Laguna Woods is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 17,644 at the 2020 census, up from 16,192 at the 2010 census, with a median age of 74.5. Laguna Woods became Orange County's 32nd city on March 24, 1999, after local residents voted to incorporate. About ninety percent of the city consists of Laguna Woods Village, a private gated retirement community, formerly known as Leisure World.