ZIP Code 92688 — Rancho Santa Margarita city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 92688 covers Rancho Santa Margarita, CA in Orange County with a population of about 43,937.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.0 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 949; U.S. House district CA-40; the LOS ANGELES media market.

Median household income in ZIP 92688 is about $142,015 — about 89% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 5.8%; unemployment rate near 4.2%; 48.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 14.9 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Professional services, and Manufacturing; about 19.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 4.1 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $857,100 — about 146% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $2,348 (about 102% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 69.5% (about 4.1 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 92688 in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, a household would need roughly $236,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $5,506. That is about 66% above the local median household income ($142,015), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Rancho Santa Margarita city, CA as Very High (composite score 99.8), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (99.8) and wildfire (99.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Rancho Santa Margarita city, CA show little to no average snow and around 13.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,162 for ZIP 92688 (Rancho Santa Margarita city, CA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.