La Paz Mexico. Population.
By Arthus. • Posted April 18 • 2024.
When you think of La Paz, Mexico, before experiencing it firsthand, the image that often comes to mind includes beaches, the sea, fun, whales—in short, the wonders of La Paz that generate tourism and income, that is, its natural treasures. However, what is frequently overlooked is its greatest asset: its population. It is the people of La Paz, with their calm yet hardworking nature, friendly yet demanding demeanor, that make this city what it is today and what it will be in the future. What good would such stunning natural beauties as Balandra be if the local population, in large part, didn't take care of them? How could this place be so safe if its people did not generally possess a character of tranquility that permeates the entire city? La Paz has been blessed with incredible natural beauty, a privileged geographical position, and above all, a hardworking population that is welcoming to visitors and ready to thrive despite adversities. Don’t believe me? Just remember that they have built an incredible city, surrounded by a desert, far from Mexico’s major urban centers and practically isolated from the rest of the country. And despite all this, or perhaps precisely because of it, the people of La Paz have managed to create an oasis of tranquility in the midst of nowhere, a true paradise to visit and live in, further blessed by the natural beauties I have witnessed.
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Overview of La Paz: A True Hidden Gem in Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, located in the northwest of Mexico. This state is adjacent to its northern counterpart, Baja California Norte, another Mexican state that borders the state of California in the United States. Both states, Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur, are part of the Mexican Baja California Peninsula. This can be a bit confusing, but it's really quite simple: just think of it as a large Mexican peninsula below California, divided into two states, Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur. Well, our beautiful La Paz is located far south in Baja California Sur, about 98 miles north of the world-famous Cabo San Lucas, more than 1070 miles from Los Angeles, and about 1043 miles from Mexico City, CDMX (considering that this route includes a ferry to cross the sea; by road alone, it's more than 2424 miles). That's right, this city is closer to Los Angeles than to Mexico City, not to mention Cancun, the global jewel of Mexican tourism, which is about 2041 miles from La Paz (also considering the ferry).
When I mention that this city is in the middle of nowhere, practically isolated from the rest of Mexico and thus far from its major urban centers, I am not exaggerating. Being far south on the Baja California Peninsula, reaching it by road alone would be a huge detour, requiring first getting close to the border with the States, reaching Tijuana, and then traveling the entire length of the long peninsula to get to this city. To visualize this, just think that it is more than 945 miles from Tijuana to La Paz by road. This is so true that La Paz receives nearly all supplies for its population via maritime routes—even though it is not an island—through its maritime customs, where it is possible to see large ships and ferries covering the La Paz-Mazatlán, Mazatlán-La Paz route. Everyone knows that the best, most efficient, and most economical way to supply a city is by truck or train, but here the geographical location makes this almost impossible. And yet, in La Paz, you find not only everything necessary for living but practically everything you could desire; truly, there is everything here. Obviously, this comes at a cost, what some people call the "Paceño tax," which is the cost that businesses pass on to consumers in their product prices to cover the freight by ship from Mazatlán, making almost everything here a bit more expensive than in other parts of Mexico.
Living here, you realize something: it does feel a bit detached from the rest of the country and relatively isolated, but the people of La Paz don't mind. In this city, you find a very comfortable way of life, where everything is close by, where it's easy and quick to get anywhere, where you have all the services, where almost all large and small businesses have air conditioning to cope with the heat, where you can feel safe, and above all, where you can be immensely happy. It is the people of La Paz who have managed to create this incredible city despite being far from everything, in the desert, and often with extreme climates. Huge applause to its population; they have created a true paradise.
Demographic Insights: Understanding the Population of La Paz
In Mexico, there is an institution called INEGI, which stands for the National Institute of Geography, Statistics, and Informatics. It is responsible for conducting population censuses, collecting key economic information from across the country, among other tasks, as well as processing it, conducting thorough studies, and presenting the information to the general public and the government to enable informed decision-making. This institute doesn’t just do things well—it excels at them. The precision of their statistics and analysis is incredible, a fact that becomes evident when you learn that companies setting up in Mexico often use detailed INEGI information to make their market decisions.
I mention this because the figures I am about to present are sourced from this institute, so I can assure you that they are statistically accurate. Now, let’s begin with the data from La Paz, according to the latest census conducted in 2020.
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Number of inhabitants | 292,241 |
| Inhabited houses | 91,287 |
| Average years of schooling | 11.1 |
| Number of colleges | 19 |
| Educational facilities | 574 |
| Teachers | 3,385 |
| Students | 96,202 |
| Illiteracy rate | 1.77% |
| Average occupants in inhabited private housing | 3.2 |
| Total male population | 145,803 |
| Total female population | 146,438 |
| Average age | 32 |
| Birth rate | 2.1 children per woman |
| Percentage of population with health insurance | 85% |
| Population with access to a mobile phone | 95.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% |
| Poverty rate | 18.7% |
| Surface area | 5951 square miles |
| Population density | 19.6 inhabitants per km² |
| Marriages | 1129 |
| Divorces | 433 |
| Percentage of employed population | 69.7% |
| Percentage of population not born here | 28.6% |
These data from La Paz show a young, vibrant, hardworking population that is gradually prospering more and more, based on their efforts and by taking advantage of the marvels of this city. Especially when compared to what La Paz was a few decades ago—a very poor city, lacking comforts, with extremely high unemployment, and with the majority of its population migrating to the States or other parts of Mexico. Years later, the migration pattern begins to change, and by this I don't mean that there is no longer migration from La Paz to other destinations, but I can affirm that there is a growing migration from other parts of Mexico and abroad to La Paz. My parents and I are an example of this, because living here makes your life better.
Economic Landscape: How the People of La Paz Thrive
La Paz is located in front of the Sea of Cortez, an area incredibly rich in marine biodiversity, which might lead one to think that the city’s economy heavily relies on fishing. However, this is not the case; the city has diverse activities through which its economy grows and develops, but commercial fishing is far from being the main one. This gives the city a different flavor compared to other coastal cities and at the same time allows it to generate a variety of jobs for its population. But let’s look at some of the most important economic activities in La Paz. Again, I remind you that this is official information from INEGI, as well as from state and federal governments.
Main economic activities in La Paz
Tourism
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| National and foreign tourism | 503,700 people |
| Hotel occupancy rate | 64% |
| Average stay | 1.9 days |
| Hotels | 121 |
| Rooms | 3,487 |
| Cruise visitors | 5,829 |
| Yacht traveler spaces | 751 spaces |
| Golf courses | 2 |
The city of La Paz undoubtedly has a strong economic vocation focused on tourist activities, taking advantage of the incredible natural beauty of its beaches, hills, and the city itself. However, not all of its inhabitants are involved in this sector. There is much more economic activity.
Agriculture
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Harvested area | 4,068.2 hectares |
| Agricultural production volume | 215,819.2 tons |
| Main products | Tomato and chili |
| Other products | Asparagus, melon, cucumber, orange, green beans, and basil |
At this point, I would like to mention that, in my opinion, few things better demonstrate the determination and tenacity of a people than the ability to establish an agricultural industry right in the middle of the desert, reclaiming land from the sands. Additionally, as I've discussed in other articles, this city also hosts a wine industry, and in fact, it can be seen when the plane is landing at La Paz Airport. From above, they appear as green squares, and as you descend, you can clearly make out the farms dedicated to this. The contrast between the green of the plants and the ochre of the desert never ceases to amaze me.
Livestock
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Total production | 1,888.9 tons |
| Cow milk production | 8.5 million liters |
| Goat milk production | 223,000 liters |
| Honey production | 30.1 tons |
| Wax production | 1.5 tons |
Fishing
Fishing in this city is carried out in the Sea of Cortez area, and of course along the Pacific Ocean coast, but as I mentioned earlier, it is not an industrial activity with large fleets and huge ships setting out to fish. Instead, it is mostly coastal or small-scale fishing. This is reflected in the fact that La Paz's fishery production represents only 3.4% of the total production of the state of Baja California Sur.
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Total production | 5,539 tons |
| % of scale fish catch | 56.4% |
| % of shark catch | 20.3% |
| % of clam catch | 17.0% |
| % of ray catch | 2.3% |
| % of shrimp catch | 0.9% |
| Cultivated shrimp production | 2,484 tons |
Mining
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Main product | Phosphorite |
| Total production | 498,000 metric tons |
| Workers employed | 990 |
Services
The employed population in La Paz is mainly concentrated in the service sector (82.1%), largely because this city is the state capital and thus almost all governmental activities are centered here. In addition to state offices, there are also federal companies and institutions that provide stable and well-paid jobs, such as the electricity company CFE, federal courts of justice, universities, and research centers like IPN or even a local INEGI office among others, as well as the Army, Navy, and Mexican Air Force, among others. Furthermore, the people of La Paz are very entrepreneurial, as the service sector accounts for 20.3% of employment. Additionally, tourism in restaurants and hotels accounts for 9.8% of employment, where employees often receive good tips, which increases their income. All this combined, in my opinion, is what gives the city economic stability and helps to maintain it as an oasis of tranquility and safety, along with the calm character of its population that is evident and reflected in almost every corner of the city.
We can see quite clearly that the city of La Paz is much more than just beaches and tourism in terms of economic activity and is filled with young and entrepreneurial people who strive to prosper every day, taking advantage of the opportunities this paradise offers. There are many opportunities in this city, especially if we speak English natively. We should not miss out on them.
Challenges and Opportunities: The Future of La Paz
In this article, I have written about the many positive aspects of La Paz, but it is not my intention to deny the many challenges this city faces now and in the future. When I mention that the population is friendly, it is true, but of course, there will always be exceptions (locals insist that the rude people are not from here, but from other states of Mexico, especially from CDMX) that we will encounter sooner or later. However, the majority of people are kind to others and tourists, with the typical Mexican emphasis on helping others. I have also mentioned that people are extremely hardworking, which is generally true, but there are exceptions, and I know this because finding an efficient plumber who can come on the same day you call is a real challenge here in La Paz, partly because the generally relaxed nature of people sometimes translates into laziness, especially among the older generation, though the youth have a different vibe.
I've also discussed the safety and tranquility of La Paz, which is a verifiable fact and envied here in Mexico, but that does not mean there is a 0% crime rate; crimes do occur, albeit rarely. If you want to take a look at why La Paz is so safe, please see this article... Is La Paz Safe?
La Paz is an incredible city, but like all of Mexico, it faces the challenge of implementing the rule of law 100%. Any resident here will not let me lie, sometimes when you drive, the police look to increase their income by taking advantage of you, especially if they judge you to look like a foreigner. This is not pleasant, it's one of the things I don't like about La Paz, obviously not everything could be happiness, but those of us who live here have the obligation to stand firm and file complaints, no matter how tiresome the process, to force positive changes that will make this incredible city even more wonderful.
I have also written about the incredible nature of La Paz, but currently, a power plant owned by the electricity company is burning fuel oil just a few kilometers from the city. It seems that at the moment, there is no problem because the wind carries it away, but I don't know about a few years from now. One of the presidential candidates in the 2024 elections promised to shut down this plant and instead invest in solar panels to generate electricity using the most abundant natural resource around here: the sun. I hope this is achieved. Continuing with the environment, it's quite obvious that in La Paz, potable water is not plentiful; we are in the desert, so freshwater is not abundant. However, a lot of water is being used to irrigate the city's two golf courses. On the road that takes you to the beaches, you can see the stark contrast between the immaculate green of El Cortés golf courses and the surrounding desert landscape—amazing, yes, but at what cost? They claim to use treated water, and I hope that's true, but I have my doubts. There has been talk for some time about desalination plants, and this would be a gigantic opportunity to solve the water challenge in the desert.
On the other hand, anyone who has visited La Paz knows that there is a lot of space to grow and land near the beaches, and this is also known by large companies and Mexican magnates who have already positioned themselves by buying much of this land, reportedly to build huge hotel complexes. This would undoubtedly provide jobs for the people of La Paz, let's just hope they don't want to turn this city into another Cabo or Cancun, where life is anything but calm, at least not as tranquil as in La Paz.
Regarding income, the challenge is to continue increasing it, and let me provide an official figure. The average salary in 2014 was around 6,700 pesos. Today, the average salary is more than 12,300 pesos or about 740 USD. It's still low, of course, but we must not forget that prices here are low as well, for example, it's possible to rent a house about 10 minutes from the sea for less than 500 USD per month, a situation that would be impossible back in the States. Moreover, we should keep in mind that in just 10 years, the salary nearly doubled and investment continues to flow into La Paz, so there is simply no reason not to ensure that salaries and therefore the standard of living of the population will continue to rise.
These are some of the major challenges we have, but those of us living in La Paz see a bright future, with more opportunities and development. Why do I think this? Because of the history of the city, which a few decades ago, was a small town in the middle of nowhere, very poor, without services and just a few jobs and now it is a vibrant city in culture, economy, tourism, education, and services. Now, more and more people from the United States, Mexico, and Europe are moving here for the quality of life, bringing their savings and often investing in this city that welcomes them. Just look at a photograph of old La Paz to understand how much progress and transformation have been made, and this has been achieved through the effort and perseverance of the people of La Paz, who have managed to transform a small and very hot town into a thriving and comfortable city where life is increasingly better.
In conclusion, this city is full of opportunities but also has (like any city in the world) serious challenges ahead. However, I am confident that this population will continue working towards their personal, family, and community development. I know that not everything is perfect, I know not everyone is friendly or hardworking, honest, or likes to help or get involved with others, but this is not a situation exclusive to La Paz or Mexico; it can be found in many places around the globe. Without a doubt, the rule of law would greatly help continue the incredible development of La Paz, but it already has the most important thing: a population willing to study, work, and undertake efforts to improve their lives and those of their families.
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Tastes of La Paz.