Hawthorne is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of California. With a population of 84,563 people and 23 associated neighborhoods, Hawthorne is the 92nd largest community in California.

Housing costs in Hawthorne are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

A relatively large number of people in Hawthorne telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.01% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

The population of Hawthorne overall has a level of education that is slightly above the US average for all US cities and towns of 21.84%. Of adults 25 and older in Hawthorne, 24.37% have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Hawthorne in 2022 was $32,434, which is lower middle income relative to California, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $129,736 for a family of four. However, Hawthorne contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Hawthorne is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Hawthorne 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 Hawthorne, accounting for 55.19% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Hawthorne residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Hawthorne include German, Irish, Italian, African, and Nigerian.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Hawthorne's cultural character, accounting for 32.65% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Hawthorne is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and African languages.