Fontana, California Population 2021

217,237

Fontana is located in San Bernardino County, California along the San Bernardino Mountains. “Fontana” is Italian for “water source,” a nod to the nearby Santa Ana River. Fontana is currently the second largest city in San Bernardino County after San Bernardino, although the cities are close in population. It’s part of the Inland Empire, which comprises San Bernardino and Riverside Counties as well as the Greater Los Angeles area, the second largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Population Growth

Like other cities in the Inland Empire, Fontana is enjoying significant population growth driven by higher-paying professional jobs in the region and the high cost of living in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. Fontana was recently named as the Most Prosperous City in California thans to its stable home values, average income, low unemployment and poverty rates, and population growth. In 2016, Fontana led San Bernardino County in population growth with an increase of 1.4%, adding nearly 3,000 people in just one year. Since 1990, Fontana’s population has nearly doubled.

Fontana is a fairly young city with a history going back to its founding in 1919. It quickly became an agricultural community with chicken ranches, vineyards, and citrus orchards along Route 66. During World War II, one of just two steel mills in the West was built in Fontana. The mill’s owner, Henry J. Kaiser, then built the Fontana Kaiser Permanente medical facility to provide health care for mill workers. It’s now the country’s largest managed care organization.

Fontana’s economy has largely moved away from agriculture, intead focusing on industry, especially trucking industries. It’s home to many product distribution centers for major companies like Home Shoppig Network, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. Kaiser Permanente is Fontana’s largest employer.

By 2000, Fontana had a population of 129,000. Today, it’s estimated at more than 211,000, in large part due to large residential developments in the north part of the city and a successful campaign to annex developed, unincorporated areas in 2006 and 2007.

Fontana Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Fontana was:

Other race: 41.38%
White: 37.33%
Black or African American: 8.84%
Asian: 6.59%
Two or more races: 5.01%
Native American: 0.70%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.15%

The current population of Fontana, California is 217,237based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 213,202.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 196,069.

Fontana, California Population 2021

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage
Some Other Race	87,204	41.38%
White	78,682	37.33%
Black or African American	18,634	8.84%
Asian	13,893	6.59%
Two or More Races	10,559	5.01%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1,473	0.70%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	314	0.15%

Fontana Population By Race

Fontana Population Pyramid 2021

Fontana Population by Age

Fontana Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Fontana Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	73.5%	26.5%
All	65.5%	34.5%
Masculino	58.2%	41.8%
Non Family	53.4%	46.6%
Mujer	50.9%	49.1%

65.5%

Rate of Home Ownership

Fontana Households and Families

Type	Count	Average Size	Owned
All	54,558	3.85	65.5
Married	32,978	4.37	73.5
Mujer	9,720	3.97	50.9
Non Family	7,857	1.44	53.4
Masculino	4,003	4.01	58.2

4.12

Average Family Size

3.85

Average Household Size

Fontana Households by Type

Education Attained	Count	Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade	16,146	12.91%
9th to 12th Grade	14,447	11.55%
High School Graduate	35,519	28.40%
Some College	28,807	23.03%
Associates Degree	7,574	6.06%
Bachelors Degree	17,035	13.62%
Graduate Degree	5,543	4.43%

Fontana Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Fontana Educational Attainment by Race

Race	Total	High School	Bachelors
Hispanic	81,382	53,973	8,957
Other Race	49,209	31,534	4,762
White	20,386	18,716	4,895
Black	11,034	10,336	2,862
Asian	9,782	9,089	5,120
2+ Races	4,455	3,781	863
Native American	916	726	99
Islander	168	168	10

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 52.34%.

Fontana Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Masculino	Mujer
Overall	$38,677	$44,056	$31,382
Less Than 9th Grade	$26,682	$33,707	$20,054
High School Graduate	$34,049	$41,434	$25,682
Some College	$41,007	$51,002	$34,700
Bachelors Degree	$55,995	$67,175	$46,561
Graduate Degree	$71,200	$82,308	$65,568

$38,677

Average Earnings

$44,056

Average Male

$31,382

Average Female

Fontana Earnings by Educational Attainment

Fontana Language by Age

Fontana Language

41.86% of Fontana residents speak only English, while 58.14% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 51.30% of the population.

Fontana Language

Fontana Poverty by Race

Name	Total	In Poverty	Poverty Rate
Hispanic	145,757	21,193	14.54%
Other	86,513	13,984	16.16%
White	26,973	2,496	9.25%
Black	18,356	2,470	13.46%
Multiple	10,435	889	8.52%
Asian	13,866	720	5.19%
Native	1,464	155	10.59%
Islander	314	38	12.10%

12.96%

Overall Poverty Rate

12.16%

Male Poverty Rate

13.75%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Fontana

The race most likely to be in poverty in Fontana is Other, with 16.16% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Fontana is Asian, with 5.19% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.09%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.12%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.53%.

Fontana Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade	17.51%
High School	10.86%
Some College	7.32%
Bachelors or Greater	3.96%

Fontana Poverty Rate by Education

Name	Poverty
Male Unemployed	26.53%
Female Unemployed	24.31%
Female Employed	6.12%
Male Employed	5.31%

Fontana Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Fontana Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$72,918	$88,073
Families	$76,034	$89,808
Married Families	$88,520	$100,735
Non Families	$46,027	$63,096

Income by Household Type

Fontana Marital Status

Marriage Rates

47.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.9%

Male Marriage Rate

46.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Fontana Married by Age and Sex

Fontana Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Fontana Marital Status by Race

Fontana Marital Status

5,150

Number of Veterans

4,781

Male Veterans

369

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
Vietnam	1,692
First Gulf War	1,518
Second Gulf War	1,471
Korea	170
World War II	149

Fontana Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
35 to 54	1,834
65 to 74	1,113
55 to 64	876
75+	678
18 to 34	649

Fontana Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	2,532	4.41%
Hispanic	2,377	2.36%
Other Race	1,116	1.82%
Black	945	6.96%
2+ Races	312	5.51%
Asian	164	1.50%
Native American	81	7.60%

Fontana Veterans by Race

Fontana Veterans by Education

6.25%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.21%

Veteran Disability Rate

Fontana Veterans by Education

66.5%

Labor Force Participation

61.8%

Employment Rate

6.9%

Unemployment Rate

Fontana Employment by Age

Fontana Employment by Race

Fontana Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

64.53%

Born in Fontana

73.18%

Native Born

26.82%

Foreign Born

13.96%

Non Citizen

12.86%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

73.18% of Fontana residents were born in the United States, with 64.53% having been born in California. 13.96% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Fontana Place of Birth

Year	Population	Growth	Annual Growth Rate
2021	217,237	1,345	0.62%
2020	215,892	1,345	0.63%
2019	214,547	1,345	0.63%
2018	213,202	2,080	0.99%
2017	211,122	2,404	1.15%
2016	208,718	2,555	1.24%
2015	206,163	2,191	1.07%
2014	203,972	1,302	0.64%
2013	202,670	1,458	0.72%
2012	201,212	1,332	0.67%
2011	199,880	2,563	1.30%
2010	197,317	68,388	4.35%
2000	128,929	41,394	3.95%
1990	87,535	50,544	9.00%
1980	36,991	16,318	5.99%
1970	20,673	6,014	3.50%
1960	14,659	10,159	6.08%
1940	4,500		0.00%

Fontana, California Population 2021

Population Growth

Fontana Demographics

Fontana, California Population 2021

Population by Race

Fontana Population By Race

Fontana Population Pyramid 2021

Fontana Median Age

Fontana Adults

Fontana Age Dependency

Fontana Sex Ratio

Fontana Population by Age

Fontana Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Fontana Household Types

Fontana Households and Families

Fontana Households by Type

Fontana Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Fontana Educational Attainment by Race

Fontana Educational Attainment by Race

Fontana Earnings by Educational Attainment

Fontana Language by Age

Fontana Language

Fontana Language

Fontana Poverty by Race

Poverty in Fontana

Fontana Poverty

Fontana Poverty Rate by Education

Fontana Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Fontana Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Fontana Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Fontana Married by Age and Sex

Fontana Marriage

Fontana Marital Status by Race

Fontana Marital Status

Fontana Veterans by War

Fontana Veterans by Age

Fontana Veterans by Race

Fontana Veterans by Education

Fontana Veterans by Education

Fontana Employment by Age

Fontana Employment by Race

Fontana Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Fontana Place of Birth

Fontana Population by Year