Manhattan Beach is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 34,137 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Manhattan Beach is the 230th largest community in California.

Manhattan Beach home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Manhattan Beach real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Manhattan Beach is also a city of artists. Manhattan Beach has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Manhattan Beach’s character.

Also of interest is that Manhattan Beach has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 28.85% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Manhattan Beach is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Manhattan Beach is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

In Manhattan Beach, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 30.86 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.

If knowledge is power, Manhattan Beach is a pretty powerful place. 78.18% of the adults in Manhattan Beach have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Manhattan Beach in 2022 was $108,762, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $435,048 for a family of four.

Manhattan Beach is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Manhattan Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Manhattan Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Manhattan Beach include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European.

The most common language spoken in Manhattan Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.