Carnelian Bay (formerly, Cornelian Bay)[3] is an unincorporated community on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, United States.

[3] For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Carnelian Bay as a census-designated place (CDP).

Nearby cities and towns include: Tahoe Vista, Brockway, Kings Beach, Crystal Bay, Incline Village, Truckee, Tahoma, Homewood, and Tahoe City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), 99.82% of it land, and 0.18% of it water.

The racial makeup of Carnelian Bay was 493 (94.1%) White, 1 (0.2%) African American, 4 (0.8%) Native American, 14 (2.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1 (0.2%) from other races, and 11 (2.1%) from two or more races.