Patterson is a city located in Stanislaus County California. With a 2020 population of 24,455, it is the 308th largest city in California and the 1892nd largest city in the United States. Patterson is currently growing at a rate of 1.40% annually and its population has increased by 2.83% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 23,781 in 2020. Spanning over 8 miles, Patterson has a population density of 3,137 people per square mile.
The average household income in Patterson is $83,231 with a poverty rate of 7.78%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,395 per month, and the median house value is $327,600. The median age in Patterson is 31.1 years, 30.9 years for males, and 31.4 years for females.
The city of Patterson, also known as the “Apricot Capital of the World,” is located in Stanislaus County, California and is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of about 515,000. Patterson is located about 17 miles southwest of Modesto.
Population Statistics
31 years of age is the median in Patterson which makes it younger than the U.S. median of 38. 53% of the population over 15 years of age in Patterson are married, 51% are fluent English speakers and 43% are fluent in Spanish. 64% of Patterson’s residents were born in California, 12% were born out of state, 2% were born outside of the United States, and 22% were registered foreign born.
Population Growth
In 1920, one year after Patterson was incorporated, the population stood at a mere 694. This had reached 1,000 by 1940, and by 1970 had reached over 3,000. The 1980s saw a more than doubling of the population from 3,908 in 1980 to 8,626 in 1990. The ten years between the year 2000 and 2010 saw the population almost double, from 11,606 in 2000 to 20,521.
Since becoming incorporated as a city, Patterson, CA, has seen a population percentage growth of over 3,090%. While Patterson is expected to continue growing, its growth will be very moderate as it's already densely populated.
The city of Patterson began its life with a Mexican land grant in 1844. This granted acreage stretching east to the San Joaquin River, south past Marshall Road, and to Del Puerto Creek in the north.
The land exchanged hands over the course of the following decades, until in 1908, what had become 18,462 acres were sold to the Patterson Ranch Company. The land was then divided into several ranches of various sizes, and the design of the town of Patterson was plotted. The town was designed using a series of circles and radiated streets, taking inspiration from Washington D.C. and Paris, France.
In 1919, Patterson was incorporated after records were filed in 1909 and sales the city lots and ranch properties commenced. Patterson is today famed for its annual Apricot Fiestas, held every year on the first weekend of June.
