San Diego County Jobs

San Diego, California is the seventh largest city in the United States. Many people are heading to San Diego for a diverse and hot job market.

San Diego County Jobs

San Diego is located in Southern California on San Diego Bay, 20 miles from the Mexican border. The border between the city and Tijuana is the busiest in the world. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County, the third most populated county in the nation. According to CNN Money, San Diego is #5 among big cities in its ranking of the best places to live. The community is home to numerous U.S. military bases. As of 2006, there were five Fortune 1000 companies with headquarters in the area, including Qualcomm and Petco. San Diego's strategic location draws jobs from the government and military, technology, aerospace, tourism and agriculture. The economy is led by manufacturing that includes shipbuilding, industrial machinery and metals production. San Diego Bay is one of California's five major ports where the U.S. Navy bases its Pacific fleet. Recent increases in military and homeland security have added to an economy that benefits from $13 billion in annual military spending.

With an estimated 1,255,540 people, San Diego's population has increased 2.6% since the 2000 U.S. Census. The median age of residents in 2005 was 33.5 years. White non-Hispanic residents accounted for 48% of the population, 26% were Hispanic, 15.8% were Asian and 6.8% were African-American. San Diego has some well-educated people. In 2005, 87% of adults 25 years and over had graduated from high school, 40% held a bachelor's degree or higher. With an 8.1% growth in jobs in the five years since 2000, many workers have been heading to San Diego. Federal and state government provide employment to over 75,000 area residents. More than 32,000 jobs are provided by 500 biotech companies. Take home pay for San Diego's workers is well above national levels. The annual income for an average household in 2005 was $55,637. While poverty was nearly equally the U.S. percentage, 26.1% of African-American residents and 24.4% of Hispanic residents were considered poor.

Based on figures from the National Association of Realtors, the San Diego metro area has seen some big changes in real estate values. By 2005, the metro area had a 118% appreciation on home values over a five year period, more than twice the national trend. The average metro home valued at $605,600, easily topping a national average of $167,000. San Diego homes are below the average age of California housing with 18% of homes being built since 1990. The owner occupancy rate was just over half of city homes. The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners in 2005 was $2,054 while renters had an average housing bill of $1,104 per month. FBI crime statistics show San Diego is the norm, with personal and property crime risk about the same as the national average.

San Diego weather is typically sunny and mild without many temperature extremes along the ocean. Situated in rolling hills and mesas that rise from the Pacific shore, San Diego's 324 square miles covers all types of terrain helping the climate fluctuate by location. On the coast, temperatures are usually mild with an annual average of 70 degrees. The desert areas can get up to 30 degrees hotter. September and October are the hottest time of the year with desert winds from the east. The city has historically averaged just 9.32 inches of annual precipitation. Sports Illustrated calls San Diego "the sports and fitness capital of the U.S." A wide variety of recreation can be found from swimming, sailing, water skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving and ocean fishing to hiking, jogging, and public parks. You'll find more than 90 golf courses in the area and access to winter skiing in nearby mountains. The city is home to two pro sports teams with baseball's San Diego Padres and the NFL's San Diego Chargers.

Popular tourist attractions include the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. In 2004, Travel and Leisure magazine ranked the city as America's second favorite place to visit (behind Honolulu). One big college campus is San Diego State University with 25,831 students. There are 19 colleges, universities and professional schools in the area. San Diego International Airport provides major domestic and foreign air service. Amtrak carries passengers from San Diego through Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. A commuter rail service also operates in and out of the city. San Diego is the birthplace of Cameron Diaz, Ted Danson, Robert Duval and RuPaul.

San Diego County Jobs