Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California, home to about 46,990 people across 13 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 92678 and 92688, and parts of 92679 are in Rancho Santa Margarita too.
Homes sold for a median of $637 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Rancho Santa Margarita; also Trabuco Canyon
Mostly Rancho Santa Margarita; also Las Flores (Orange County)
Mostly Coto de Caza; part is in Rancho Santa Margarita
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Rancho Santa Margarita. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Rancho Santa Margarita’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA)16 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Irvine, CA10 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA53 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Rancho Santa Margarita; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Rancho Santa Margarita had 47,949 residents in the 2020 census, up 2% since 2000.
It’s the 201st largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.
Orange County grew from 19,696 residents in 1900 to 3,186,989 in 2020.
Orange County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 90°F in summer, and winter lows average 48°F. About 13 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Irvine Rch, CA weather station (9 miles away).
1,580,778 jobs at 106,961 businesses in Orange County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
333 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Rancho Santa Margarita’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 32 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 12 |
| Dentists | 49 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 42 |
| Mental health providers | 74 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 85 |
| Optometrists | 16 |
| Chiropractors | 23 |
| Pharmacies | 8 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (22 nearby)
Grocery stores (5 nearby)
Pharmacies (5 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 2000.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Capistrano Unified, Saddleback Valley Unified. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Vista ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–5 | 508 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Cielo Vista ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–6 | 487 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Las Flores ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–5 | 328 | Public | 5.1 mi |
| Melinda Heights ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–6 | 950 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Tijeras Creek ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–5 | 315 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Trabuco ElementaryTrabuco Canyon | K–6 | 90 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Trabuco Mesa ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita | K–6 | 640 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Arroyo Vista MiddleRancho Santa Margarita | 6–8 | 329 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Las Flores MiddleLas Flores | 6–8 | 593 | Public | 5.1 mi |
| Rancho Santa Margarita IntermediateRancho Santa Margarita | 7–8 | 1,153 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Tesoro HighLas Flores | 9–12 | 2,030 | Public | 5.1 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dba Rsm Christian SchoolRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–8 | 306 | Other religious | 1.8 mi |
| Limai Montessori AcademyRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–1 | 18 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
| Montessori at the ParkRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–3 | 23 | Nonsectarian | 0.5 mi |
| Rancho Viejo Montessori SchoolRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–6 | 35 | Nonsectarian | 2.1 mi |
| St Johns Episcopal SchoolRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–8 | 401 | Episcopal | 0.9 mi |
| St Junipero Serra Catholic SchoolRancho Santa Margarita | Pre-K–8 | 948 | Roman Catholic | 2.6 mi |
| Ocean View NpsRancho Santa Margarita | 6–12 | 40 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Coto de Caza, Las Flores (Orange County), Lake Forest and Trabuco Canyon.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.