Sacramento County, California Explained

Sacramento County
Settlement Type:County
Named For:The capital city of Sacramento, which is named for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:California
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta
Subdivision Type3:Metro area
Subdivision Name3:Greater Sacramento
Government Type:Council–CEO
Governing Body:Board of Supervisors
Leader Title:Chair[1]
Leader Name:Patrick Kennedy
Leader Title1:Vice Chair
Leader Name1:Phil Serna
Leader Title2:Board of Supervisors
Leader Title3:County Executive
Leader Name3:David Villanueva
Seat:Sacramento
Unit Pref:US
Area Total Sq Mi:994
Area Land Sq Mi:965
Area Water Sq Mi:29
Elevation Max Footnotes:[2]
Elevation Max Ft:831
Population As Of:April 1, 2020
Population Footnotes:[3]
Population Total:1585055
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Demographics Type2:Gross Domestic Product
Demographics2 Footnotes:[4]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:US$98.990 billion (2022)
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:February 18, 1850[5]
Timezone:Pacific Standard Time
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:Pacific Daylight Time
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Image Map1:Map of California highlighting Sacramento County.svg
Mapsize1:200px
Map Caption1:Location in the state of California
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:06-067
Area Code:209, 916
Blank Name Sec1:Congressional districts
Blank Info Sec1:3rd, 6th, 7th

Sacramento County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,585,055.[6] Its county seat is Sacramento,[7] which has been the state capital of California since 1854.

Sacramento County is the central county of the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. The county covers about 994sqmi in the northern portion of the Central Valley, on into Gold Country. Sacramento County extends from the low delta lands between the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, including Suisun Bay, north to about 10miles beyond the State Capitol and east into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southernmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to San Francisco Bay. Since 2010, statewide droughts in California have further strained Sacramento County's water security.[8]

History

Sacramento County was one of the original counties of California, which were created in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border. The river was named by Spanish cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santisimo Sacramento (Most Holy Sacrament), referring to the Catholic Eucharist.

Alexander Hamilton Willard, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is buried in the old Franklin Cemetery.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (3.0%) is water.[9] Most of the county is at an elevation close to sea level, with some areas below sea level. The highest point in the county is Carpenter Hill at 828feet, in the southeast part of Folsom. Major watercourses in the county include the American River, Sacramento River, Cosumnes River, a tributary of the Mokelumne River, and Dry Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

Sacramento County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010[10] !Pop 2020[11] !% 2010!% 2020
White alone (NH)687,166650,27148.43%41.03%
Black or African American alone (NH)139,949145,7249.86%9.19%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7,8757,4320.56%0.47%
Asian alone (NH)198,944276,29514.02%17.43%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)13,09918,0110.92%1.14%
Some Other Race alone (NH)3,41810,1040.24%0.64%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)62,141102,7844.38%6.48%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)306,196374,43421.58%23.62%
Total1,418,7881,585,055100.00%100.00%
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Places by population, ethnicity, and income

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Sacramento County had a population of 1,418,788. The racial makeup of Sacramento County was 815,151 (57.5%) White, 200,228 (15.4%) African American, 14,308 (1.0%) Native American, 203,211 (14.3%) Asian, 13,858 (1.0%) Pacific Islander, 131,691 (9.3%) from other races, and 93,511 (6.6%) from two or more races. There were 306,196 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (21.6%).

2000

As of the census[21] of 2000, there were 1,223,499 people, 453,602 households, and 297,562 families residing in the county. The population density was 1267PD/sqmi. There were 474,814 housing units at an average density of 492/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 64.0% White, 10.6% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 13.5% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 7.5% from other races, and 5.8% from two or more races. 19.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.2% were of German, 7.0% English, 6.7% Irish and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 75.7% spoke only English at home; 10.0% spoke Spanish, 1.5% Hmong, 1.4% Chinese or Mandarin, 1.3% Vietnamese, 1.2% Tagalog and 1.2% Russian.

There were 453,602 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county, 27.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.5% was from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 female residents aged 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,816, and the median income for a family was $50,717. Males had a median income of $39,482 versus $31,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,142. About 10.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and policing

See main article: Government of Sacramento County, California.

Government

The Government of Sacramento County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of Sacramento.[22] Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of Sacramento County, while municipalities such as the city of Sacramento and Folsom provide additional, often non-essential services.

It is composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors, several other elected offices including the Sheriff, District Attorney, and Assessor, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Executive Officer. In addition, several entities of the government of California have jurisdiction conterminous with Sacramento County, such as the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Under its foundational Charter, the five-member elected Sacramento County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is the county legislature. The board operates in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity. The current members are:

The Sacramento County Code is the codified law of Sacramento County in the form of local ordinances passed by the Board of Supervisors.

Policing

The Sacramento County Sheriff provides court protection and jail management for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated municipalities within the county that have their own municipal police departments or contract with the Sacramento County sheriff for their policing are: Elk Grove, 170,000, municipal department; Citrus Heights, 88,000, municipal department; Folsom, 78,000, municipal department; Isleton, sheriff contract; Rancho Cordova, 73,000, sheriff contract; Galt, population 26,000, municipal department.

Politics

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Sacramento County was politically competitive in most presidential elections between 1976 and 2004, but now votes significantly in favor of the Democratic candidates. Candidates from the Democratic Party have carried the county in the past eight presidential elections, and have won a majority of the county's votes four times during that time (in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020). The city of Sacramento is strongly Democratic, while rural areas are strongly Republican; suburban areas are more divided. This pattern is also present in congressional and state legislative elections. The last Republican presidential candidate to win a majority in the county was George H. W. Bush in 1988.

In gubernatorial elections, Sacramento County is typically a bellwether, having voted for the winner every time since 1962 with the exception of 1970 and 2002.

Sacramento County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections
YearGOPDEM
202242.5% 202,93357.5% 274,680
201841.2% 212,01058.8% 302,696
201437.7% 122,34262.3% 202,416
201038.5% 162,36956.7% 239,599
200660.5% 218,88934.2% 123,685
200352.3% 195,43526.5% 98,877
200246.6% 147,45640.8% 129,143
199839.7% 142,97057.4% 206,870
199454.8% 196,22940.9% 146,423
199050.3% 167,98244.7% 149,215
198668.1% 207,08630.1% 91,660
198252.4% 171,17644.7% 146,167
197834.7% 88,44554.9% 139,821
197445.9% 104,59551.6% 117,711
197046.0% 105,52352.5% 120,365
196650.9% 109,80149.1% 105,861
196237.7% 71,78860.7% 115,462

In the House of Representatives, all of California's 6th congressional district and portions of its 3rd, and 7th districts are in the county.[26]

In the State Assembly, all of the 7th and 8th districts and parts of the 6th, 9th, and 11th districts are in the county.

In the State Senate, parts of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th districts are in the county.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 22, 2012, Sacramento County has 698,899 registered voters, out of 944,243 eligible (74%). Of those, 306,960 (44%) are registered Democrats, 225,688 (32%) are registered Republicans, and 134,677 (19%) have declined to state a political party.[27]

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Education

Colleges and universities

Public universities
Community colleges
Private, not for profit
Private, for profit

K-12 education

School districts include:[31]

K-12:

Secondary:

Elementary:

Transportation

See main article: Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area.

Public Transportation

Sacramento Regional Transit District, also known as Sacramento RT, provides public transit throughout the county. It operates bus services, as well as light rail services on the Blue, Green, and Gold lines. In addition, the Yolobus provides Sacramento County with service connecting to destinations in neighboring Yolo County, such as Davis. Sacramento RT and Yolobus both provide bus services connecting Sacramento with Sacramento International Airport.

Amtrak and its Amtrak California subsidiary operate passenger rail service from the Sacramento Valley station. This station is served by the Coast Starlight, the California Zephyr, the Capitol Corridor, and the San Joaquins, which link the region with destinations across California and the United States.

Airports

Sacramento International Airport is a major, full-service airport with passenger flights. It is owned by the County of Sacramento. The county also owns Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento Executive Airport, both of which are general aviation airports. Sacramento McClellan Airport, formerly McClellan Air Force Base, is a privately owned airport between North Highlands and Rio Linda. There are also privately owned public use airports located in Elk Grove and Rio Linda.

Public roadways

The Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SACDOT)[32] maintains approximately 2200 miles of roadway within the unincorporated area. The roads range from six lane thoroughfares to rural roads.[33]

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Former townships

In February 1851, the county was divided into eight civil townships: the seven marked by asterisks below, plus Sacramento township. In July of that year, American township was divided off from Sacramento township. In 1856, the Board of Supervisors realigned the divisions into the 14 civil townships below, plus the city of Sacramento.[34]

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sacramento County.[35]

county seat

RankCity/town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2020 Census)
1 Sacramento (State Capital)City524,943
2Elk Grove City176,124
3Arden-Arcade CDP94,659
4Citrus Heights City87,583
5Folsom City80,454
6Carmichael CDP79,793
7Rancho Cordova City79,332
8Florin CDP52,388
9North Highlands CDP49,327
10Antelope CDP48,733
11Vineyard CDP43,935
12Foothill Farms CDP35,834
13Orangevale CDP35,569
14Fair Oaks CDP32,514
15Galt City25,383
16Rosemont CDP23,510
17Parkway CDP15,962
18Rio Linda CDP15,944
19Lemon Hill CDP14,496
20La Riviera CDP11,252
21Gold River CDP7,844
22Fruitridge Pocket CDP6,102
23Wilton CDP5,958
24Rancho Murieta CDP5,903
25Elverta CDP5,435
26Mather CDP4,698
27Walnut Grove CDP1,452
28Clay CDP1,252
29Herald CDP1,160
30McClellan Park CDP926
31Isleton City794
32Courtland CDP326
33Hood CDP244
34Franklin CDP167
35Freeport CDP58

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: County Board of Supervisors .
  2. [Carpenter Hill]
  3. Web site: State & County QuickFacts. United States Census Bureau. April 6, 2016. July 3, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110703080458/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06067.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2022. . www.bea.gov.
  5. Web site: Chronology . California State Association of Counties . February 6, 2015 . January 29, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160129193152/http://www.counties.org/general-information/chronology . dead .
  6. Web site: Sacramento County, California. United States Census Bureau. January 30, 2022.
  7. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
  8. Web site: McGough . Michael . Southern California gets drastic water cutbacks amid drought. What’s next for Sacramento? . amp.sacbee.com . . June 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230513093435/https://amp.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article260869722.html . May 13, 2023 . . en-us . April 29, 2022 . live.
  9. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. October 4, 2015. August 22, 2012.
  10. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Sacramento County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  11. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Sacramento County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  12. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  13. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  14. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  16. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  17. Other = some other race / two or more races
  18. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  20. Data unavailable
  21. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. May 14, 2011.
  22. California Government Code § 23004
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  24. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  25. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  26. March 1, 2013.
  27. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-general-12/county1.pdf CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – October 22, 2012
  28. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes  - 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  29. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  30. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  31. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sacramento County, CA. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724061931/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06067_sacramento/DC20SD_C06067.pdf . July 24, 2022 . live. U.S. Census Bureau. July 24, 2022.
  32. Web site: Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SACDOT).
  33. Web site: Mileage of Maintained Roadways.
  34. Book: Davis, Winfield J.. An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. 208–209. 1890. Lewis Pub. Co.. 181326892.
  35. Web site: Explore Census Data . United States Census Bureau . United States Census Bureau . October 9, 2021.