Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
the place image

San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
gross metro product
$18B
population
284.0K
median household income
$74,337
median home price
$644,000
cost of living
32% above nat'l avg
college attainment
34.6%
net migration
320 (year: 2018)
unemployment
3.1%
major industries
Financial services, Insurance
job growth
1.3% (year: 2018)
As of October 2019
San Luis Obispo economy's is seeing growth in the service and financial industries. Landmarks of interest in the area include the Madonna Inn, Fremont Theater and Palm Theatre which holds the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. The Mission Plaza is another site of the town to host concerts and popular events such as the Festival Mosaic, and the Plein Air Festival. San Luis also has a Carnegie Library which is now home to the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum. Another attraction is the development of Edna
Valley into a well-known wine region extending north beyond Paso Robles and south to Santa Ynez. Just south of the city, people can spend an afternoon wine tasting several wineries in the area with a very short drive.
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On forbes lists
#117
Best Places for Business and Careers 2019
#178
In Cost of Doing Business
#53
In Job Growth
#71
In Education
By The Numbers
EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life
Job Growth
1.3% (year: 2018)
Projected Annual Job Growth
1%
Unemployment
3.1%
Median Household Income
$74,337
Household Income Growth
4.1%
High-Tech Employment
1.5%
  • Data is for the metro area
  • Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
  • Numbers as of October 2019


  • a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.
Explore Trends
2018
2018
Key Connections
Top Colleges
Graphic of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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