What’s within 5, 10, 25, and 50 miles of San Diego, CA
About 5.11 million people live within 50 miles of the center of San Diego, and 1.22 million within 10 miles. The 50-mile circle takes in 54 cities, towns and CDPs and reaches 2 counties in California.
By the All Map Tools Team
Loading the map…
- 5 mi (8.0 km)
- 456,000 280,000–730,000
- 10 mi (16 km)
- 1.22 million 998,000–1.41 million
- 25 mi (40 km)
- 4.01 million 3.76–4.28 million
- 50 mi (80 km)
- 5.11 million 4.91–5.36 million
30 minutes by car
Open in the radius mapThe circles
| Radius | People | Low–high | Cities, towns and CDPs | ZIP codes | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mi (8.0 km) | 456,000 | 280,000–730,000 | 2 | 19 | 79 mi² |
| 10 mi (16 km) | 1.22 million | 998,000–1.41 million | 7 | 37 | 314 mi² |
| 25 mi (40 km) | 4.01 million | 3.76–4.28 million | 30 | 73 | 1,963 mi² |
| 50 mi (80 km) | 5.11 million | 4.91–5.36 million | 54 | 110 | 7,854 mi² |
Circle by circle
Within 5 miles (8.0 km)
About 456,000 people (280,000–730,000). 2 Census places (cities, towns and CDPs) have their center inside, and so do 19 ZIP codes.
Biggest places within 5 miles
- National City 57,807 4.9 mi SE
- Coronado 21,094 4.0 mi S
Within 10 miles (16 km)
About 1.22 million people (998,000–1.41 million), 766,000 more than within 5 miles. 7 Census places (cities, towns and CDPs) have their center inside, and so do 37 ZIP codes.
Biggest places between 5 and 10 miles
- La Mesa 59,914 8.7 mi NE
- La Presa CDP 34,962 8.9 mi E
- Lemon Grove 27,936 7.3 mi E
- Bonita CDP 12,652 9.3 mi E
Just past 10 miles
- Chula Vista 275,533 10.2 mi SE
- Spring Valley CDP 31,969 10.6 mi E
- Imperial Beach 25,206 10.6 mi S
Within 25 miles (40 km)
About 4.01 million people (3.76–4.28 million), 2.78 million more than within 10 miles. 30 Census places (cities, towns and CDPs) have their center inside, and so do 73 ZIP codes.
Of these, about 1.58 million live in Mexico (40%, from the GHS-POP grid). GeoNames lists 13 towns of 1,000+ people there inside the circle.
Biggest places between 10 and 25 miles
- Tijuana Mexico 1,922,523 17.2 mi SE
- Chula Vista 275,533 10.2 mi SE
- El Cajon 101,755 12.9 mi NE
- Encinitas 60,736 23.9 mi N
- Santee 58,205 13.9 mi NE
- Poway 49,180 20.4 mi NE
Just past 25 miles
- Escondido 146,030 29.2 mi N
- Carlsbad 112,260 29.5 mi N
- Rosarito Mexico 100,660 25.3 mi S
Within 50 miles (80 km)
About 5.11 million people (4.91–5.36 million), 1.10 million more than within 25 miles. 54 Census places (cities, towns and CDPs) have their center inside, and so do 110 ZIP codes.
Of these, about 1.83 million live in Mexico (36%, from the GHS-POP grid). GeoNames lists 28 towns of 1,000+ people there inside the circle.
Biggest places between 25 and 50 miles
- Oceanside 170,483 36.1 mi N
- Escondido 146,030 29.2 mi N
- Carlsbad 112,260 29.5 mi N
- Rosarito Mexico 100,660 25.3 mi S
- Vista 98,274 33.0 mi N
- San Marcos 94,908 28.8 mi N
Just past 50 miles
- Temecula 114,865 53.6 mi N
- Murrieta 114,124 59.2 mi N
- San Clemente 62,226 57.1 mi NW
Counties and countries the circles reach
The 5-mile circle reaches one county; the 50-mile circle, 2, all in California, and it reaches Mexico.
- Within 5 mi
- San Diego County
- Within 25 mi, also
- Mexico
- Within 50 mi, also
- Riverside County
How far 30 minutes by car gets you
Driving for 30 minutes from the center, at typical road speeds and with no traffic, covers 500 mi² (1,296 km²): the same area as a circle 13 mi in radius. The farthest point is 26 mi away, to the north.
That area takes in 86% of the 5-mile circle, 69% of the 10-mile circle, 25% of the 25-mile circle, and 6% of the 50-mile circle. About 1.99 million people live in it, against 1.22 million within 10 miles.
Drive time mapQuestions
How many people live within 10 miles of San Diego?
About 1.22 million people (998,000–1.41 million), from the population of each ZIP code area in the Census ACS 2020–2024. Within 5 miles it’s 456,000, and within 50 miles, 5.11 million.
Which cities are within 50 miles of San Diego?
54 Census places (cities, towns and CDPs) have their center inside, and so do 110 ZIP codes. The biggest: Tijuana (Mexico, 1,922,523), 17 mi southeast, Chula Vista (275,533), 10 mi southeast, Oceanside (170,483), 36 mi north, Escondido (146,030), 29 mi north, Carlsbad (112,260), 29 mi north, El Cajon (101,755), 13 mi northeast, Rosarito (Mexico, 100,660), 25 mi south, and Vista (98,274), 33 mi north.
Which counties are within 50 miles of San Diego?
The 50-mile circle reaches 2 counties: San Diego County and Riverside County.
How far can you drive from San Diego in 30 minutes?
Up to 26 mi from the center (to the north), at typical road speeds and with no traffic. The 30-minute area measures 500 mi² and about 1.99 million people live in it.
Is Temecula within 50 miles of San Diego?
No: it’s 54 mi (86 km) north of the center of San Diego in a straight line, 3.6 mi beyond the 50-mile circle.
How big is a 50-mile radius around San Diego?
The circle covers 7,854 mi² (20,341 km²). With about 5.11 million people inside, that’s 651 per square mile.
Open these circles in the tools
Each tool opens with this center and these circles already set, so you can change them or download the lists.
- Radius map Draw a circle of any radius around a place and see how big it is and what lies inside it.
- Population in a radius Estimate how many people live within any distance of a point anywhere in the world, with Census data in the US.
- Cities in a radius Find every city and town within a chosen distance of a place, listed by distance and shown on the map.
- ZIP codes in a radius List every ZIP code within a set distance of an address, see them on the map and export them to CSV.
- Drive time map See how far you can get in a set time by car, by bike or on foot, drawn as an area on the map.
More about this city
- San Diego: elevation and coordinates
- Study: people within 1 to 50 miles of the 100 largest US cities
Distances from San Diego
Nearby cities in this series
All citiesSources and method
- City center: GNIS point · USGS (public domain)
- Population by ZIP code area (ZCTA), ACS 2020–2024 · U.S. Census Bureau (public domain)
- Cities, towns and CDPs and their population (2025 estimates and ACS) · U.S. Census Bureau (public domain)
- Counties and states · U.S. Census Bureau, Cartographic Boundary Files 2025 (public domain)
- GHS-POP R2023A, 2025 population grid: people outside the US · Schiavina, M. et al. (2023), European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC). © European Union, CC BY 4.0
- Towns and cities of 1,000+ people outside the country (cities500) · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
- 30-minute drive area (calculated on November 1, 2026) · FOSSGIS Valhalla, with data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Distances and bearings (geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid) · GeographicLib (C. F. F. Karney)
- How we count people and places (methodology)