State
County
Land Area
42.0 sq mi
Density
4,261.4/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
1.23%
Growth Since 2010
17.06%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Elk Grove is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 179,119, it is the 26th largest city in California and the 146th largest city in the United States. Elk Grove is currently growing at a rate of 1.23% annually and its population has increased by 17.06% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 153,015 in 2010. Elk Grove reached it's highest population of 179,119 in 2021. Spanning over 42 miles, Elk Grove has a population density of 4,261 people per square mile.
The average household income in Elk Grove is $112,137 with a poverty rate of 8.06%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,695 per month, and the median house value is $406,300. The median age in Elk Grove is 37.5 years, 35.5 years for males, and 39.2 years for females. For every 100 females there are 92.9 males.
Elk Grove is located in Sacramento County, California just outside Sacramento. Elk Grove is part of the Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville metropolitan area which has a population of about 2.2 million thanks to rapid growth over the last decade.
Elk Grove has a very diverse culture with Asians accounting for the largest minority. This isn't surprising as Sacramento is one of America's most ethnically diverse cities. According to the Sacramento Bee, there's an 81% chance that two people picked randomly from Elk Grove or other urban communities in the area will be from different ethnic backgrounds.
The beginning of Elk Grove's ethnic diversity began in 1852 when the McCauleys left the South and moved to the area with 50 former slaves, the first African-Americans in the area. The construction of the railroads in the 1860s introduced a large Chinese community. Other cultures came to Elk Grove in the 1890s, including immigrants from Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Mexico, and the Philippines. One of the largest immigrant groups of the era was the Japanese who moved from other areas of California thanks to the booming wine industry.
Between the 1940s and 1990s, other groups came to the Sacramento area such as the Dutch in the 1940s, Spaniards in the 1960s, and a surge of immigrants from China, Russia, India, and Vietnam in the 1970s.
In 2004 and 2005, Elk Grove's population growth peaked when it became the fastest growing city in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, Elk Grove grew an astounding 155% from 59,000 to more than 153,000. While the city's growth has slowed, it remains impressive. A survey found the city has one of the country's fastest growing economies the Sacramento area is one of the fastest growing in the nation. Elk Grove is expected to hit a population of 200,000 by 2029 as the city struggles to keep up with its rapid growth by expanding safety services.
The area around Sacramento and Elk Grove was explored by a Spaniard named Gabriel Moraga in 1808 who named the valley Sacramento Valley for Sacramento, the Holy Sacrament in Spanish. In 1850, Elk Grove was founded to create a stage stop for people coming from San Francisco and Sacramento. Within twenty years, the Western Division of the Central Pacific Railroad came within one mile of Elk Grove.
Elk Grove remained a small farming town with little development for almost 100 years. It wasn't until suburban developments began in the 1980s that the community began to grow. Elk Grove rapidly grew from a population of just 3,700 in 1970 to 11,000 in 1980 and 59,000 by 2000 when it was incorporated as a city.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Elk Grove was:
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 77,129 | 45.15% |
Asian | 49,250 | 28.83% |
Black or African American | 19,700 | 11.53% |
Two or More Races | 13,933 | 8.16% |
Some Other Race | 6,624 | 3.88% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 3,158 | 1.85% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,031 | 0.60% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 53,182 | 3.2 | 74.9 |
Married | 32,940 | 3.73 | 81.3 |
Non Family | 10,691 | 1.26 | 67.7 |
Female | 7,105 | 3.49 | 59.5 |
Male | 2,446 | 3.57 | 65 |
3.61
Average Family Size
3.2
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 5,599 | 5.00% |
9th to 12th Grade | 4,987 | 4.45% |
High School Graduate | 19,514 | 17.43% |
Some College | 28,562 | 25.51% |
Associates Degree | 12,038 | 10.75% |
Bachelors Degree | 28,367 | 25.33% |
Graduate Degree | 12,918 | 11.54% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 43,052 | 41,500 | 16,342 |
Asian | 33,267 | 28,333 | 14,895 |
Hispanic | 17,150 | 14,436 | 3,964 |
Black | 12,899 | 12,023 | 4,361 |
Multiple Races | 5,031 | 4,620 | 1,598 |
Other Race | 4,537 | 3,517 | 790 |
Islander | 2,178 | 1,834 | 540 |
Native American | 703 | 645 | 107 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.40%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 44.77%.
$52,876
Average Earnings
$60,296
Average Male
$46,189
Average Female
65.41% of Elk Grove residents speak only English, while 34.59% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 16.76% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 49,097 | 4,140 | 8.43% |
White | 58,024 | 4,125 | 7.11% |
Black | 19,562 | 2,326 | 11.89% |
Hispanic | 31,399 | 2,265 | 7.21% |
Multiple | 13,835 | 1,245 | 9.00% |
Other | 6,616 | 583 | 8.81% |
Native | 1,030 | 163 | 15.83% |
Islander | 3,131 | 77 | 2.46% |
8.06%
Overall Poverty Rate
7.59%
Male Poverty Rate
8.50%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Elk Grove is Native, with 15.83% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Elk Grove is Islander, with 2.46% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.68%. Among those working part-time, it was 8.99%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 14.86%.
55.0%
Overall Marriage Rate
58.5%
Male Marriage Rate
51.8%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 5,311 | 8.96% |
Black | 1,292 | 8.55% |
Hispanic | 1,245 | 6.11% |
Asian | 705 | 1.90% |
2 or More | 441 | 6.61% |
Other | 271 | 5.44% |
Hawaiian | 93 | 3.69% |
Indian | 62 | 7.73% |
6.10%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.41%
Veteran Disability Rate
63.9%
Labor Force Participation
60.2%
Employment Rate
5.5%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
75.93%
Native Born
24.07%
Foreign Born
6.17%
Non Citizen
17.90%
Naturalized
75.93% of Elk Grove residents were born in the United States, with 58.74% having been born in California. 6.17% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 179,119 | 2,172 | 1.23% |
2020 | 176,947 | 2,172 | 1.24% |
2019 | 174,775 | 2,172 | 1.26% |
2018 | 172,603 | 1,178 | 0.69% |
2017 | 171,425 | 2,269 | 1.34% |
2016 | 169,156 | 3,159 | 1.90% |
2015 | 165,997 | 3,296 | 2.03% |
2014 | 162,701 | 2,450 | 1.53% |
2013 | 160,251 | 2,168 | 1.37% |
2012 | 158,083 | 2,468 | 1.59% |
2011 | 155,615 | 2,240 | 1.46% |
2010 | 153,375 | 93,375 | 9.84% |
2000 | 60,000 | 42,517 | 13.12% |
1990 | 17,483 | 6,524 | 4.78% |
1980 | 10,959 | 7,238 | 11.41% |
1970 | 3,721 | 1,516 | 5.37% |
1960 | 2,205 | 1,605 | 6.72% |
1940 | 600 | 398 | 2.20% |
1890 | 202 | 0.00% |