San Juan Capistrano, California

City in Orange County · population 35,196 (2020 Census)

Median home: $993,800
Household income: $129,457
Jan low / Jul high: 44° / 80°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 5
Median age: 46.2

San Juan Capistrano is a city of 35,196 people in Orange County, California. The median home is worth $993,800, above the typical California town ($596,900). It ranks more seaside character than 86% of California towns, better for cycling than 80% of California towns, more vibrant than 79% of California towns.

How San Juan Capistrano ranks

Percentile among California towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of California towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in San Juan Capistrano is worth $993,800, above the typical California town ($596,900). Homes cost about 7.7 times the median household income of $129,457, which is more affordable than 31% of California towns. Median rent is $2,438 a month. 81.0% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of California towns with 500+ people.

Housing	San Juan Capistrano	Typical California town
Median home value	$993,800	$596,900
Median rent	$2,438	$1,827
Median household income	$129,457	$91,557
Home value ÷ income	7.7×	6.4×
Homeownership	81.0%	67.4%
Median year built	1979	1977
Seasonal / vacation homes	1.2%	—

Who lives in San Juan Capistrano

People	San Juan Capistrano	Typical California town
Median age	46.2	40.2
Age 65 and over	21.5%	17.7%
Under 18	21.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.4%	27.7%
Below the poverty line	8.3%	10.3%
Veterans	5.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	17.4%	—
Work from home	17.3%	13.4%
Average commute	26.5 min	27.5 min
Homes with broadband	95.7%	93.3%

Weather in San Juan Capistrano

July highs average 79.5°F and January lows 44.2°F. About 12.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical California town: 0.0 in). Expect about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 1 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Laguna Beach station (7.9 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of San Juan Capistrano since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical California town. The strongest, an F1, struck on November 9, 1982 about 5.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on December 29, 1992.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 2 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on September 10, 2011.

Severe weather in Orange County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Orange County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 24 deaths recorded.

Orange County has been included in 43 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, chemical.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
October 16, 2026	Fire	FM-5679: Norte Fire
May 25, 2026	Chemical	EM-3646: Chemical Release
March 10, 2023	Flood	EM-3592: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
January 9, 2023	Flood	EM-3591: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides
May 12, 2022	Fire	FM-5439: Coastal Fire

Jobs and pay in Orange County

Orange County had 1,661,276 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $81,403 a year. Unemployment was 3.6% in 2023; in San Juan Capistrano itself the ACS puts it at 3.6%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in San Juan Capistrano

13 public schools with 6,096 students, about 20.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
San Juan Hills High	9-12	2,768	22.3
Marco Forster Middle	6-8	1,040	19.3
San Juan Elementary	K-5	673	24.9
Kinoshita Elementary	K-5	322	24.8
Del Obispo Elementary	K-5	315	21.0
Harold Ambuehl Elementary	K-5	312	22.3
California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano (charter)	K-8	182	22.8
Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano (charter)	7-12	159	22.7
Capistrano Union High	9-12	115	9.6
OCASA College Prep (charter)	6-12	105	11.7
Capistrano Home/Virtual	K-8	91	18.2
Bridges Community Day	7-12	14	4.7

Towns near San Juan Capistrano

Dana Point, CA
2.8 mi · 33,107 people · home $1,320,300
Laguna Niguel, CA
3.3 mi · 64,355 people · home $1,190,900
Ladera Ranch, CA
3.4 mi · 26,170 people · home $1,151,000
San Clemente, CA
4.3 mi · 64,293 people · home $1,398,400
Rancho Mission Viejo, CA
5.4 mi · 10,378 people · home $1,110,100
Las Flores, CA
6.0 mi · 5,995 people · home $1,119,100
Laguna Hills, CA
6.7 mi · 31,374 people · home $1,012,300
Laguna Beach, CA
6.8 mi · 23,032 people · home $2,000,001

San Juan Capistrano questions

Is San Juan Capistrano, California a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, San Juan Capistrano scores better for retirees than 58% of California towns and quieter than 38%. 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.2).

How much does a house cost in San Juan Capistrano?

The median owner-occupied home in San Juan Capistrano is valued at $993,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $129,457, so homes cost about 7.7 times income. Median rent is $2,438 a month.

What is the weather like in San Juan Capistrano?

July highs average 79.5°F and January lows 44.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 12.7 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does San Juan Capistrano get tornadoes?

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of San Juan Capistrano since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on November 9, 1982. The typical California town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to San Juan Capistrano's Census boundary (GEOID 0668028). Comparisons use the median of California towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.