San Luis Obispo, CA: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

San Luis Obispo is an incorporated city in San Luis Obispo County, California. In the dataset behind this page it has an estimated population of 62,290, sits at 35.267°N, 120.669°W, and observes Pacific time. Below you will find how it ranks inside California, which ZIP codes it uses, the closest places around it, and how far it is from major US cities.

What are the key facts about San Luis Obispo, CA?

What is the population of San Luis Obispo, CA?

San Luis Obispo has an estimated population of 62,290. That makes it the 157th largest of the 1,470 places we list in California, and the 2nd largest of 28 places in San Luis Obispo County. The typical place in California has about 3,379 residents, so San Luis Obispo is roughly 18.4 times the size of a typical neighbor in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in California with a similar population include Castro Valley (63,013), Encinitas (62,709), Pico Rivera (62,027), Montebello (61,954), National City (61,394). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how San Luis Obispo differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is San Luis Obispo?

San Luis Obispo has about 3,559 people per square mile (1,374 per square kilometer), which we classify as suburban. Within California, it is denser than about 75% of the listed places. Land at this level is usually a mix of single-family neighborhoods, shopping corridors and parks, where driving is common but destinations are close. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does San Luis Obispo use?

San Luis Obispo uses 4 ZIP codes: 93401, 93405, 93403, 93406. Several codes in one place usually reflect separate delivery areas, post offices or large buildings with their own code. Codes beginning with 9 are assigned to the Pacific states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is San Luis Obispo in?

San Luis Obispo is in the Pacific time zone, which is UTC−8 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/Los_Angeles). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is Fort Mohave, AZ, about 345 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Pacific time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is San Luis Obispo located in California?

San Luis Obispo lies in the southern part of California, at 35.267° north latitude and 120.669° west longitude. The state capital, Sacramento, is about 232 miles to the north. The closest listed place in another state is Gardnerville Ranchos, NV, roughly 255 miles to the north, which shows how near San Luis Obispo is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is Santa Maria, CA, 26 miles to the southeast.

Which cities are near San Luis Obispo, CA?

The closest listed place to San Luis Obispo is Pismo Beach, CA, 8.3 miles to the south. Of the eight nearest places below, 8 are in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is San Luis Obispo in?

San Luis Obispo is in San Luis Obispo County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 06079. The county contains 28 places in our data, 12 of which have their own page here and 16 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include El Paso de Robles (70,248), Arroyo Grande (54,177), Atascadero (30,075), Nipomo (17,601), Los Osos (16,533). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is San Luis Obispo from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, San Luis Obispo is closest to Los Angeles, CA at about 151 miles and farthest from New York, NY at about 2,543 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called San Luis Obispo?

No. In our data, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County, California is the only place with this name, so the name alone is enough to identify it, though adding the state is still good practice in addresses and forms.

Planning a move to San Luis Obispo?

If you are weighing San Luis Obispo, start with the practical numbers: how far it is from where you live, whether it changes your time zone, and how its size and density compare with your current city. Use the distance calculator to measure the trip from where you live. The radius search tool lists every place within any distance of it. Our checklist for comparing cities explains what to check next.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.