States · California · Monterey County

Prunedale, California.

A community in Monterey County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Monterey County’s.

Living in Prunedale, Monterey County, California

Prunedale, in Monterey County, had 18,885 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $103,819 a year and half less, against $97,230 across Monterey County; 11% of its people live below the poverty line. 77% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 23% are rented. Unemployment in Monterey County was 5.7% in August 2026, and the county had 0.9% fewer jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most residents work in schools and health care, then farming.

People 18,885 in the 2020 census; median age 37.8
Household income $103,819 the median, give or take $7,281 · Monterey County: $97,230
Unemployment 5.7% Monterey County, August 2026; 5.8% a year before
Homes 77% lived in by their owners; 23% rented
  • 5,652households
  • 24%of adults have a degree
  • 11%below the poverty line
  • 31 mintypical commute
  • 6%work from home

What residents work in

  • Schools, hospitals and social care22%
  • Farming, forestry and mining12%
  • Building trades11%
  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment10%
  • Manufacturing10%
  • Shops (retail)9%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Monterey County had 198,525 jobs in 2025, 0.9% fewer than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in December, 62° and 39°; warmest in September, 74° and 53° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° J F M A M J J A S 74° 53° O N D 62° 39°
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in December, 62° and 39°; warmest in September, 74° and 53° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° J F M A M J J A S 74° 53° O N D 62° 39°

Coldest in December, with highs near 62° and lows near 39°; warmest in September, with highs near 74° and lows near 53°. About 23 inches of rain a year, and little or no snow.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Watsonville Wtr Wks weather station, 10 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Prunedale

  1. Premier Packing of CaliforniaFarm labor contractors2,754
  2. Empire FLCLettuce farming, field, bedding plant and seed production800
  3. North Monterey County UnifiedSchool district538FTE
  4. The Don Chapin CoCivil engineering services141
  5. Horizon Berry FarmsBlackberry farming127
  6. SafewaySupermarkets and other grocery stores106
  7. R & R Berry FarmsStrawberry farming60
  8. Assured Aggregates CompanyGeneral freight trucking, local50

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 10 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 4,146 people in all. School districts come from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. EarthquakesVery high
  2. WildfireRelatively high
  3. Inland floodingRelatively high
  4. Droughtrelatively high in parts of PrunedaleRelatively moderate
  5. Landslidesrelatively high in parts of PrunedaleRelatively moderate
  6. Heat wavesRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in Prunedale’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively high. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Monterey County.