A young girl is standing in tall grass on a green hill, looking at the ground through the lens of a disposable camera. The sun is setting in the background over Cerro San Luis, Bishop's Peak and downtown San Luis Obispo.

Quick facts about San Luis Obispo

  1. Downtown SLO is a humming, pedestrian friendly zone of shops, restaurants and galleries in turn-of-the-20th century buildings.
  2. Thursday Night Farmers’ Market brings a fiesta of produce, crafts, barbecue, street food and live entertainment to downtown.
  3. There are more than 1800 non-profits in San Luis Obispo, 150 of which are arts organizations.
  4. San Luis Obispo wine country lies five minutes south of downtown, putting two dozen premier wineries in the SLO Coast AVA within easy reach.
  5. There are more than 50 miles of easily accessible trails in the city of San Luis Obispo.
  6. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, the fifth of California’s 21 Spanish missions, was founded in 1772.
  7. San Luis Obispo County has more than 80 miles of Pacific coastline.
  8. Hearst Castle, William Randolph Hearst’s elaborate Central Coast summer home, stands in solitary splendor 45 minutes to the north.
  9. In a typical year, San Luis Obispo sees 315 sunny days.
  10. Fourth lowest commute time in the state.
  11. Listed as one of the top 10 places to retire in the US.

View our Community and Economic Profile

Economic Vision Document

Click here to view our Economic Vision Document

Our Mission

When we imagine the future of San Luis Obispo, we see a place that ignites creativity, celebrates diversity and spurs innovation. A place where people work together from across the region to tackle shared challenges, drive economic growth and preserve our natural resources. This vision for our future sets the course for where we want to go and what we need to do to get there.

Long-Term Objectives

Discover our economic vision on ImagineSLO.com where you’ll find seven interconnected themes that paint the picture for our future and set the course with policies we will champion and actions we will take to get there.

Major Employers

1.  County of San Luis Obispo
Government 3,499 employees

2. California Polytechnic State University
Education • 3,143 employees

3. Department of State Hospitals- Atascadero
Healthcare • 2,000 employees

Source: Pacific Coast Business Times 2023

Healthcare

San Luis Obispo is a nationally recognized hub of health care excellence, serving all of the Central Coast with superior regional medical facilities and well trained providers of all types.

The city is home to two major private hospitals, plus urgent care facilities, health maintenance and community health care centers, as well as assisted living communities.

Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center has grown into a leading provider of high-level medical and urgent care services in San Luis Obispo County. Today Sierra Vista houses the county’s only neurosurgery program, high-risk pregnancy program, dedicated Pediatric Unit as well as the only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between Santa Barbara and Salinas.

French Hospital Medical Center is renowned for its cardiac services, and was recently named a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by Blue Shield of California. To date, only 433 facilities nationwide have received this designation. Additionally, the San Luis Obispo hospital offers a wide range of services to meet the growing needs of the community including a family-focused birthing center, 24-hour emergency services, state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and the Hearst Cancer Resource Center.

Health Care

Demographics

San Luis Obispo offers a sunny and mild climate all year long, great educational systems, easy access to an active lifestyle, a vibrant cultural scene, clean air, low crime rates, no traffic headaches, a bike and pedestrian friendly community and exceptional healthcare. These are a few reasons why San Luis Obispo is considered the happiest city in the nation.

Population

San Luis Obispo County                  283,159
San Luis Obispo                                47,545
Paso Robles                                        31,759
Atascadero                                         29,708
Arroyo Grande                                  18,456
Grover Beach                                     12,711
Morro Bay                                          10,779
Pismo Beach                                      8,036

Age Distribution
                                                     SLO County     CA
Under 5                                       4.4%                5.7%
5 to 9                                           4.3%                6.0%
10 to 14                                       5.6%                6.8%
15 to 19                                       7.9%                6.6%
20 to 24                                       10.1%              6.5%
25 to 34                                       11.1%              15.0%
35 to 44                                       12.0%              13.9%
45 to 54                                       10.2%              12.6%
55 to 59                                       6.6%                6.4%
60 to 64                                       5.6%                6.3%
65 to 74                                       13.0%              9.1%
75 to 84                                       6.0%                4.4%
85 +                                              2.6%               1.7%

Median Age                                40.2                  37.6

U.S. Census Bureau (2021 statistics)

Diversity
                                                               SLO County         CA
White                                                    68.6%                   36.8%
Black or African American              2.1%                      6.5%
American Indian and                        1.4%                      1.6%
Alaska Native
Asian                                                     4.0%                     15.3%
Native Hawaiian or                           0.2%                     0.5%
other Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latino                             22.8%                  39.3%
Two or more races                             3.6%                    3.9%

U.S. Census Bureau (2019 Statistics)

Educational Attainment
                                                       SLO County      CA
High school graduate                 93%                      83%
Bachelor’s degree                       35.3%                   36.7%

U.S. Census Bureau (2021 Statistics)

Household Income
                                                         SLO County           CA
Median household income               $82,515             $84,097

U.S. Census Bureau (2021 Statistics)

Infrastructure

Utilities

Water and Wastewater

The City of San Luis Obispo’s local water supply is reliable and secure. Actions taken by City Council, community members and staff after the severe drought of 1987-1991 have secured reliable water resources for the city. Investment in a multi-source water supply and water reclamation facilities allow for responsible use. The city has four primary water supply sources including Whale Rock Reservoir, Salinas Reservoir, Nacimiento Reservoir, and recycled water (for irrigation), with groundwater serving as a fifth supplemental source.

Water and Wastewater services are provided by the City of San Luis Obispo Utilities Department.

The City’s monthly charge per billing unit: (1 unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons)

Water Base Fee*    $21.74 per month
   
Water Usage Tier 1 (1-5 Units)    $6.22 per Unit
       
Water Usage Tier 2 (6-12 Units)  $7.25 per Unit
    
Water Usage Tier 3 (13 + Units)     $13.28 per Unit
   
Sewer Treatment Base Fee    $19.72 per month
Sewer Treatment**    $8.28 per Unit

Electricity in SLO is provided by Pacific Gas & Electric.

Natural Gas in SLO is provided by Southern California Gas Company.

 

Tech Infrastructure

By encouraging public-private partnerships, maximizing efficiency and supporting the construction of a fiber-optic network, San Luis Obispo is prioritizing telecom infrastructure and the kind of business it attracts. As part of the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan, the City partnered with a local provider to bring high speed fiber to government buildings and provide the opportunity for fiber connectivity to local business and residences.

As a result, 23 miles of fiber optic network were put into place, providing 75 “lit” commercial buildings with Internet services normally found only in larger metropolitan areas.

Transportation

Public Transportation

The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides intercommunity public transportation. RTA’s service area includes all of San Luis Obispo County and extends into Santa Barbara County to the south. RTA provides regional fixed-route service and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit service (Runabout).

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport

Just minutes from downtown, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport provides convenient access to and from San Luis Obispo with direct flights to Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle as well as full service general aviation and corporate facilities.

Real Estate

San Luis Obispo is a desirable place to live and work.

The median home price in SLO ($695,500) is higher than the state ($648,100) and the nation ($392,000) but when compared to California cities like San Francisco ($1.2 million) and Santa Barbara ($1.1 million), San Luis Obispo is significantly more affordable.

Source: CA Association of Realtors, Zillow, Curbed (2019)

To search available property listings, check out these local commercial and residential real estate companies.

Education

San Luis Obispo remains one of the rare communities where superior K-12 public education is available for everyone. Voters strongly supported local schools by passing three bond measures seeking a combined $510 million to upgrade campuses across San Luis Obispo County.

Public educational institutions and facilities in San Luis Obispo include several with distinctions as Blue Ribbon Schools and California Distinguished Schools.

School Districts:

Almond Acres Charter Academy
Atascadero Unified School
District Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School
Cayucos Elementary School District
Coast Unified School District
Grizzly ChalleNGe Charter School
Lucia Mar Unified School District
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
Pleasant Valley Joint Union Elementary School District
San Luis Coastal Unified School District
San Miguel Joint Union School District
Shandon Joint Unified School District
Templeton Unified School District

The County’s level of educational attainment is higher than the County’s and the State’s. Almost half (46%) of the city’s population over the age of 25 has at least a bachelor’s degree, while one in five have a graduate or professional degree. Statewide, approximately 30 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

San Luis Obispo is also home to Cal Poly State University and Cuesta College.

Cal Poly consistently ranks among the top public universities in the nation with renowned engineering, architecture, business and agriculture colleges.

The university’s distinct “learn by doing” approach prepares students to be productive employees with a deep practical understanding of their areas of expertise. For local businesses, this translates into a young, smart and capable workforce ready to hit the ground running.

Cuesta College is highly regarded throughout the state for its excellent educational programs, responsive student services and exceptional faculty and staff.

Offering 70 degree programs and 57 certificate programs, Cuesta features lower division academic transfer courses, vocational/technical training, short courses, continuing education, distance education, day and evening classes. With more than 9,600 students, Cuesta provides critical technical training in the jobs of the future.

In addition, Allan Hancock College and Laurus College offer associates degree and certificate programs at their campuses and online and the San Luis Obispo College of Law offers legal education through a part-time weekend program.

Climate

The Weather Channel
Month            Avg. High       Avg. Low        Avg. Precipitation
Jan                           61°F               44°F                           4.95 in.
Feb                          62°F               45°F                            5.28 in.
Mar                         64°F               46°F                            3.97 in.
Apr                          66°F               47°F                            1.39 in.
May                        69°F               49°F                            0.47 in.
Jun                         73°F               52°F                            0.10 in.
Jul                          76°F               55°F                            0.02 in.
Aug                        77°F               55°F                            0.04 in.
Sep                        77°F               54°F                            0.26 in.
Oct                        74°F               52°F                            0.93 in.
Nov                      67°F                47°F                             2.16 in.
Dec                       61°F                43°F                             3.71 in.