San Luis Obispo is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, home to about 48,491 people across 13 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 93401 and 93405.
Homes sold for a median of $641 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly San Luis Obispo; also Los Ranchos and Edna
Mostly San Luis Obispo; also California Polytechnic State University and Avila Beach
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside San Luis Obispo. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up San Luis Obispo’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)116 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP)3 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Bakersfield, CA92 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA155 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of San Luis Obispo; 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.
San Luis Obispo had 47,063 residents in the 2020 census, up 7% since 2000.
It’s the 194th largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.
San Luis Obispo County grew from 16,637 residents in 1900 to 282,424 in 2020.
San Luis Obispo County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 80°F in summer, and winter lows average 44°F. About 22.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Luis Obispo Poly, CA weather station (2 miles away).
98,720 jobs at 8,962 businesses in San Luis Obispo County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2,098 doctors and other health care providers list an office in San Luis Obispo’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 89 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 294 |
| Dentists | 94 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 166 |
| Mental health providers | 1,290 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 107 |
| Optometrists | 19 |
| Chiropractors | 39 |
| Pharmacies | 19 |
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 (40 nearby)
Grocery stores (12 nearby)
Pharmacies (3 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Museums (8 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (6 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 1772.
Colleges and universities
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 Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District, San Luis Coastal Unified, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue-Santa Fe CharterSan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 163 | Charter | 6.4 mi |
| Bishop's Peak ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 358 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| C L Smith ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 528 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Hawthorne ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 437 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Los Ranchos ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 521 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| Pacheco ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 488 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Peep - PrepareSan Luis Obispo | K–12 | 25 | Special Education | 0.9 mi |
| San Luis County Special EducationSan Luis Obispo | K–12 | 17 | Special Education | 6.0 mi |
| Sinsheimer ElementarySan Luis Obispo | K–6 | 401 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Teach ElementarySan Luis Obispo | 4–6 | 193 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| San Luis Obispo County CommunitySan Luis Obispo | 6–12 | 76 | Alternative Education | 6.1 mi |
| San Luis Obispo County Juvenile CourtSan Luis Obispo | 6–12 | 11 | Alternative Education | 4.4 mi |
| Laguna MiddleSan Luis Obispo | 7–8 | 780 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| San Luis Obispo HighSan Luis Obispo | 9–12 | 1,678 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Grizzly ChalleNGe CharterSan Luis Obispo | 10–12 | 241 | Charter | 5.0 mi |
| Pacific Beach HighSan Luis Obispo | 10–12 | 62 | Alternative Education | 2.0 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montessori Childrens SchoolSan Luis Obispo | Pre-K–6 | 58 | Nonsectarian | 2.4 mi |
| San Luis Obispo Classical AcademySan Luis Obispo | Pre-K–12 | 337 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
| Old Mission SchoolSan Luis Obispo | TK–8 | 294 | Roman Catholic | 0.4 mi |
| Mission College Prep Catholic High SchoolSan Luis Obispo | 9–12 | 330 | Roman Catholic | 0.4 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 Los Ranchos, California Polytechnic State University, Avila Beach and Edna.
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.