National City is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, National City is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the bus helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the National City area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.
The percentage of adults in National City who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 18.06% of the adults in National City have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in National City in 2022 was $30,909, which is lower middle income relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $123,636 for a family of four. However, National City contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
National City is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call National City 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 National City, accounting for 63.49% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of National City residents report their race to be Asian, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in National City include Irish, German, Italian, English, and European.
Foreign born people are also an important part of National City's cultural character, accounting for 35.96% of the city’s population.
The most common language spoken in National City is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and Tagalog.
