Salinas is a relatively large coastal city (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of California. With a population of 150,724 people and 25 constituent neighborhoods, Salinas is the 25th largest community in California.

When you are in Salinas, you'll notice that it is more blue-collar than most other communities in America. 38.4% of Salinas's employed work in blue-collar jobs, while America averages only 24.7% that do. Overall, Salinas is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and farmers, fishers, or foresters. There are especially a lot of people living in Salinas who work in office and administrative support jobs (13.24%), sales jobs (10.79%), and management occupations (4.95%).

The city is also nautical, which means that parts of Salinas are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Salinas Information and Demographics

The percentage of adults in Salinas with college degrees is slightly lower than the national average of 14.96% for all communities. 12.30% of adults in Salinas have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Salinas in 2000 was $14,495, which is lower middle income relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $57,980 for a family of four.

Salinas is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Salinas home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Salinas, accounting for 64.38% of the city's residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The most prevalent race in Salinas is Asian, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Salinas include German, Irish, and English.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Salinas's cultural character, accounting for 35.17% of the city's population.

The most common language spoken in Salinas is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and Tagalog.