Sierra County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sierra 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 | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,746 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2.9 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.72% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 53.1 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,219 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sierra County declined by 15.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,746 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sierra County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 29.0% of residents. That is 13.7 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 382 13.9% -7.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 396 14.4% -9.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 770 28.0% +8.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 796 29.0% +13.7 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 50.4% of the people living in Sierra County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% California 49.9%
- Men 49.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sierra County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sierra County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,956 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.14% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 12.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sierra County is about 39% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $267,567 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $496 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sierra County is about 44.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $496 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sierra 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 135 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.2 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 135 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,181 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.8% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,655 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 389 | 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 Sierra 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
Sierra County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.4% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.17 | 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
Sierra County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sierra County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 84.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.5% | 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).
Sierra County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Sierra County, CA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 2,746 residents against a local median of 147,571. Sierra County, CA's median home price, at $267,567, runs 54% below the $581,907 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $60,956 against a local median of $99,885, 39% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Sierra County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $223,769 on median home price, so Sierra County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sierra County, CA has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra County, CA | 2,746 | $60,956 #5/5 | $267,567 #5/5 | 16.2 min #1/5 |
| Nevada County, CA | 102,481 | $90,457 | $584,770 | 17.7 min |
| Placer County, CA | 418,934 | $115,988 | $676,858 | 22.3 min |
| El Dorado County, CA | 192,661 | $109,313 | $453,089 | 21.5 min |
| Carson City, NV | 58,384 | $71,367 | $579,044 | 16.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sierra County, California.
What is the population of Sierra County, California?
About 2,746 people live in Sierra County, California, in 1,219 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 53.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 16 years.
Is Sierra County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sierra County, California has 3 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Sierra County, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($267,567 against $60,956), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $496 a month takes about 10% 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 Sierra County, California?
Unemployment in Sierra County, California is 12.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Sierra County, California?
21.4% of adults in Sierra County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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