Because there are quite a few people attending college in Salida, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Salida provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.
The citizens of Salida are slightly less educated than the national average of 21.84% for the average city or town: 16.47% of adults in Salida have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree
The per capita income in Salida in 2018 was $34,601, which is middle income relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $138,404 for a family of four. However, Salida contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Salida is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Salida 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 Salida, accounting for 53.58% of the town’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Salida residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Salida include German, English, Portuguese, Irish, and European.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Salida's cultural character, accounting for 19.40% of the town’s population.
The most common language spoken in Salida is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Slavic languages.
