Los Angeles County, California

Most populous county in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Los Angeles County, sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,757,179 residents estimated in 2024. Its population is greater than that of 40 individual U.S. states. Comprising 88 incorporated cities and 101 unincorporated areas within a total area of 4,083 square miles (10,570 km2), it accommodates more than a quarter of Californians and is one of the most ethnically diverse U.S. counties.[7] The county's seat, Los Angeles, is the second most populous city in the United States, with 3,878,704 residents estimated in 2024. The county is globally known as the home of the U.S. motion picture industry since its inception in the early 20th century.

CountryUnited States
FormedFebruary 18, 1850[1]
County seatLos Angeles
Highestelevation
[2]
10,064 ft (3,068 m)
Quick facts Country, State ...
Los Angeles County
County
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Venice
Venice
San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
Satellite photo of Santa Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island
Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes
Pasadena
Pasadena
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Antelope Valley
Flag of Los Angeles County
Flag
Official seal of Los Angeles County
Seal
Official logo of Los Angeles County
Logo
Nicknames: 
"LA County", "Metro-LA", "Greater LA"
Interactive map of Los Angeles County
Coordinates: 34°3′N 118°15′W
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionGreater Los Angeles
FormedFebruary 18, 1850[1]
Named afterOur Lady, Queen of the Angels
County seatLos Angeles
Largest cityLos Angeles
Incorporated cities88
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CEO
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors
 • ChairHilda Solis (D)
 • Chair Pro TemHolly Mitchell (D)
 • Board of Supervisors
Supervisors
 • Chief Executive OfficerFesia Davenport
Area
 • Total
4,751 sq mi (12,310 km2)
 • Land4,058 sq mi (10,510 km2)
 • Water693 sq mi (1,790 km2)
Highest elevation
[2]
10,064 ft (3,068 m)
Lowest elevation
[3]
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (July 1, 2024)
 • Total
9,757,179 Decrease[4]
 • Density2,430/sq mi (940/km2)
GDP
[5]
 • Total$1.003 trillion (2024)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
ZIP Codes
90xxx–918xx, 92397, 92821, 92823, 93243, 935xx[6]
Area codes213/323, 310/424, 442/760, 562, 626, 657/714, 661, 747/818, 840/909
FIPS code06-037
GNIS feature ID277283
Congressional districts23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th
Websitelacounty.gov
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History

Main articles: History of Los Angeles County, California and Ranchos of Los Angeles County
See also: Tovaangar; History of Los Angeles; Timeline of Los Angeles; History of Pasadena, California; History of the San Fernando Valley; Timeline of Long Beach, California; History of Santa Monica, California; and History of Santa Catalina Island
Brochure for Los Angeles, c. 1930

Los Angeles County is one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850.[8] The county originally included parts of what are now Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Tulare, Ventura, and Orange counties. In 1851 and 1852, Los Angeles County stretched from the coast to the state line of Nevada.[9] As the population increased, sections were split off to organize San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889.

Before the 1870s, Los Angeles County was divided into townships (many of which were amalgamations of one or more old ranchos):[10]

Location

As shown by the map below, Los Angeles County is bordered on the north by Kern County, on the east by San Bernardino County, on the southeast by Orange County, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by Ventura County.

Geography

The historical boundaries of Los Angeles County since its establishment in 1850 as defined by the California State Legislature. The solid blue line represents the original boundaries of the county, the dashed blue lines represent the changes made to the boundaries, and the red line represents the final major boundary changes of the county made by the Legislature in 1889. This map does not include minor changes to the boundary after 1922, such as the transfer of a small amount land east of Interstate 5 to Kern County, among others. Portions or the entirety of modern-day Inyo, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties were formerly in Los Angeles County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,751 square miles (12,310 km2), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km2) (85%) is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km2) (15%) is water.[14] Los Angeles County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on the Pacific Ocean and encompasses mountain ranges, valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and desert. The Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo, Ballona Creek, the San Gabriel River and the Santa Clara River flow in Los Angeles County, while the primary mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. The western extent of the Mojave Desert begins in the Antelope Valley, in the northeastern part of the county.

Most of the population of Los Angeles County resides in the south and southwest, with major population centers in the Los Angeles Basin, San Fernando Valley, and San Gabriel Valley. Other population centers are found in the Santa Clarita Valley, Pomona Valley, Crescenta Valley and Antelope Valley.

The county is divided west-to-east by the San Gabriel Mountains, which are part of the Transverse Ranges of southern California, and are contained mostly within the Angeles National Forest. Most of the county's highest peaks are in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount San Antonio 10,068 feet (3,069 m) at the Los Angeles–San Bernardino county lines, Mount Baden-Powell 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Mount Burnham 8,997 feet (2,742 m) and Mount Wilson 5,710 feet (1,740 m). Several lower mountains are in the northern, western, and southwestern parts of the county, including the San Emigdio Mountains, the southernmost part of Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

Los Angeles County includes San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island, which are part of the Channel Islands archipelago off the Pacific Coast.

Lakes and reservoirs

Major divisions of the county

National protected areas

Climate

The Northern part of the county has a Desert climate, while the rest of the county generally is a mix of semi-arid and a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. There is rainfall mostly in the wintertime, but the mountains in the north-central part of the county have snow during winter.[15]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Los Angeles County
More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18503,530—
186011,333221.0%
187015,30935.1%
188033,381118.0%
1890101,454203.9%
1900170,29867.9%
1910504,131196.0%
1920936,45585.8%
19302,208,492135.8%
19402,785,64326.1%
19504,151,68749.0%
19606,038,77145.5%
19707,041,98016.6%
19807,477,5036.2%
19908,863,16418.5%
20009,519,3387.4%
20109,818,6053.1%
202010,014,0092.0%
2024 (est.)9,757,179[16] Decrease−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
1790–1960[18] 1900–1990[19]
1990–2000[20] 2010[21] 2020[22]
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More information Racial composition ...
Racial composition[23] 2020201020001990198019701960
Hispanics 48.0%47.7%44.5%37.8%27.6%14.9%[24]11%[25]
Non-Hispanic Whites[26] 25.6%27.8%31.1%40.8%52.8%70.9%[24]79.3%[27]
Asians 14.7%13.5%11.9%11%[25]5.6%[28]2.9%[29]1.9%[30]
Blacks 7.6%8.3%9.7%11.1%12.6%10.8%[31]7.6%[32]
Native Americans 0.2%0.2%0.8%0.5%0.64%[33]0.35%[34]0.13%[35]
Pacific Islanders 0.2%0.2%-----
Multiracial Americans 3.0%2.0%-----
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More information Racial composition as of 2023 07 01, Total population ...
Racial composition as of 2023 07 01[36]
Total population 9,663,345
Hispanics 4,695,902 48.59%
Non-Hispanic Whites[26] 2,369,899 24.52%
Asians 1,454,666 15.05%
Blacks 709,583 7.34%
Native Americans 16,890 0.17%
Pacific Islanders 19,128 0.20%
Multiracial Americans 336,840 3.49%
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For the racial / ethnic profile of individual communities in Los Angeles County, see Demographics of Los Angeles County § Racial / Ethnic profile of places in Los Angeles County, California.
Ethnic origins in Los Angeles County

The county has a large population of Asian Americans, being home to the largest numbers of Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, and Thai outside their respective countries.[37] The largest Asian groups in Los Angeles County are 4.0% Chinese, 3.3% Filipino, 2.2% Korean, 1.0% Japanese, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.8% Indian, and 0.3% Cambodian.

45.9% of the population reported speaking only English at home; 37.9% spoke Spanish, 2.22% Tagalog, 2.0% Chinese, 1.9% Korean, 1.87% Armenian, 0.5% Arabic, and 0.2% Hindi.[38]

Los Angeles County is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia.[39] It also accommodates the largest Iranian population outside of Iran of any other county or county equivalent globally.[40]

Income

Percent of households with incomes above $150k across LA County census tracts

In 2024, the Area Median Income (AMI) for a one-person household in Los Angeles County was $74,600 ($6,217 per month); for a four-person household, $106,600 ($8,883 per month).[41]

As of 2024 12 12, the homeownership rate was 49.81%.[42] As of 2025 12 23, the median home value was $859,958.[43] Multi-unit structures comprised approximately 54.2% of the total housing inventory as of late 2025.

In October 2025, the number of homeless people in the county was 72,195, of which 47,450 were unsheltered.[44] LA County holds the undisputed title for the largest unsheltered homeless population in the nation—in 2024, only 30% of LA's homeless population was sheltered either in an emergency shelter, transitional housing, or a safe haven program, compared to 97% of New York's unhoused.[45]

Religion

In 2015, there were over two thousand Christian churches, the majority of which are Catholic.[46][47] Roman Catholic adherents number close to 40% of the population. There were 202 Jewish synagogues, 145 Buddhist temples, 38 Muslim mosques, 44 Baháʼí Faith worship centers, 37 Hindu temples, 28 Tenrikyo churches and fellowships, 16 Shinto worship centers, and 14 Sikh gurdwaras in the county.[48] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has approximately 5 million members and is the largest diocese in the United States. In 2014, the county had 3,275 religious organizations, the most out of all US counties.[49]

Law, government, and politics

Government

Main article: Government of Los Angeles County
The Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration is the seat of the government of Los Angeles County.

The Government of Los Angeles County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law and the Charter of the County of Los Angeles.[50] Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of local governments such as the Government of Los Angeles County.

The county's voters elect a governing five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The small size of the board means each supervisor represents over 2 million people. The board operates in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity. As a legislative authority, it can pass ordinances for the unincorporated areas (ordinances that affect the whole county, like posting of restaurant ratings, must be ratified by the individual city). As an executive body, it can tell the county departments what to do, and how to do it. As a quasi-judicial body, the Board is the final venue of appeal in the local planning process, and holds public hearings on various agenda items.

As of 2020, the Board of Supervisors oversees a $35.5 billion annual budget and over 112,000 employees.[51] The county government is managed on a day-to-day basis by a chief executive officer and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even many state-level) departments anywhere else in the United States. Some of the larger or better-known departments include:

The Grand Avenue entrance of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, despite its name, is not a County department. Technically it is a state-mandated county transportation commission that also operates a large bus and rail system in the county.

Politics

More information Year, Republican / Whig ...
United States presidential election results for Los Angeles County, California[53][54]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1852 496 46.36% 574 53.64% 0 0.00%
1856 521 37.84% 721 52.36% 135 9.80%
1860 352 20.44% 475 27.58% 895 51.97%
1864 555 42.73% 744 57.27% 0 0.00%
1868 748 37.70% 1,236 62.30% 0 0.00%
1872 1,311 47.24% 1,228 44.25% 236 8.50%
1876 3,041 45.59% 3,615 54.20% 14 0.21%
1880 2,914 47.90% 2,853 46.90% 316 5.19%
1884 5,595 51.67% 4,683 43.24% 551 5.09%
1888 13,805 54.64% 10,110 40.02% 1,349 5.34%
1892 10,226 44.89% 8,119 35.64% 4,434 19.47%
1896 16,891 49.62% 16,043 47.13% 1,108 3.25%
1900 19,200 55.10% 13,158 37.76% 2,490 7.15%
1904 32,507 66.50% 10,030 20.52% 6,346 12.98%
1908 41,483 56.77% 22,076 30.21% 9,518 13.02%
1912 2,181 1.32% 55,110 33.34% 108,005 65.34%
1916 135,554 50.59% 114,070 42.58% 18,297 6.83%
1920 178,117 69.10% 55,661 21.59% 23,992 9.31%
1924 299,675 65.51% 33,554 7.33% 124,228 27.16%
1928 513,526 70.22% 209,945 28.71% 7,830 1.07%
1932 373,738 38.55% 554,476 57.19% 41,380 4.27%
1936 357,401 31.62% 757,351 67.00% 15,663 1.39%
1940 574,266 40.58% 822,718 58.13% 18,285 1.29%
1944 666,441 42.68% 886,252 56.75% 8,871 0.57%
1948 804,232 46.51% 812,690 47.00% 112,160 6.49%
1952 1,278,407 56.21% 971,408 42.71% 24,725 1.09%
1956 1,260,206 55.38% 1,007,887 44.29% 7,331 0.32%
1960 1,302,661 49.45% 1,323,818 50.25% 8,020 0.30%
1964 1,161,067 42.52% 1,568,300 57.43% 1,551 0.06%
1968 1,266,480 47.65% 1,223,251 46.02% 168,251 6.33%
1972 1,549,717 54.75% 1,189,977 42.04% 90,676 3.20%
1976 1,174,926 47.78% 1,221,893 49.69% 62,258 2.53%
1980 1,224,533 50.18% 979,830 40.15% 235,822 9.66%
1984 1,424,113 54.50% 1,158,912 44.35% 29,889 1.14%
1988 1,239,716 46.88% 1,372,352 51.89% 32,603 1.23%
1992 799,607 29.04% 1,446,529 52.54% 507,267 18.42%
1996 746,544 30.96% 1,430,629 59.34% 233,841 9.70%
2000 871,930 32.35% 1,710,505 63.47% 112,719 4.18%
2004 1,076,225 35.60% 1,907,736 63.10% 39,319 1.30%
2008 956,425 28.82% 2,295,853 69.19% 65,970 1.99%
2012 885,333 27.83% 2,216,903 69.69% 78,831 2.48%
2016 769,743 22.41% 2,464,364 71.76% 200,201 5.83%
2020 1,145,530 26.74% 3,028,885 70.70% 109,530 2.56%
2024 1,189,862 31.75% 2,417,109 64.51% 140,128 3.74%
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Main article: Politics of Los Angeles County

Overview

Voter registration

More information Population and registered voters (Sept. 2025), Total population ...
Population and registered voters (Sept. 2025)
Total population 9,757,179
  Registered voters[55][note 1] 5,834,380 59.8%
    Democratic[55] 2,988,634 51.2%
    Republican[55] 1,098,884 18.8%
    Democratic–Republican spread[55] +1,889,750 +32.4%
    American Independent[55] 200,191 3.4%
    Libertarian[55] 48,197 0.8%
    Peace and Freedom[55] 43,165 0.7%
    Green[55] 28,444 0.5%
    Unknown[55] 32,209 0.5%
    Other[55] 45,961 0.8%
    No party preference[55] 1,348,695 23.1%
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In the United States House of Representatives, Los Angeles County is split between 17 congressional districts.[56] In the California State Senate, Los Angeles County is split between 13 legislative districts.[57] In the California State Assembly, Los Angeles County is split between 24 legislative districts.[58]

On November 4, 2008, Los Angeles County was almost evenly split over Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The county voted for the amendment 50.04% with a margin of 2,385 votes.[59]

Further information: Los Angeles County Superior Court

The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the county's court of general jurisdiction, while the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California may hear cases where federal jurisdiction is present. Both are headquartered in a large cluster of government buildings in the city's Civic Center.

Historically, the courthouses were county-owned buildings that were maintained at county expense, which created significant friction since the trial court judges, as officials of the state government, had to lobby the county Board of Supervisors for facility renovations and upgrades. In turn, the state judiciary successfully persuaded the state Legislature to authorize the transfer of all courthouses to the state government in 2008 and 2009 (so that judges would have direct control over their own courthouses). Courthouse security is still provided by the county government under a contract with the state.

Unlike the largest city in the United States, New York City, all of the city of Los Angeles and most of its important suburbs are located within a single county. As a result, both the county superior court and the federal district court are respectively the busiest courts of their type in the nation.[60][61]

Many celebrities have been seen in Los Angeles courts. In 2003, the television show Extra (based in nearby Glendale) found itself running so many reports on the legal problems of local celebrities that it spun them off into a separate show, Celebrity Justice.

State cases are appealed to the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District, which is also headquartered in the Civic Center, and then to the California Supreme Court, which is headquartered in San Francisco but also hears argument in Los Angeles (again, in the Civic Center). Federal cases are appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which hears them at its branch building in Pasadena. The court of last resort for federal cases is the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

More information Population and crime rates (2011), Population ...
Population and crime rates (2011)
Population[62] 9,787,747
Violent crime[63] 54,7475.59
  Homicide[63] 6990.07
  Forcible rape[63] 2,1140.22
  Robbery[63] 24,5282.51
  Aggravated assault[63] 27,4062.80
Property crime[63] 155,58315.90
  Burglary[63] 50,5585.17
  Larceny-theft[63][note 2] 144,58914.77
  Motor vehicle theft[63] 46,7104.77
Arson[63] 2,8150.29
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Cities by population and crime rates

More information Cities by population and crime rates (2012), City ...
Cities by population and crime rates (2012)
City Population[64] Violent crimes[64] Violent crime rate
per 1,000 persons		 Property crimes[64] Property crime rate
per 1,000 persons
Agoura Hills20,667120.5823611.42
Alhambra84,4691491.761,91922.72
Arcadia57,295570.991,38824.23
Artesia16,793603.5726215.60
Avalon3,795133.436416.86
Azusa47,1112204.671,20425.56
Baldwin Park76,6442613.411,58520.68
Bell36,0622256.2466218.36
Bellflower77,8863043.901,80223.14
Bell Gardens42,7691252.9272817.02
Beverly Hills34,677892.571,08131.17
Bradbury1,06700.00109.37
Burbank105,0572432.312,49323.73
Calabasas23,442130.5523810.15
Carson93,2335205.582,70929.06
Cerritos49,8561202.411,87037.51
Claremont35,469401.1390125.40
Commerce13,0351128.591,01077.48
Compton98,0571,21812.422,39924.47
Covina48,5881513.111,65133.98
Cudahy24,2011516.2434714.34
Culver City39,5281794.531,76044.53
Diamond Bar56,470550.9795216.86
Downey113,6283813.353,53731.13
Duarte21,673713.2850723.39
El Monte115,3563953.422,23019.33
El Segundo16,931382.2459535.14
Gardena59,8022874.801,32122.09
Glendale194,9022331.203,04315.61
Glendora50,903591.161,29325.40
Hawaiian Gardens14,493694.7619313.32
Hawthorne85,6926377.432,18125.45
Hermosa Beach19,830542.7267834.19
Hidden Hills1,88700.0042.12
Huntington Park59,0793736.311,91732.45
Industry22268306.311,1105,000.00
Inglewood111,4887807.002,67323.98
Irwindale1,4471510.37243167.93
La Canada Flintridge20,584120.5832415.74
La Habra Heights5,41361.11448.13
Lakewood81,3822272.792,06225.34
La Mirada49,312981.9977615.74
Lancaster159,1558595.403,49821.98
La Puente40,4791212.9952112.87
La Verne31,575501.5882326.06
Lawndale33,3121675.0139711.92
Lomita20,591954.6139118.99
Long Beach469,8932,7055.7614,13130.07
Los Angeles3,855,12218,5474.8187,47822.69
Lynwood70,9085417.631,37319.36
Malibu12,854151.1732925.60
Manhattan Beach35,719621.7485523.94
Maywood27,8501756.2828610.27
Monrovia37,199812.1894825.48
Montebello63,5381462.301,77527.94
Monterey Park61,270751.221,02216.68
Norwalk107,2954334.042,60924.32
Palmdale155,2948125.233,39321.85
Palos Verdes Estates13,66160.441369.96
Paramount54,9972444.441,53627.93
Pasadena139,3824333.113,37924.24
Pico Rivera63,9882614.081,78027.82
Pomona151,5111,0216.745,05533.36
Rancho Palos Verdes42,335350.8349811.76
Redondo Beach67,8561902.801,59623.52
Rolling Hills1,89100.002714.28
Rolling Hills Estates8,20291.1012915.73
Rosemead54,6561432.6291316.70
San Dimas33,923511.5066819.69
San Fernando24,039773.2038015.81
San Gabriel40,376882.1855013.62
San Marino13,364130.9718313.69
Santa Clarita179,2483421.912,74215.30
Santa Fe Springs16,492996.001,27277.13
Santa Monica91,2153954.333,39837.25
Sierra Madre11,09840.3611210.09
Signal Hill11,198433.8453647.87
South El Monte20,452884.3039919.51
South Gate95,9665535.762,54526.52
South Pasadena26,045271.0444317.01
Temple City36,148381.053549.79
Torrance147,8511901.292,69018.19
Vernon11427236.843112,728.07
Walnut29,658371.2538212.88
West Covina107,8612812.613,22429.89
West Hollywood34,9713389.671,64246.95
Westlake Village8,40630.3615418.32
Whittier86,7402472.852,50228.84
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Other statistics

Crime in 2013

  • Homicides: 386[65]
  • Thefts: 54,971 [66]
  • Burglaries: 17,606
  • Car Thefts: 15,866[66]
  • Robberies: 10,202
  • Violent Crimes: 20,318[66]
  • Rapes: 843
  • Assaults: 8,976[66]
  • Murders: 297

Ecology

Many introduced species, such as this Indian peafowl, adapt readily to urban living and Los Angeles County's mild climate.

According to the authors of Wild L.A., a book about urban biodiversity, "Los Angeles is the birdiest county in the country with over 500 recorded species." LA's amenable climate supports a large number of introduced, tropical and migratory species.[67] Because of the county's wide range of biomes it is possible to see desert bighorn sheep and green sea turtles in the same day, without crossing the county line.[67] The range of habitats in the county is "greater than in many states, with mountains, wetlands, desert, ocean, meadows and chaparral, each with its own endemic species."[68] There are at least 100 species of trees, and 1000 species of non-native plants, in the urban areas of the county.[69] Charismatic biodiversity indicator species native to the area include three species of amphibian (Baja California chorus frog, black-bellied slender salamander, western toad), 14 species of bird (acorn woodpecker, California quail, canyon wren, cinnamon teal, great blue heron, great horned owl, greater roadrunner, hooded merganser, Northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, red-winged blackbird, spotted towhee, western bluebird, western meadowlark), nine kinds of invertebrates (Behr's metalmark, bramble green hairstreak, bumblebees, El Segundo blue butterfly, harvester ants, Lorquin's admiral, North American Jerusalem crickets, Sara orangetip, velvet ants), five mammals (bobcat, dusky footed woodrat, gray fox, mountain lion, mule deer), and six reptiles (California kingsnake, coachwhip snake, gopher snake, side-blotched lizard, western pond turtle, western rattlesnake).[70] Any observations of these species within the county are considered ecologically significant indicators of ecosystem health and may be documented using the iNaturalist app.[71][72]

Economy

See also: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Employment by industry in Los Angeles County (2015)

Los Angeles County is commonly associated with the entertainment and digital media industry; all five major film studios—Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios—are located within the county. Numerous other major industries also define the economy of Los Angeles County, including international trade supported by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, music recording and production, aerospace and defense, fashion, and professional services such as law, medicine, engineering and design services, financial services.[73] High-tech sector employment within Los Angeles County is 368,500 workers,[74] and manufacturing employment within Los Angeles County is 365,000 workers.[75][76] Despite a business exodus from Downtown Los Angeles since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's urban core is evolving as a cultural center with the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry.[77]

The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County:

Education

The Los Angeles County Office of Education provides a supporting role for school districts in the area. The county office also operates two magnet schools, the International Polytechnic High School and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. There are a number of private schools in the county, most notably those operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The county's public education sector is run by numerous school districts with the Los Angeles Unified School District being the largest one running public schools primarily within the city of Los Angeles and its immediately neighboring cities.

Colleges

Universities

K–12 schools

Main article: List of school districts in Los Angeles County, California
See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Sites of interest

LA County Fair at dusk, 2008
Photo of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during its 2005 Ancient Egypt exhibit

The county's most visited park is Griffith Park, owned by the city of Los Angeles. The county is also known for the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, the annual Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Zoo, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the La Brea Tar Pits, the Arboretum of Los Angeles, and two horse racetracks and two car racetracks (Pomona Raceway and Irwindale Speedway), also the RMS Queen Mary located in Long Beach, and the Long Beach Grand Prix, and miles of beaches—from Zuma to Cabrillo.

Venice Beach is a popular attraction whose Muscle Beach used to attract throngs of tourists admiring "hardbodies". Today, it is more arts-centered. Santa Monica's pier is a well known tourist spot, famous for its Ferris wheel and bumper car rides, which were featured in the introductory segment of the television sitcom Three's Company. Further north in Pacific Palisades one finds the beaches used in the television series Baywatch.[80] The fabled Malibu, home of many film and television stars, lies west of it.

In the mountain, canyon, and desert areas one may find Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, where many old Westerns were filmed. Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains is open for the public to view astronomical stars from its telescope, now computer-assisted. Many county residents find relaxation in water skiing and swimming at Castaic Lake Recreation Area – the county's largest park by area – as well as enjoying natural surroundings and starry nights at Saddleback Butte State Park in the eastern Antelope Valley – California State Parks' largest in area within the county. The California Poppy Reserve is located in the western Antelope Valley and shows off the State's flower in great quantity on its rolling hills every spring.

Museums

Entertainment

Music venues

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Amusement parks

Other attractions

Other areas

Angeles National Forest

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Los Angeles

Major highways

Air

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located in the Westchester district, is the primary commercial airport for commercial airlines in the county and the Greater Los Angeles Area. LAX is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), an agency of the City of Los Angeles.

Other important commercial airports in Los Angeles County include:

The following general aviation airports also are located in Los Angeles County:

The U.S. Air Force operates three airports in Los Angeles County:

Rail

Los Angeles is a major freight-railroad transportation center, in great part due to the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county's seaport facilities. The ports are connected to the downtown rail yards and to the main lines of Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe headed east via a grade-separated freight rail corridor known as the Alameda Corridor.

Passenger rail service is provided in the county by Amtrak, Los Angeles Metro Rail and Metrolink.

Amtrak has the following intercity Amtrak service at Union Station in the city of Los Angeles:

Union Station is also the primary hub for Metrolink commuter rail, which serves much of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Light rail, subway (heavy rail), and long-distance bus service are all provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Other smaller regional transit agencies that provide public transit to specific regions of Los Angeles County include LADOT, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit, Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus serving the western LA region, Santa Clarita Transit, Torrance Transit, Glendale Beeline, Foothill Transit serving the San Gabriel Valley region, and the Antelope Valley Transit Authority serving the Lancaster and Palmdale area in the Antelope Valley region.

Sea

The county's two main seaports are the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Together they handle over a quarter of all container traffic entering the United States, making the complex the largest and most important port in the country, and the third-largest port in the world by shipping volume.

The Port of Los Angeles is the largest cruise ship center on the West Coast, handling more than 1 million passengers annually.

The Port of Long Beach is home to the Sea Launch program, which uses a floating launch platform to insert payloads into orbits that would be difficult to attain from existing land-based launch sites.

Catalina Express ferries link the Catalina Island city of Avalon to the mainland at San Pedro and Long Beach, as well as Dana Point in Orange County.

Water

Watersheds of Los Angeles County

Water is provided by at least 200 independent water districts or agencies.[82] Statewide droughts in California have placed a strain on the county's water security.[83][84]

Communities

For the racial / ethnic profile of individual communities in Los Angeles County, see Demographics of Los Angeles County § Racial / Ethnic profile of places in Los Angeles County, California.

Cities

Main article: List of cities in Los Angeles County, California

There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. According to the 2024 Estimate, the most populous are:[85]

More information City, Population ...
Largest cities, 2024 Estimate
City Population
Los Angeles
3,878,704
Long Beach
450,901
Santa Clarita
229,159
Glendale
187,823
Lancaster
167,426
Palmdale
162,536
Pomona
147,966
Torrance
139,576
Pasadena
137,195
Downey
109,368
West Covina
106,920
El Monte
104,639
Burbank
103,533
Inglewood
102,774
Close

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Proposed communities

See: Los Angeles Almanac MAP: Unincorporated Areas and Communities of Los Angeles County
See also: List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles

See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  2. [2]
    Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
3.^ Mayor-Council In 2032

References

External links

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