Shasta County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shasta 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
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 181,436 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.15% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.1 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 71,232 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shasta County grew by 1.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 181,436 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shasta County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.7% of residents. That is 5.4 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 34,619 19.1% -2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 36,480 20.1% -3.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,075 19.9% on par
- Boomers 61–79 37,553 20.7% +5.4 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 50.7% of the people living in Shasta County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% California 49.9%
- Men 49.3% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Shasta County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Shasta County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,982 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.08% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shasta County is about 26% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $299,218 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,317 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.6% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shasta County is about 18.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,317 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shasta County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 137 hours, about 5.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.4 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 137 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,238 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,424 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 820 | 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 Shasta 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
Shasta County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 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
Shasta County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Shasta County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.3% | 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).
Shasta County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Shasta County, CA is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 181,436 residents against a local median of 54,318. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Shasta County, CA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 11% above the local median at $72,982 against $65,681. Shasta County, CA has the highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta County, CA | 181,436 | $72,982 #1/5 | $299,218 #3/5 | 16.4 min #3/5 |
| Tehama County, CA | 65,167 | $64,453 | $233,391 | 18.4 min |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 43,469 | $59,421 | $196,249 | 16.2 min |
| Butte County, CA | 207,907 | $68,302 | $363,369 | 15.8 min |
| Glenn County, CA | 28,492 | $66,909 | $376,190 | 18.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shasta County, California.
How big is Shasta County, California by population?
About 181,436 people live in Shasta County, California, in 71,232 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Shasta County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Shasta County, California has 47 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Shasta County, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($299,218 against $72,982), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,317 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Shasta County, California have a college degree?
21.1% of adults in Shasta County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →