Del Norte County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Del Norte County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 89% of counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in California
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,106 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 22.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.24% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,522 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Del Norte County declined by 5.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 27,106 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Del Norte County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.6% of residents. That is 2.1 points below California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,354 19.8% -2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,849 21.6% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,490 20.3% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,209 19.2% +4.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 46.1% of the people living in Del Norte County and men 53.9%.
- Women 46.1% California 49.9%
- Men 53.9% California 50.1%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Del Norte County
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Economy
Del Norte County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,788 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.05% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Del Norte County is about 32% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $411,902 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,232 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Del Norte County is about 27.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,232 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Del Norte County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 101 hours, about 4.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 24.2 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 101 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,125 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,470 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 226 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Del Norte County is 12 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Del Norte County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Del Norte County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Del Norte County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.0% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.7% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Del Norte County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Del Norte County, CA is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 27,106 residents against a local median of 111,358. Where Del Norte County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 26% below the local median of 16.4 min at 12.1 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.3 min on commute, so Del Norte County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Del Norte County, CA has the lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte County, CA | 27,106 | $67,788 #2/5 | $411,902 #1/5 | 12.1 min #1/5 |
| Josephine County, OR | 88,176 | $60,079 | $367,271 | 16.9 min |
| Curry County, OR | 23,379 | $62,155 | $249,993 | 12.8 min |
| Humboldt County, CA | 134,541 | $61,643 | $397,296 | 15.9 min |
| Jackson County, OR | 222,645 | $73,734 | $392,504 | 17.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Del Norte County, California.
How big is Del Norte County, California by population?
About 27,106 people live in Del Norte County, California, in 9,522 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Del Norte County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Del Norte County, California has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 26% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Del Norte County, California?
The median home costs 6.1 times the median household income ($411,902 against $67,788), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,232 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Del Norte County, California?
16.3% of adults in Del Norte County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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