Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,861,224 residents estimated in 2022. Its population is greater than that of 40 individual U.S. states. Comprising 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas within a total area of 4,083 square miles (10,570 km), it is home to more than a quarter of Californians and is one of the most ethnically diverse U.S. counties. The county's seat, Los Angeles, is the second most populous city in the United States, with 3,822,238 residents estimated in 2022. The county has been world-renowned as the domicile of the U.S. motion picture industry since the latter's inception in the early 20th century.

Los Angeles County is one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850. 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. 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):

• Azusa – encompassed the foothill communities east of the San Gabriel River, including present-day Covina and Duarte
• El Monte – encompassed communities in the Whittier Narrows area, including present-day El Monte, La Puente, as well as Monterey Park
  • Azusa and El Monte Townships – merged for the 1870 census
• City of Los Angeles – then consisting solely of its four-league Spanish land grant
• Los Angeles Township – consisted of areas surrounding the City of Los Angeles, including the San Fernando Valley and present-day West Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. Most of this area has now been annexed to the city of Los Angeles.
• Los Nietos – consisted of areas south of the Whittier Narrows and Puente Hills south to present-day Long Beach, centered on the early settlement at Los Nietos. Some of this area is now in Orange County
• San Jose – consisted of the eastern portions of the county drained by San Jose Creek, including what is now the cities of Pomona, Claremont and Walnut
• San Gabriel – consisted of the western San Gabriel Valley and foothill communities, including present-day Alhambra and Pasadena. Centered on the Mission San Gabriel
• Santa Ana – consisted of what is now northern and central Orange County, including what is now Fullerton, Huntington Beach and the City of Orange. Centered on Santa Ana).
  • For the 1870 census, Anaheim district was enumerated separately
• San Juan – consisted of what is now southern Orange County. Centered on Mission San Juan Capistrano
• San Pedro – consisted of the present-day South Bay communities, Compton and western Long Beach. Centered on the wharf of San Pedro. Renamed Wilmington Township by 1870).
• Tejon – consisted of all of northern Los Angeles County and what is now southern Kern County. Centered on Fort Tejon
  • When Kern County was formed, the portion of the township remaining in Los Angeles County became Soledad Township.

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.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,751 square miles (12,310 km), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km) (85%) is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km) (15%) is water. 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.

• East: Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, portions of the Pomona Valley
• West: Westside, Beach Cities
• South: South Bay, South Los Angeles, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Gateway Cities, Los Angeles Harbor Region
• North: San Fernando Valley, Crescenta Valley, portions of the Conejo Valley, portions of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley
• Central: Downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire, Northeast Los Angeles

• Angeles National Forest (part)
• Los Padres National Forest (part)
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (part)

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.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	3,530		—
1860	11,333		221.0%
1870	15,309		35.1%
1880	33,381		118.0%
1890	101,454		203.9%
1900	170,298		67.9%
1910	504,131		196.0%
1920	936,455		85.8%
1930	2,208,492		135.8%
1940	2,785,643		26.1%
1950	4,151,687		49.0%
1960	6,038,771		45.5%
1970	7,041,980		16.6%
1980	7,477,421		6.2%
1990	8,863,164		18.5%
2000	9,519,338		7.4%
2010	9,818,605		3.1%
2020	10,014,009		2.0%
2023 (est.)	9,663,345		−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

Los Angeles County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	3,618,850	2,959,614	2,728,321	2,563,609	40.83%	31.09%	27.79%	25.60%
Black or African American alone (NH)	934,776	901,472	815,086	760,689	10.55%	9.47%	8.30%	7.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	29,159	25,609	18,886	18,453	0.33%	0.27%	0.19%	0.18%
Asian alone (NH)	907,810	1,124,569	1,325,671	1,474,237	10.24%	11.81%	13.50%	14.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	N/A	23,265	22,464	20,522	N/A	0.24%	0.23%	0.20%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	21,327	19,935	25,367	58,683	0.24%	0.21%	0.26%	0.59%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	N/A	222,661	194,921	313,053	N/A	2.34%	1.99%	3.13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,351,242	4,242,213	4,687,889	4,804,763	37.81%	44.56%	47.74%	47.98%
Total	8,863,164	9,519,338	9,818,605	10,014,009	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2019, the median household income in the county was $72,797.

Los Angeles County had a population of 9,818,605 in the 2010 United States Census. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 583,364 people (i.e., 1,152,564 births minus 569,200 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 361,895 people. Immigration resulted in a net increase of 293,433 people, and migration from within the United States resulted in a net decrease of 655,328 people.

The racial makeup of Los Angeles County was 4,936,599 (50%) White, 1,346,865 (13.7%) Asian, 856,874 (9%) African American, 72,828 (0.7%) Native American, 26,094 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,140,632 (21.8%) from other races, and 438,713 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Non-Hispanic whites numbered 2,728,321, or 28% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 4,687,889 (48%); 36% of Los Angeles County's population was of Mexican ancestry, 3.7% Salvadoran, and 2.2% Guatemalan heritage.

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. 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.

Racial composition	2020	2010	2000	1990	1980	1970	1960
Hispanic or Latino	48.0%	47.7%	44.5%	37.8%	27.6%	18.3%	-
White (non-Hispanic)	25.6%	27.8%	31.1%	40.8%	52.8%	-	-
Asian (non-Hispanic)	14.7%	13.5%	11.9%	10.2%	-	-	1.8%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	7.6%	8.3%	9.7%	11.1%	12.6%	10.8%	7.6%
Native American (non-Hispanic)	0.2%	0.2%	0.8%	0.5%	-	-	0.1%
Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)	0.2%	0.2%	%	-	-	-	-
Mixed race (non-Hispanic)	3.0%	2.0%	%	-	-	-	-

Population, race, and income (2022)
Total population	9,721,138
White	2,857,095	29.4%
Black or African American	739,392	7.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native	135,624	1.4%
Asian	1,453,709	15.0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	24,450	0.3%
Some other race	2,510,738	25.8%
Two or more races	2,000,130	20.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	4,766,616	49.0%
Per capita income	$43,171
Median household income	$82,516
Median family income	$92,506

The racial makeup of the county is 48.7% White, 11.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 10.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 23.5% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. 44.6% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The largest European-American ancestry groups are German (6%), Irish (5%), English (4%) and Italian (3%). 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.

The county has the largest Native American population of any county in the nation: according to the 2000 census, it has more than 153,550 people of indigenous descent, and most are from Latin America.

As estimated by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008, Los Angeles County is home to more than one-third of California's undocumented immigrants, who make up more than ten percent of the population.

Los Angeles County is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia.

Los Angeles County contains the largest Iranian population outside of Iran of any other county or county equivalent globally.

At the 2000 census, there were 9,519,338 people, 3,133,774 households, and 2,137,233 families in the county. The population density was 2,344 inhabitants per square mile (905/km). There were 3,270,909 housing units at an average density of 806 units per square mile (311 units/km).

Of the 3,133,774 households 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 25% of households were one person and 7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.61.

The age distribution was 28% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 19% from 45 to 64, and 10% 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2024)

The median personal earnings for all workers 16 and older in Los Angeles County are $30,654, slightly below the US median; earnings, however vary widely by neighborhood, race and ethnicity, and gender. The median household income was $42,189 and the median family income was $46,452. Males had a median income of $36,299 versus $30,981 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,683. There are 14.4% of families living below the poverty line and 17.9% of the population, including 24.2% of under 18 and 10.5% of those over 64. Los Angeles County has the highest number of millionaires of any county in the nation, totaling 261,081 households as of 2007.

The homeownership rate is 47.9%, and the median value for houses is $409,300. 42.2% of housing units are in multi-unit structures. Los Angeles County has the largest number of homeless people, with "48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans," in 2010. As of 2017 the number of homeless people in the county increased to nearly 58,000.

In 2015, there were over two thousand Christian churches, the majority of which are Catholic. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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:

• Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs – offers consumers in the county a variety of services including: consumer and real estate counseling, mediation, and small claims counseling investigates consumer complaints, real estate fraud and identity theft issues. The department also provides small business certifications and helps entrepreneurs navigate the process of opening a business.
• Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services – administers foster care
• Los Angeles County Fire Department – provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts and 58 cities of Los Angeles County, as well as for the city of La Habra in Orange County. A 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that more than 54 percent of all fires requiring an LAFD response were associated with homelessness. That is equivalent to more than 24 fires every day. Arson-related fires constituted one-third of overall incidents, rising along with homeless-related fire incidents. The city's arson clearance rate was 6 percent, meaning that most perpetrators went unpunished.
• Los Angeles County Department of Health Services – operates several county hospitals and a network of primary care clinics.
• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – administers public health programs including STD programs, smoking cessation, and restaurant inspection. The cities of Long Beach and Pasadena have their own autonomous Public Health departments assuming county functions, and county public health orders are not applicable in those cities.
• Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services – administers many federal and state welfare programs
• Los Angeles County Department of Public Works – operates countywide flood control system, constructs and maintains roads in unincorporated areas.
• Los Angeles County District Attorney – prosecutes criminal suspects.
• Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender – defends indigent people accused of criminal offenses.
• Los Angeles County Probation Department
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – provides law enforcement services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 42 cities.

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 bus and rail.

United States presidential election results for Los Angeles County, California

Year	Republican / Whig		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,145,530	26.86%	3,028,885	71.03%	89,950	2.11%
2016	769,743	22.41%	2,464,364	71.76%	200,201	5.83%
2012	885,333	27.83%	2,216,903	69.69%	78,831	2.48%
2008	956,425	28.82%	2,295,853	69.19%	65,970	1.99%
2004	1,076,225	35.60%	1,907,736	63.10%	39,319	1.30%
2000	871,930	32.35%	1,710,505	63.47%	112,719	4.18%
1996	746,544	30.96%	1,430,629	59.34%	233,841	9.70%
1992	799,607	29.04%	1,446,529	52.54%	507,267	18.42%
1988	1,239,716	46.88%	1,372,352	51.89%	32,603	1.23%
1984	1,424,113	54.50%	1,158,912	44.35%	29,889	1.14%
1980	1,224,533	50.18%	979,830	40.15%	235,822	9.66%
1976	1,174,926	47.78%	1,221,893	49.69%	62,258	2.53%
1972	1,549,717	54.75%	1,189,977	42.04%	90,676	3.20%
1968	1,266,480	47.65%	1,223,251	46.02%	168,251	6.33%
1964	1,161,067	42.52%	1,568,300	57.43%	1,551	0.06%
1960	1,302,661	49.45%	1,323,818	50.25%	8,020	0.30%
1956	1,260,206	55.38%	1,007,887	44.29%	7,331	0.32%
1952	1,278,407	56.21%	971,408	42.71%	24,725	1.09%
1948	804,232	46.51%	812,690	47.00%	112,160	6.49%
1944	666,441	42.68%	886,252	56.75%	8,871	0.57%
1940	574,266	40.58%	822,718	58.13%	18,285	1.29%
1936	357,401	31.62%	757,351	67.00%	15,663	1.39%
1932	373,738	38.55%	554,476	57.19%	41,380	4.27%
1928	513,526	70.22%	209,945	28.71%	7,830	1.07%
1924	299,675	65.51%	33,554	7.33%	124,228	27.16%
1920	178,117	69.10%	55,661	21.59%	23,992	9.31%
1916	135,554	50.59%	114,070	42.58%	18,297	6.83%
1912	2,181	1.32%	55,110	33.34%	108,005	65.34%
1908	41,483	56.77%	22,076	30.21%	9,518	13.02%
1904	32,507	66.50%	10,030	20.52%	6,346	12.98%
1900	19,200	55.10%	13,158	37.76%	2,490	7.15%
1896	16,891	49.62%	16,043	47.13%	1,108	3.25%
1892	10,226	44.89%	8,119	35.64%	4,434	19.47%
1888	13,805	54.64%	10,110	40.02%	1,349	5.34%
1884	5,595	51.67%	4,683	43.24%	551	5.09%
1880	2,914	47.90%	2,853	46.90%	316	5.19%
1876	3,042	45.69%	3,616	54.31%	0	0.00%
1872	1,312	51.11%	1,228	47.84%	27	1.05%
1868	748	37.70%	1,236	62.30%	0	0.00%
1864	555	42.73%	744	57.27%	0	0.00%
1860	356	20.27%	703	40.03%	697	39.69%
1856	521	37.84%	721	52.36%	135	9.80%
1852	497	46.41%	574	53.59%	0	0.00%

Population and registered voters
Total population (2020)	10,014,009
Registered voters	5,668,603	56.6%
Democratic	2,976,209	52.5%
Republican	1,025,622	18.1%
Democratic–Republican spread	+1,950,587	+34.4%
American Independent	181,301	3.2%
Green	26,298	0.5%
Libertarian	49,018	0.9%
Peace and Freedom	42,253	0.8%
Unknown	37,101	0.7%
Other	53,708	1.0%
No party preference	1,277,111	22.5%

In the United States House of Representatives, Los Angeles County is split between 17 congressional districts. In the California State Senate, Los Angeles County is split between 13 legislative districts. In the California State Assembly, Los Angeles County is split between 24 legislative districts.

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.

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.

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.

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

Population and crime rates
Population	9,787,747
Violent crime	54,747	5.59
Homicide	699	0.07
Forcible rape	2,114	0.22
Robbery	24,528	2.51
Aggravated assault	27,406	2.80
Property crime	155,583	15.90
Burglary	50,558	5.17
Larceny-theft	144,589	14.77
Motor vehicle theft	46,710	4.77
Arson	2,815	0.29

Cities by population and crime rates (2012)
City	Population	Violent crimes	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Agoura Hills	20,667	12	0.58	236	11.42
Alhambra	84,469	149	1.76	1,919	22.72
Arcadia	57,295	57	0.99	1,388	24.23
Artesia	16,793	60	3.57	262	15.60
Avalon	3,795	13	3.43	64	16.86
Azusa	47,111	220	4.67	1,204	25.56
Baldwin Park	76,644	261	3.41	1,585	20.68
Bell	36,062	225	6.24	662	18.36
Bellflower	77,886	304	3.90	1,802	23.14
Bell Gardens	42,769	125	2.92	728	17.02
Beverly Hills	34,677	89	2.57	1,081	31.17
Bradbury	1,067	0	0.00	10	9.37
Burbank	105,057	243	2.31	2,493	23.73
Calabasas	23,442	13	0.55	238	10.15
Carson	93,233	520	5.58	2,709	29.06
Cerritos	49,856	120	2.41	1,870	37.51
Claremont	35,469	40	1.13	901	25.40
Commerce	13,035	112	8.59	1,010	77.48
Compton	98,057	1,218	12.42	2,399	24.47
Covina	48,588	151	3.11	1,651	33.98
Cudahy	24,201	151	6.24	347	14.34
Culver City	39,528	179	4.53	1,760	44.53
Diamond Bar	56,470	55	0.97	952	16.86
Downey	113,628	381	3.35	3,537	31.13
Duarte	21,673	71	3.28	507	23.39
El Monte	115,356	395	3.42	2,230	19.33
El Segundo	16,931	38	2.24	595	35.14
Gardena	59,802	287	4.80	1,321	22.09
Glendale	194,902	233	1.20	3,043	15.61
Glendora	50,903	59	1.16	1,293	25.40
Hawaiian Gardens	14,493	69	4.76	193	13.32
Hawthorne	85,692	637	7.43	2,181	25.45
Hermosa Beach	19,830	54	2.72	678	34.19
Hidden Hills	1,887	0	0.00	4	2.12
Huntington Park	59,079	373	6.31	1,917	32.45
Industry	222	68	306.31	1,110	5,000.00
Inglewood	111,488	780	7.00	2,673	23.98
Irwindale	1,447	15	10.37	243	167.93
La Canada Flintridge	20,584	12	0.58	324	15.74
La Habra Heights	5,413	6	1.11	44	8.13
Lakewood	81,382	227	2.79	2,062	25.34
La Mirada	49,312	98	1.99	776	15.74
Lancaster	159,155	859	5.40	3,498	21.98
La Puente	40,479	121	2.99	521	12.87
La Verne	31,575	50	1.58	823	26.06
Lawndale	33,312	167	5.01	397	11.92
Lomita	20,591	95	4.61	391	18.99
Long Beach	469,893	2,705	5.76	14,131	30.07
Los Angeles	3,855,122	18,547	4.81	87,478	22.69
Lynwood	70,908	541	7.63	1,373	19.36
Malibu	12,854	15	1.17	329	25.60
Manhattan Beach	35,719	62	1.74	855	23.94
Maywood	27,850	175	6.28	286	10.27
Monrovia	37,199	81	2.18	948	25.48
Montebello	63,538	146	2.30	1,775	27.94
Monterey Park	61,270	75	1.22	1,022	16.68
Norwalk	107,295	433	4.04	2,609	24.32
Palmdale	155,294	812	5.23	3,393	21.85
Palos Verdes Estates	13,661	6	0.44	136	9.96
Paramount	54,997	244	4.44	1,536	27.93
Pasadena	139,382	433	3.11	3,379	24.24
Pico Rivera	63,988	261	4.08	1,780	27.82
Pomona	151,511	1,021	6.74	5,055	33.36
Rancho Palos Verdes	42,335	35	0.83	498	11.76
Redondo Beach	67,856	190	2.80	1,596	23.52
Rolling Hills	1,891	0	0.00	27	14.28
Rolling Hills Estates	8,202	9	1.10	129	15.73
Rosemead	54,656	143	2.62	913	16.70
San Dimas	33,923	51	1.50	668	19.69
San Fernando	24,039	77	3.20	380	15.81
San Gabriel	40,376	88	2.18	550	13.62
San Marino	13,364	13	0.97	183	13.69
Santa Clarita	179,248	342	1.91	2,742	15.30
Santa Fe Springs	16,492	99	6.00	1,272	77.13
Santa Monica	91,215	395	4.33	3,398	37.25
Sierra Madre	11,098	4	0.36	112	10.09
Signal Hill	11,198	43	3.84	536	47.87
South El Monte	20,452	88	4.30	399	19.51
South Gate	95,966	553	5.76	2,545	26.52
South Pasadena	26,045	27	1.04	443	17.01
Temple City	36,148	38	1.05	354	9.79
Torrance	147,851	190	1.29	2,690	18.19
Vernon	114	27	236.84	311	2,728.07
Walnut	29,658	37	1.25	382	12.88
West Covina	107,861	281	2.61	3,224	29.89
West Hollywood	34,971	338	9.67	1,642	46.95
Westlake Village	8,406	3	0.36	154	18.32
Whittier	86,740	247	2.85	2,502	28.84

Crime in 2013

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

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." L.A.'s amenable climate supports a large number of introduced, tropical and migratory species. 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. 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." There are at least 100 species of trees, and 1000 species of non-native plants, in the urban areas of the county. 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). Any observations of these species within the county are considered ecologically significant indicators of ecosystem health and may be documented using the iNaturalist app.

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. High-tech sector employment within Los Angeles County is 368,500 workers, and manufacturing employment within Los Angeles County is 365,000 workers. 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.

The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County:

Beverly Hills Live Nation Entertainment, Inc Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Burbank Walt Disney Co Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Warner Bros. Cerritos CareMore Isuzu Motors America Memorex RazorUSA El Segundo Konami Mattel, Inc Glendale Avery Dennison Corp. City of Industry Lee Kum Kee Irwindale Huy Fong Foods La Mirada Makita

Los Angeles AECOM CBRE Group Dollar Shave Club Fandango, Inc. Farmers Insurance Group Herbalife The Honest Company ICANN Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. Universal Pictures Long Beach Molina Healthcare Monrovia Trader Joe's Palmdale Delta Scientific Rosemead Edison International Panda Express Santa Clarita Princess Cruise Lines Honda Racing

Santa Monica Activision Blizzard Hulu Riot Games Snap Inc. TrueCar Torrance American Honda Motor Co. Westlake Village Dole Food Company Woodland Hills Farmers Insurance Exchange Health Net Inc. Panavision

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.

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. 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.

• Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, California
• Battleship USS Iowa, Los Angeles Waterfront in San Pedro
• SS Lane Victory, Los Angeles Waterfront in San Pedro, just south of the USS Iowa
• California African American Museum
• California Science Center, Los Angeles (formerly the Museum of Science and Industry)
• The Broad
• Hammer Museum
• Huntington Library, San Marino
• Long Beach Museum of Art in the historic Elizabeth Milbank Anderson residence
• Los Angeles Children's Museum
• Los Angeles County Fire Museum, in Bellflower
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mid-City, Los Angeles
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Downtown Los Angeles (founded in 1950); The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Downtown Los Angeles (founded in 1980)
• Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City
• Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach
• Museum of Neon Art
• Museum of the American West (Gene Autry Museum), in Griffith Park
• Museum of Tolerance
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Pasadena Museum of California Art, in Pasadena
• J. Paul Getty Center, Brentwood (Ancient Roman, Greek, and European Renaissance Art)
• J. Paul Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, Getty's original house
• George C. Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits
• Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica (Contemporary art)
• Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena (19th- and early 20th-century art)
• Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
• Southwest Museum

• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
• Descanso Gardens
• Dodger Stadium
• Exposition Park
• Farmers Market
• The Forum
• Griffith Park
• Griffith Observatory
• Huntington Botanical Gardens
• La Brea Tar Pits
• Music Center
• Olvera Street
• Crypto.com Arena
• SoFi Stadium
• South Coast Botanic Garden
• Third Street Promenade
• Venice Beach
• Los Angeles Zoo

• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Raging Waters, San Dimas
• Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
• Pacific Park

U.S. Bank Tower Wilshire Grand Tower Central Los Angeles Library Watts Towers Wayfarers Chapel

Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Queen Mary

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:

• Long Beach Municipal Airport operated by the City of Long Beach.
• Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, operated by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

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

• County operated airports (Department of Public Works, Aviation Division)
  • Compton/Woodley Airport in Compton.
  • San Gabriel Valley Airport in El Monte.
  • Brackett Field in La Verne.
  • Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.
  • General William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster.
• City operated airports
  • Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, also operated by LAWA. Van Nuys Airport sees significant executive jet air traffic.
  • LA/Palmdale Regional Airport in Palmdale. The airport is a separate facility on the grounds of Air Force Plant 42.
  • Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, which has major executive jet traffic.
  • Hawthorne Municipal Airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, in Hawthorne.
  • Zamperini Field in Torrance.

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

• Portions of Edwards Air Force Base, located at the northern edge of the county.
• Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, sharing runways with LA/Palmdale Regional.
• The non-flying Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo.

Los Angeles is a major freight-railroad transportation center, largely due to the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county's sea port 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:

• The Pacific Surfliner to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego.
• The Coast Starlight to San Francisco Bay Area, Portland and Seattle.
• The Southwest Chief to Albuquerque, Kansas City and Chicago.
• The Sunset Limited to Tucson, Houston and New Orleans.

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.

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 is provided by at least 200 independent water districts or agencies. Statewide droughts in California have placed a strain on the county's water security. Statewide droughts in California have further strained Los Angeles County's water security.

There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. According to the 2018 Estimate, the most populous are:

Largest cities, 2018 Estimate

City	Population
Los Angeles	3,990,456
Long Beach	467,354
Santa Clarita	210,089
Glendale	201,361
Lancaster	159,053
Palmdale	156,667
Pomona	152,361
Torrance	145,182
Pasadena	141,371
El Monte	115,586
Downey	112,269
West Covina	106,311
Norwalk	105,120
Burbank	103,695

• Centennial (planned for 70,000).

See: Los Angeles Almanac MAP: Unincorporated Areas and Communities of Los Angeles County

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Los Angeles County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Los Angeles	City	3,898,747
2	Long Beach	City	466,742
3	Santa Clarita	City	228,673
4	Glendale	City	196,543
5	Lancaster	City	173,516
6	Palmdale	City	169,450
7	Pomona	City	151,713
8	Torrance	City	147,067
9	Pasadena	City	138,699
10	East Los Angeles	CDP	118,786
11	Downey	City	114,355
12	West Covina	City	109,501
13	El Monte	City	109,450
14	Inglewood	City	107,762
15	Burbank	City	107,337
16	Norwalk	City	102,773
17	Compton	City	95,740
18	Carson	City	95,558
19	Santa Monica	City	93,076
20	South Gate	City	92,726
21	Hawthorne	City	88,083
22	Whittier	City	87,306
23	Alhambra	City	82,868
24	Lakewood	City	82,496
25	Bellflower	City	79,190
26	Baldwin Park	City	72,176
27	Redondo Beach	City	71,576
28	Lynwood	City	67,265
29	Montebello	City	62,640
30	Pico Rivera	City	62,088
31	Florence-Graham	CDP	61,983
32	Monterey Park	City	61,096
33	Gardena	City	61,027
34	Arcadia	City	56,681
35	South Whittier	CDP	56,415
36	Diamond Bar	City	55,072
37	Huntington Park	City	54,883
38	Hacienda Heights	CDP	54,191
39	Paramount	City	53,733
40	Glendora	City	52,558
41	Covina	City	51,268
42	Rosemead	City	51,185
43	Azusa	City	50,000
44	Cerritos	City	49,578
45	Rowland Heights	CDP	48,231
46	La Mirada	City	48,008
47	Altadena	CDP	42,846
48	Rancho Palos Verdes	City	42,287
49	Culver City	City	40,779
50	San Gabriel	City	39,568
51	Bell Gardens	City	39,501
52	La Puente	City	38,062
53	Monrovia	City	37,931
54	Claremont	City	37,266
55	Temple City	City	36,494
56	West Hollywood	City	35,757
57	Manhattan Beach	City	35,506
58	San Dimas	City	34,924
59	Westmont	CDP	33,913
60	Bell	City	33,559
61	Beverly Hills	City	32,701
62	Lawndale	City	31,807
63	La Verne	City	31,334
64	Walnut	City	28,430
65	South Pasadena	City	26,943
66	West Whittier-Los Nietos	CDP	25,325
67	Maywood	City	25,138
68	West Rancho Dominguez	CDP	24,347
69	Willowbrook	CDP	24,295
70	San Fernando	City	23,946
71	Calabasas	City	23,241
72	West Puente Valley	CDP	22,959
73	West Carson	CDP	22,870
74	Cudahy	City	22,811
75	East San Gabriel	CDP	22,769
76	Valinda	CDP	22,437
77	Duarte	City	21,727
78	Lomita	City	20,921
79	La Cañada Flintridge	City	20,573
80	Lennox	CDP	20,323
81	Agoura Hills	City	20,299
82	Stevenson Ranch	CDP	20,178
83	La Crescenta-Montrose	CDP	19,997
84	South San Jose Hills	CDP	19,855
85	Hermosa Beach	City	19,728
86	South El Monte	City	19,567
87	Santa Fe Springs	City	19,219
88	Castaic	CDP	18,937
89	El Segundo	City	17,272
90	Artesia	City	16,395
91	Vincent	CDP	15,714
92	Walnut Park	CDP	15,214
93	East Rancho Dominguez	CDP	15,114
94	Hawaiian Gardens	City	14,149
95	Palos Verdes Estates	City	13,347
96	Avocado Heights	CDP	13,317
97	Lake Los Angeles	CDP	13,187
98	San Marino	City	12,513
99	Commerce	City	12,378
100	Sun Village	CDP	12,345
101	Signal Hill	City	11,848
102	Quartz Hill	CDP	11,447
103	View Park-Windsor Hills	CDP	11,419
104	Marina del Rey	CDP	11,373
105	Sierra Madre	City	11,268
106	Malibu	City	10,654
107	East Whittier	CDP	10,394
108	Del Aire	CDP	10,338
109	Citrus	CDP	10,243
110	Charter Oak	CDP	9,739
111	West Athens	CDP	9,393
112	Alondra Park	CDP	8,569
113	Topanga	CDP	8,560
114	Rolling Hills Estates	City	8,280
115	Westlake Village	City	8,029
116	South San Gabriel	CDP	7,920
117	Acton	CDP	7,431
118	Ladera Heights	CDP	6,654
119	South Monrovia Island	CDP	6,515
120	East Pasadena	CDP	6,021
121	La Habra Heights	City	5,682
122	Mayflower Village	CDP	5,402
123	North El Monte	CDP	3,730
124	Avalon	City	3,460
125	Agua Dulce	CDP	3,451
126	Rose Hills	CDP	2,927
127	Desert View Highlands	CDP	2,676
128	Val Verde	CDP	2,399
129	San Pasqual	CDP	2,101
130	Rolling Hills	City	1,739
131	Hidden Hills	City	1,725
132	Elizabeth Lake	CDP	1,651
133	Leona Valley	CDP	1,555
134	Littlerock	CDP	1,535
135	Irwindale	City	1,472
136	Hasley Canyon	CDP	1,195
137	Green Valley	CDP	1,036
138	Bradbury	City	921
139	Lake Hughes	CDP	544
140	Industry	City	264
141	Vernon	City	222

• List of museums in Los Angeles
• List of museums in Los Angeles County, California
• List of school districts in Los Angeles County, California
• List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles County, California

• County government website
• Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board