Sacramento County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sacramento 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.
-
B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,591,938 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1601.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.92% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 570,267 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sacramento County grew by 15.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,591,938 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sacramento County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.8% of residents. That is 0.1 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 343,800 21.6% -0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 378,419 23.8% +0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 312,751 19.6% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 234,125 14.7% -0.6 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 50.8% of the people living in Sacramento County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% California 49.9%
- Men 49.2% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sacramento County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sacramento County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,291 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.03% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sacramento County is about 7% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $467,586 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,789 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.0% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sacramento County is about 21.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,789 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sacramento County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 193 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 193 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,977 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.1% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,122 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,508 | 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 Sacramento County is about the same as 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
Sacramento County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.75 | 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
Sacramento County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sacramento County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.3% | 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).
Sacramento County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Sacramento County, CA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,591,938 residents against a local median of 220,537. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Sacramento County, CA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 3% below the local median at $467,586 against $483,427. Sacramento County, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County, CA | 1,591,938 | $92,291 #3/6 | $467,586 #4/6 | 23.1 min #3/6 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 797,313 | $93,025 | $526,211 | 23.2 min |
| Yolo County, CA | 220,537 | $91,115 | $425,283 | 20.1 min |
| Solano County, CA | 451,581 | $100,378 | $483,427 | 23.7 min |
| Sutter County, CA | 98,856 | $79,619 | $440,110 | 20.8 min |
| Amador County, CA | 41,428 | $86,926 | $577,464 | 25.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sacramento County, California.
How many people live in Sacramento County, California?
About 1,591,938 people live in Sacramento County, California, in 570,267 households of 2.7 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 Sacramento County, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sacramento County, California has 1,601 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 19 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Sacramento County, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 5.1 times the median household income ($467,586 against $92,291), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,789 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Sacramento County, California?
Unemployment in Sacramento County, California is 6.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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