La Presa, California

For other uses, see La Presa.

La Presa (Spanish for "The Dam") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the East County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 35,033 at the 2020 census, up from 34,169 at the 2010 census.

La Presa
census-designated place
Location in San Diego County and the state of California
La Presa Location within San Diego County Show map of San Diego County, California La Presa Location within California Show map of California La Presa Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 32°42′43″N 117°0′14″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
Area [1]
• Total	6.018 sq mi (15.585 km2)
• Land	5.496 sq mi (14.234 km2)
• Water	0.522 sq mi (1.351 km2)  8.67%
Elevation	351 ft (107 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	35,033
• Density	5,800/sq mi (2,200/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	91977
Area code	619
FIPS code	06-40326
GNIS feature ID	0244447

La Presa belonged to the neighboring Spring Valley CDP from its inception in 1970 through 1990. It is still considered part of Spring Valley in informal usage and addresses in the CDP continue to use the name Spring Valley. It was named after Sweetwater Dam.

La Presa is served by a 91977 ZIP Code, which is considered Spring Valley according to the USPS.

Geography

La Presa is located at 32°42′43″N 117°0′14″W (32.712057, -117.003862).^[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.0 square miles (16 km²). 5.5 square miles (14 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (8.67%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	32,721		—
2010	34,169		4.4%
2020	35,033		2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[4] 1860–1870[5][6] 1880-1890[7] 1900[8] 1910[9] 1920[10] 1930[11] 1940[12] 1950[13] 1960[14][15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20] 2020[21]

La Presa first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. Census.^[19]

La Presa CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[22]	Pop 2010[23]	Pop 2020[21]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	12,238	8,950	7,514	37.40%	26.19%	21.45%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,563	4,146	3,791	13.95%	12.13%	10.82%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	162	94	120	0.50%	0.28%	0.34%
Asian alone (NH)	3,122	3,064	3,457	9.54%	8.97%	9.87%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	327	362	212	1.00%	1.06%	0.61%
Other race alone (NH)	92	48	203	0.28%	0.14%	0.58%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,404	1,355	1,737	4.29%	3.97%	4.96%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10,813	16,150	17,999	33.05%	47.27%	51.38%
Total	32,721	34,169	35,033	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that La Presa had a population of 35,033. The population density was 6,373.1 inhabitants per square mile (2,460.7/km²). The racial makeup of La Presa was 29.1% White, 11.7% African American, 1.8% Native American, 10.4% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 26.4% from other races, and 20.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.4% of the population.^[24]

The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.2% were institutionalized.^[24]

There were 10,486 households, out of which 40.7% included children under the age of 18, 50.7% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 26.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 15.5% of households were one person, and 7.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.32.^[24] There were 8,230 families (78.5% of all households).^[25]

The age distribution was 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% aged 18 to 24, 27.9% aged 25 to 44, 24.3% aged 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males.^[24]

There were 10,734 housing units at an average density of 1,952.7 units per square mile (753.9 units/km²), of which 10,486 (97.7%) were occupied. Of these, 63.6% were owner-occupied, and 36.4% were occupied by renters.^[24]

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $88,479, and the per capita income was $36,663. About 6.6% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.^[26]

2010

At the 2010 census La Presa had a population of 34,169. The population density was 5,678.3 inhabitants per square mile (2,192.4/km²). The racial makeup of La Presa was 9,045 (24.0%) White, 4,428 (13.0%) African American, 282 (0.8%) Native American, 3,958 (10.5%) Asian, 410 (1.2%) Pacific Islander, 8,238 (24.1%) from other races, and 2,535 (7.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19,279 persons (51.1%).^[27]

The census reported that 33,924 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 154 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 91 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 10,178 households, 4,708 (46.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,270 (51.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,885 (18.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 784 (7.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 640 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 85 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,625 households (16.0%) were one person and 705 (6.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.33. There were 7,939 families (78.0% of households); the average family size was 3.69.

The age distribution was 9,584 people (28.0%) under the age of 18, 3,692 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 9,287 people (27.2%) aged 25 to 44, 8,015 people (23.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,591 people (10.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

There were 10,711 housing units at an average density of 1,780.0 per square mile, of the occupied units 6,338 (62.3%) were owner-occupied and 3,840 (37.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 20,565 people (60.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,359 people (39.1%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the California State Legislature, La Presa is in the 40th senatorial district, represented by Republican Brian Jones, and in the 71st Assembly district, represented by Republican Kate Sanchez.^[28]

In the United States House of Representatives, La Presa is in California's 51st congressional district, represented by Democrat Sara Jacobs.