For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined San Miguel as a census-designated place (CDP).

San Miguel is a tourist destination with historic architecture and vineyards, as part of the Paso Robles wine region.

The area of San Miguel and the rest of the southern Salinas Valley was inhabited by the Salinans, an Indigenous Californian nation.

The site of the mission was specifically chosen due to its proximity to the large number of Salinan villages in the area.

The interior of the mission church features murals executed under the direction of the famed artist Esteban Munrás in the 1820s.

In 1803, the mission reported an Indian population of 908, while its lands grazed 809 cattle, 3,223 sheep, 342 horses and 29 mules.

In 1846, Governor Pío Pico sold Mission San Miguel Arcángel for $600 to Petronilo Ríos and William Reed.

The Mission was a stopping place for miners coming from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and, consequently, was used as a saloon, dance hall, storeroom and living quarters.

In 1878, after 38 years without a resident priest, Padre Philip Farrelly became the first pastor of Mission San Miguel Arcángel since the secularization.

The Catholic Church considered closing the parish due to the extensive damage and the estimated $15 million cost of repair; however, the work has since been completed and the mission has since reopened.

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), all of it land.

There were 791 housing units at an average density of 463.9 per square mile (179.1/km2), of which 435 (62.3%) were owner-occupied, and 263 (37.7%) were occupied by renters.

[10] The local government organization is the San Miguel Community Services District (CSD).