Seaside 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 31,317 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Seaside is the 243rd largest community in California.

Housing costs in Seaside are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Seaside, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

A relatively large number of people in Seaside telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.87% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Because there are quite a few people attending college in Seaside, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Seaside provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.

One of the nice things about Seaside is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The percentage of people in Seaside who are college-educated is somewhat higher than the average US community of 21.84%: 27.46% of adults in Seaside have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Seaside in 2022 was $33,614, which is lower middle income relative to California, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $134,456 for a family of four. However, Seaside contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Seaside is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Seaside home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Seaside, accounting for 46.01% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Seaside residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Seaside include Irish, German, English, Italian, and French.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Seaside's cultural character, accounting for 26.35% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Seaside is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.