Santa Rosa, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Santa Rosa, 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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B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 145,148 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3397.8 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.00% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 55,220 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Santa Rosa grew by 20.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 145,148 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Santa Rosa is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.3% of residents. That is 0.3 points below California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 30,283 20.9% -0.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 33,838 23.3% -0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 30,583 21.1% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 23,118 15.9% +0.7 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 50.5% of the people living in Santa Rosa and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% California 49.9%
- Men 49.5% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Santa Rosa
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Santa Rosa has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $96,580 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.24% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Santa Rosa is about 3% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $778,478 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,106 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.3% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Santa Rosa is about 30.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,106 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Santa Rosa spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.8 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.7 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,607 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.1% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 24,383 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,348 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Santa Rosa is 18 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
Santa Rosa has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.8% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Santa Rosa has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Santa Rosa | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Santa Rosa, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Santa Rosa, CA compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa, CA | 145,148 | $96,580 #2/2 | $778,478 #1/2 | 17.8 min #1/2 |
| Rohnert Park, CA | 31,979 | $98,927 | $538,430 | 22.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Santa Rosa, California.
What is the population of Santa Rosa, California?
About 145,148 people live in Santa Rosa, California, in 55,220 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Santa Rosa, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Santa Rosa, California has 3,398 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 39 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Santa Rosa, California?
The median home costs 8.1 times the median household income ($778,478 against $96,580), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,106 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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