Sutter County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sutter 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
-
D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 72% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 98,856 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 162.6 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.45% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 33,292 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sutter County grew by 9.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 98,856 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sutter County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.1% of residents. That is 0.4 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 21,892 22.1% +0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 21,585 21.8% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,978 18.2% -1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,820 16.0% +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 50.1% of the people living in Sutter County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% California 49.9%
- Men 49.9% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sutter County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sutter County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,619 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.10% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sutter County is about 20% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $440,110 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,439 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.3% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sutter County is about 25.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,439 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sutter County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.6 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,375 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,199 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,904 | 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 Sutter 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
Sutter County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.7% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.94 | 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
Sutter County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sutter County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.6% | 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).
Sutter County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Sutter County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 98,856 residents against a local median of 207,907. Where Sutter County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 21% above the local median of $363,369 at $440,110.
The counties themselves spread $271,943 on median home price, so Sutter County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sutter County, CA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter County, CA | 98,856 | $79,619 #3/6 | $440,110 #2/6 | 20.8 min #4/6 |
| Yolo County, CA | 220,537 | $91,115 | $425,283 | 20.1 min |
| Yuba County, CA | 84,507 | $76,221 | $299,499 | 30.2 min |
| Colusa County, CA | 21,984 | $75,609 | $195,643 | 18.6 min |
| Butte County, CA | 207,907 | $68,302 | $363,369 | 15.8 min |
| Sacramento County, CA | 1,591,938 | $92,291 | $467,586 | 23.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sutter County, California.
How many people live in Sutter County, California?
About 98,856 people live in Sutter County, California, in 33,292 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 37.9, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Sutter County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sutter County, California has 163 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sutter County, California?
The median home costs 5.5 times the median household income ($440,110 against $79,619), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,439 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Sutter County, California?
Unemployment in Sutter County, California is 7.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Sutter County, California have a college degree?
18.7% of adults in Sutter 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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