Humboldt County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Humboldt 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 average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 72% of counties in California
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 134,541 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 33.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.06% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.8 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 54,922 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Humboldt County grew by 4.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 134,541 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Humboldt County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.6% of residents. That is 1.9 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 31,770 23.6% +1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 27,319 20.3% -3.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 26,764 19.9% on par
- Boomers 61–79 25,435 18.9% +3.6 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 50.2% of the people living in Humboldt County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% California 49.9%
- Men 49.8% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Humboldt County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Humboldt County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,643 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.68% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.0% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Humboldt County is about 38% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $397,296 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,286 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Humboldt County is about 25.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,286 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Humboldt County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 133 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 133 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,113 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,850 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 706 | 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 Humboldt County is 16 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
Humboldt County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.7% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.37 | 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
Humboldt County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Humboldt County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.8% | 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).
Humboldt County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Humboldt County, CA is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 134,541 residents against a local median of 65,822. Humboldt County, CA sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 4% below the local median at $61,643 against $63,934. Humboldt County, CA has the 3rd highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt County, CA | 134,541 | $61,643 #3/5 | $397,296 #3/5 | 15.9 min #3/5 |
| Del Norte County, CA | 27,106 | $67,788 | $411,902 | 12.1 min |
| Mendocino County, CA | 90,240 | $68,620 | $513,099 | 15.1 min |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 43,469 | $59,421 | $196,249 | 16.2 min |
| Josephine County, OR | 88,176 | $60,079 | $367,271 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Humboldt County, California.
How big is Humboldt County, California by population?
About 134,541 people live in Humboldt County, California, in 54,922 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Humboldt County, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Humboldt County, California has 33 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 38% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Humboldt County, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 6.4 times the median household income ($397,296 against $61,643), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,286 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Humboldt County, California?
Unemployment in Humboldt County, California is 9.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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