ZIP Code 96150 — South Lake Tahoe city, CA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 96150 covers South Lake Tahoe, CA in El Dorado County with a population of about 29,527.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.3 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 530; U.S. House district CA-3; the SACRAMNTO - STKTN - MODESTO media market.

Median household income in ZIP 96150 is about $83,738 — about 11% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 10.4%; unemployment rate near 4.5%; 39.2% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 5.5 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Food services, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 16.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 1.2 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 $649,100 — about 86% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,382 (about 19% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 58.1% (about 7.3 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 96150 in South Lake Tahoe, CA, a household would need roughly $179,000 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 $4,170. That is about 114% above the local median household income ($83,738), 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 South Lake Tahoe city, CA as Relatively Moderate (composite score 91.4), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (99.7) and flood (91.7). 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 South Lake Tahoe city, CA show little to no average snow and around 20.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,453 for ZIP 96150 (South Lake Tahoe 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.