHO RICO CREEK · built 1935 | 890 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $171.7 million of work in Monterey County in fiscal 2025, about $391 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Monterey County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Monterey County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: San Benito County (29 mi) · Santa Cruz County (66 mi) · Santa Clara County (71 mi) · Merced County (74 mi) · San Luis Obispo County (76 mi) · Kings County (84 mi).