Stockton, California Population 2023

Stockton is a city located in the state of California. It is part of San Joaquin County in the San Joaquin Valley region. It also serves as the county seat. The city was founded in 1849 and since its founding has expanded and added to its population. What’s notable about the city of Stockton is that it was the state’s first city to have a name that did not have Native American or Spanish origins.

Stockton Population Statistics

Stockton throughout the 2010s has been on the list of many negative national rankings, including being named as one of the most dangerous cities in America, one of the least literate cities in the country, and a city with one of the highest obesity rates.

San Joaquin County is the top employer of the city, employing almost 6,000 residents. Other top employers include the Stockton Unified School District, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, OG Packing and the California Division of Juvenile Justice, each employing thousands of people from Stockton.

Stockton Population Growth

Despite the problems that the city has faced such as high crime rates and bankruptcy, the city’s population has only continued to grow since the 1860 census. The city’s most significant population growth occurred between 1860 and 1870 when the population grew by over 173%. Stockton reached over 100,000 inhabitants by the time of the 1970 census. Steady growth has been observed every ten years following, with the city hitting the 200,000 milestone in 1990. Recent estimates show that the population has grown by over 5% since the last census recorded in 2010. As the city continues to revitalize and rebuild its economy, it can only be expected that Stockton will continue to grow in terms of its population.

Stockton History

The city was first discovered to be inhabited by the Yatchicumne people. It was only during the California Gold Rush in the 1840s that European and Americans came to the area. German immigrant Charles Maria Weber decided that he would sell supplies to those looking for gold, so he formed a partnership with William Gulnac to apply for a land grant along the San Joaquin River. The Rancho Campo de Los Franceses Mexican land grant was given, and the city was founded in 1849.

Stockton grew during the Gold Rush as a river port and was also a hub for transportation to the various gold settlements in the San Joaquin Valley. The city’s population continued to grow into the 1850s as Chinese immigrants made their way over. They worked for the railroad companies and land reclamation projects after leaving China due to economic and political unrest. What’s interesting to note, however, is that the immigrants were prohibited from purchasing property, and only during the 1960s were American-born Chinese residents allowed to own buildings and property.

Stockton was officially incorporated as a city in 1850. The first election was held that same year. The city had a very diverse population at the time of incorporation, as people had traveled to Stockton from around the world because of the Gold Rush. The late 1800s saw the development of track-laying machines for plowing and the founding of the Holt Manufacturing Company and Stockton Wheel Company.

During the 19th century, Stockton continued to thrive as it was a hub for transportation and served as an inland seaport. Today, the city is still a hub for transportation because of its central location and proximity to the state’s freeway systems. Because of this, as well as the inexpensive land costs when compared to other California cities, has led many companies to bring their regional headquarters to Stockton.

In recent years, the city has focused on revitalization. Many buildings throughout the city have been renovated and transformed. A downtown marina has been constructed. Plans include new housing developments, bridges, and a county courthouse.

In 2007, Stockton was affected by the financial crisis and led the country in foreclosures. The value of homes dropped an average of 44% between 2006 and 2007. The unemployment rate also grew to one of the highest in the nation, and the city also had an increase in crime, making it on Forbes’ list of the most dangerous cities in America. Forbes also named it as one of the worst places to live in 2010.

Following the crisis, Stockton filed for bankruptcy and was the largest city to ever do so at the time, although Detroit has since surpassed that record. The city exited from bankruptcy in 2015. Despite all of this, however, the city has continued to grow in terms of population.