State
County
Land Area
97.7 sq mi
Density
5,376.10/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
1.13%
Growth Since 2010
12.63%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
2,407,310
Sacramento is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 525,398, it is the 6th largest city in California and the 36th largest city in the United States. Sacramento is currently growing at a rate of 1.13% annually and its population has increased by 12.63% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 466,488 in 2010. Sacramento reached it's highest population of 525,398 in 2021. Spanning over 100 miles, Sacramento has a population density of 5,376 people per square mile.
The average household income in Sacramento is $83,189 with a poverty rate of 16.57%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,263 per month, and the median house value is $336,900. The median age in Sacramento is 34.5 years, 33.7 years for males, and 35.5 years for females. For every 100 females there are 95.9 males.
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California and the seat of government for Sacramento County.
At the 2010 census, the population of Sacramento was 466,488. This population is estimated to have recently grown to just over 501,000 residents. The urban Sacramento area has a population of 1.44 million while the Sacramento metropolitan area -- which includes seven counties -- has an estimated population of 2.66 million. This is the fourth largest metro area in California after Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, and the 27th largest in the United States.
In 2002, the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University named Sacramento as America's Most Diverse City. Sacramento has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita, ranking 7th among major U.S. cities and third in California. About 10% of the population identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
The non-Hispanic white population of Sacramento has been in decline since the 1940s. In 1940, 94% of the population was white. By 1990, the non-Hispanic white population had declined to 53%, which now stands at 34.5%. Meanwhile, the Asian community began exploding in the 1980s, followed by the Hispanic population in the 1990s.
According to recent state figures, the Sacramento area will see some of the most substantial population growth in California in coming years. State demographers project California's Hispanic population will become the largest ethnic group sometime in 2014. In 2010, the Hispanic population was 38% while the white population was 40%. These figures will be reversed by 2020.
The state as a whole experienced the highest population growth rate in 2013 in more than a decade, growing more than 38 million people.
Sacramento is projected to grow by 54% to 2.2 million by 2060.
The Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga discovered the Sacramento Valley and Sacramento River sometime between 1799 or 1932 and gave the area its name after saying the "air was like champagne," thus christening the valley and river after the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist.
Settlers arrived in 1839 to establish a trading colony. By 1848, gold was discovered in the area, rapidly increasing its population. Despite a cholera epidemic, floods and fires, the new city grew and quickly hit 10,000 people.
During the 1840s and '50s, when China was at war with France and Great Britain, many Chinese immigrants made their way to America. Many settled first in San Francisco but some eventually found their way to Sacramento. Sacramento's Chinatown was situated on I Street and experienced many fires, discrimination and prejudicial legislation, including the Chinese Exclusion Act that was not repealed until the 1940s.
In 1920, Sacramento became a charter city, making it exempt from many regulations and laws passed by the California legislature. In the 1980s and '90s, several local military bases closed and the agriculture business began to decline. Despite this, Sacramento has continued to experience healthy population growth recently, adding 164,000 people from 2000 to 2007.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sacramento was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 2,407,310 | 21,790 | 0.91% |
2020 | 2,385,520 | 21,790 | 0.91% |
2019 | 2,363,730 | 21,790 | 0.92% |
2018 | 2,341,940 | 22,370 | 0.96% |
2017 | 2,319,570 | 28,040 | 1.21% |
2016 | 2,291,530 | 28,410 | 1.24% |
2015 | 2,263,120 | 27,480 | 1.21% |
2014 | 2,235,640 | 25,130 | 1.12% |
2013 | 2,210,510 | 20,240 | 0.92% |
2012 | 2,190,270 | 17,320 | 0.79% |
2011 | 2,172,950 | 19,340 | 0.89% |
2010 | 2,153,610 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 232,157 | 46.35% |
Asian | 94,598 | 18.88% |
Black or African American | 66,004 | 13.18% |
Some Other Race | 58,567 | 11.69% |
Two or More Races | 37,239 | 7.43% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 8,700 | 1.74% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 3,665 | 0.73% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 185,331 | 2.66 | 48.5 |
Non Family | 75,169 | 1.36 | 37.4 |
Married | 71,803 | 3.54 | 65.9 |
Female | 25,899 | 3.52 | 35.3 |
Male | 12,460 | 3.57 | 42.3 |
3.42
Average Family Size
2.66
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 27,567 | 8.13% |
9th to 12th Grade | 22,411 | 6.61% |
High School Graduate | 72,117 | 21.26% |
Some College | 75,851 | 22.36% |
Associates Degree | 28,914 | 8.53% |
Bachelors Degree | 71,909 | 21.20% |
Graduate Degree | 40,384 | 11.91% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 129,617 | 121,862 | 59,313 |
Hispanic | 80,912 | 59,046 | 14,288 |
Asian | 66,448 | 52,955 | 24,859 |
Black | 43,548 | 39,249 | 9,143 |
Other Race | 33,122 | 22,986 | 4,221 |
Multiple Races | 16,977 | 15,069 | 5,318 |
Islander | 5,844 | 4,686 | 669 |
Native American | 2,768 | 2,193 | 611 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.02%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 45.76%.
$41,171
Average Earnings
$43,813
Average Male
$38,424
Average Female
62.22% of Sacramento residents speak only English, while 37.78% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 18.31% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 142,035 | 27,599 | 19.43% |
White | 159,988 | 18,766 | 11.73% |
Asian | 93,819 | 15,786 | 16.83% |
Black | 64,339 | 13,682 | 21.27% |
Other | 57,490 | 11,102 | 19.31% |
Multiple | 36,508 | 5,816 | 15.93% |
Islander | 8,679 | 1,436 | 16.55% |
Native | 3,571 | 916 | 25.65% |
16.57%
Overall Poverty Rate
15.99%
Male Poverty Rate
17.12%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Sacramento is Native, with 25.65% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Sacramento is White, with 11.73% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.05%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.64%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.18%.
41.0%
Overall Marriage Rate
43.0%
Male Marriage Rate
39.2%
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 | 12,540 | 6.68% |
Black | 4,294 | 8.58% |
Hispanic | 3,066 | 3.09% |
Asian | 2,356 | 3.16% |
2 or More | 1,113 | 5.29% |
Other | 1,001 | 2.41% |
Indian | 278 | 9.03% |
Hawaiian | 100 | 1.51% |
10.25%
Veteran Poverty Rate
31.65%
Veteran Disability Rate
63.7%
Labor Force Participation
59.1%
Employment Rate
7%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
77.77%
Native Born
22.23%
Foreign Born
9.80%
Non Citizen
12.43%
Naturalized
77.77% of Sacramento residents were born in the United States, with 60.38% having been born in California. 9.80% 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 | 525,398 | 5,887 | 1.13% |
2020 | 519,511 | 5,887 | 1.15% |
2019 | 513,624 | 5,887 | 1.16% |
2018 | 507,737 | 6,960 | 1.39% |
2017 | 500,777 | 6,650 | 1.35% |
2016 | 494,127 | 5,994 | 1.23% |
2015 | 488,133 | 5,371 | 1.11% |
2014 | 482,762 | 4,548 | 0.95% |
2013 | 478,214 | 3,988 | 0.84% |
2012 | 474,226 | 3,324 | 0.71% |
2011 | 470,902 | 3,616 | 0.77% |
2010 | 467,286 | 60,268 | 1.39% |
2000 | 407,018 | 37,653 | 0.98% |
1990 | 369,365 | 93,624 | 2.97% |
1980 | 275,741 | 18,636 | 0.70% |
1970 | 257,105 | 65,438 | 2.98% |
1960 | 191,667 | 54,095 | 3.37% |
1950 | 137,572 | 31,614 | 2.65% |
1940 | 105,958 | 12,208 | 1.23% |
1930 | 93,750 | 27,842 | 3.59% |
1920 | 65,908 | 21,212 | 3.96% |
1910 | 44,696 | 15,414 | 4.32% |
1900 | 29,282 | 2,896 | 1.05% |
1890 | 26,386 | 4,966 | 2.11% |
1880 | 21,420 | 5,137 | 2.78% |
1870 | 16,283 | 2,498 | 1.68% |
1860 | 13,785 | 6,965 | 7.29% |
1850 | 6,820 | 0.00% |