Santa Rosa is located in the state of California. It is the county seat for Sonoma County. It is one of the most populous cities in the San Francisco Bay Area but is only the 28th most populous in the state. It is also the largest city by population in Sonoma County, with recent estimates putting the population at just over 177,586.
What is now Santa Rosa was originally inhabited by the Bitakomtara tribe. This tribe was very protective over the land and imposed harsh punishments for those who tried to enter. When the Europeans arrived, much of the tribe died from smallpox. The population of this tribe had dropped by 95% by the 20th century.
A permanent European settlement was established during the 1830s, and Santa Rosa was founded in 1833. By the mid-1800s, a post and general store were built, and several locals began planning out the city. Santa Rosa was incorporated as a city in 1868.
Once California became a state, the population of Santa Rosa grew at a slow and steady pace. Though it didn’t keep up with other cities, it continued on the upward trajectory even when other cities saw a decline in its population.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the San Francisco earthquake destroyed much of the downtown area, but the population did not drop. However, growth slowed even further.
Another earthquake in 1969 led to the reconstruction of the downtown area. However, some of these historic buildings remain - including the Empire Building.
After World War II, the city saw more rapid growth because it was the site of Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Santa Rosa. During the 1950s and 1960s, the population increased quite significantly compared to previous years. This was mainly due to immigration and annexation.
The city is divided into four different quadrants: the Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest. Santa Rosa has continued to grow with the addition of shopping centers, malls, banks, and commercial districts. The city has been named as one of the Best Places For Business and Careers by Forbes magazine, although that rating has dropped because of the reduced job growth, the high cost of housing and higher cost of doing business.
The city’s population is estimated to be over 186,000 and has increased quite a bit since the last census, which showed that the population was 167,815. Santa Rosa has an area of 51.5 square miles and a population density of over 4,241 people per square mile.
Over 27% of the population is 25 to 44 years old, over 23% are under the age of 18, and 13.5% are at least 65 years old. There are more females than males living in Santa Rosa, with 95.2 females for every 100 males. About 8.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.
The city’s top employers include the County of Sonoma, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, St. Joseph Health System and Santa Rosa Junior College, each of which employs thousands of people.
Census data for Santa Rosa shows that the city has seen continued growth every ten years. The population grew fairly slowly through the early 20th century, but recently the city is seeing more substantial growth. The population hit 50,000 in 1970 and had more than doubled by the time of the 1990 census. The city surpassed 150,000 residents by the time of the last census in 2010. Now, estimates show that the population has grown at a rate of about 4.4% since the previous census, with the city steadily nearing 200,000 residents.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Santa Rosa was:
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 177,586 | -4,662 | -2.56% |
| 2017 | 182,248 | -227 | -0.12% |
| 2016 | 182,475 | 507 | 0.28% |
| 2015 | 181,968 | 1,047 | 0.58% |
| 2014 | 180,921 | 1,988 | 1.11% |
| 2013 | 178,933 | 1,670 | 0.94% |
| 2012 | 177,263 | 912 | 0.52% |
| 2011 | 176,351 | 1,047 | 0.60% |
| 2010 | 175,304 | 27,709 | 1.74% |
| 2000 | 147,595 | 34,282 | 2.68% |
| 1990 | 113,313 | 30,655 | 3.20% |
| 1980 | 82,658 | 32,652 | 5.15% |
| 1970 | 50,006 | 18,979 | 4.89% |
| 1960 | 31,027 | 13,125 | 5.65% |
| 1950 | 17,902 | 5,297 | 3.57% |
| 1940 | 12,605 | 1,969 | 1.71% |
| 1930 | 10,636 | 1,878 | 1.96% |
| 1920 | 8,758 | 941 | 1.14% |
| 1910 | 7,817 | 1,144 | 1.59% |
| 1900 | 6,673 | 1,453 | 2.49% |
| 1890 | 5,220 | 1,604 | 3.74% |
| 1880 | 3,616 | 718 | 2.24% |
| 1870 | 2,898 | 1,275 | 5.97% |
| 1860 | 1,623 | 0.00% |
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 499,942 | -3,304 | -0.66% |
| 2017 | 503,246 | -3 | -0.00% |
| 2016 | 503,249 | 1,903 | 0.38% |
| 2015 | 501,346 | 2,543 | 0.51% |
| 2014 | 498,803 | 4,560 | 0.91% |
| 2013 | 494,243 | 4,172 | 0.84% |
| 2012 | 490,071 | 2,648 | 0.54% |
| 2011 | 487,423 | 2,647 | 0.54% |
| 2010 | 484,776 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
| White | 119,921 | 68.82% |
| Some Other Race | 24,654 | 14.15% |
| Two or More Races | 11,381 | 6.53% |
| Asian | 9,448 | 5.42% |
| Black or African American | 4,364 | 2.50% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 3,397 | 1.95% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 1,079 | 0.62% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
| All | 64,709 | 2.65 | 53.1 |
| Married | 28,608 | 3.4 | 66.5 |
| Non Family | 24,824 | 1.36 | 45.1 |
| Female | 7,911 | 3.47 | 35.4 |
| Male | 3,366 | 3.73 | 40.7 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
| Less Than 9th Grade | 8,764 | 7.25% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 7,848 | 6.49% |
| High School Graduate | 23,125 | 19.13% |
| Some College | 31,462 | 26.03% |
| Associates Degree | 11,476 | 9.49% |
| Bachelors Degree | 24,143 | 19.97% |
| Graduate Degree | 14,073 | 11.64% |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.08%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 39.41%.
$38,631
Average Earnings
$42,145
Average Male
$32,679
Average Female
69.05% of Santa Rosa residents speak only English, while 30.95% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 23.55% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
| Hispanic | 54,439 | 9,323 | 17.13% |
| White | 95,120 | 8,555 | 8.99% |
| Other | 24,163 | 5,042 | 20.87% |
| Multiple | 11,186 | 1,354 | 12.10% |
| Black | 4,249 | 689 | 16.22% |
| Asian | 9,401 | 662 | 7.04% |
| Native | 3,307 | 382 | 11.55% |
| Islander | 1,073 | 100 | 9.32% |
11.83%
Overall Poverty Rate
11.26%
Male Poverty Rate
12.37%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Santa Rosa is Other, with 20.87% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Santa Rosa is Asian, with 7.04% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.17%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.56%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.45%.
44.1%
Overall Marriage Rate
45.9%
Male Marriage Rate
42.5%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
| White | 7,796 | 7.96% |
| Hispanic | 713 | 2.07% |
| 2 or More | 338 | 5.21% |
| Asian | 310 | 3.95% |
| Other | 194 | 1.22% |
| Indian | 117 | 4.97% |
| Black | 63 | 1.80% |
7.25%
Veteran Poverty Rate
30.62%
Veteran Disability Rate
65.7%
Labor Force Participation
61.6%
Employment Rate
6.2%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
80.60%
Native Born
19.40%
Foreign Born
11.23%
Non Citizen
80.60% of Santa Rosa residents were born in the United States, with 60.99% having been born in California. 11.23% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.