Sonoma County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sonoma 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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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 84% of counties in California
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 84% of counties in California
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 79% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 485,012 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 274.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.32% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 190,994 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sonoma County grew by 4.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 485,012 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sonoma County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.4% of residents. That is 2.3 points below California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 92,139 19.0% -2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 103,758 21.4% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 103,213 21.3% +1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 97,333 20.1% +4.8 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 51.0% of the people living in Sonoma County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% California 49.9%
- Men 49.0% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sonoma County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sonoma County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $105,553 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.73% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sonoma County is about 6% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $667,194 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,158 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.6% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sonoma County is about 25.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,158 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sonoma County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.0 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,298 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,730 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,861 | 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 Sonoma County is 21 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
Sonoma County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Sonoma County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Sonoma County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 12.0% | 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).
Sonoma County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Sonoma County, CA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 485,012 residents against a local median of 134,769. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Sonoma County, CA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 10% below the local median at 20.5 min against 22.8 min. Sonoma County, CA has the 3rd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County, CA | 485,012 | $105,553 #4/6 | $667,194 #4/6 | 20.5 min #3/6 |
| Marin County, CA | 257,932 | $149,382 | $737,594 | 22.8 min |
| Napa County, CA | 134,769 | $112,778 | $902,338 | 20.3 min |
| Lake County, CA | 68,148 | $60,936 | $355,339 | 23.9 min |
| San Francisco County, CA | 829,818 | $140,554 | $1,276,188 | 28.7 min |
| Colusa County, CA | 21,984 | $75,609 | $195,643 | 18.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sonoma County, California.
How big is Sonoma County, California by population?
About 485,012 people live in Sonoma County, California, in 190,994 households of 2.5 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 Sonoma County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sonoma County, California has 275 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sonoma County, California?
The median home costs 6.3 times the median household income ($667,194 against $105,553), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,158 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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