California Counties by Population (2026)
2026 Pop.
1M
2M
3M
4M
5M
6M
7M
8M
9M
Top 5 Most Populous Counties
9,641,000
3,276,954
3,140,987
2,560,720
2,229,418
| County | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Area (mi²) | Density (/mi²) | Change (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 9,641,000 | 4.1K | 2,375 | -3.56% |
| San Diego County | 3,276,954 | 4.2K | 778 | -0.73% |
| Orange County | 3,140,987 | 793 | 3,961 | -1.42% |
| Riverside County | 2,560,720 | 7.2K | 355 | 5.62% |
| San Bernardino County | 2,229,418 | 20.1K | 111 | 2.12% |
| Santa Clara County | 1,920,872 | 1.3K | 1,488 | -0.54% |
| Alameda County | 1,636,636 | 737 | 2,221 | -2.61% |
| Sacramento County | 1,627,023 | 965 | 1,686 | 2.54% |
| Contra Costa County | 1,170,606 | 717 | 1,633 | 0.37% |
| Fresno County | 1,037,214 | 6K | 174 | 2.74% |
| Kern County | 929,488 | 8.1K | 114 | 2.6% |
| San Francisco County | 831,213 | 47 | 17,685 | -5.02% |
| San Joaquin County | 830,481 | 1.4K | 597 | 6.39% |
| Ventura County | 828,271 | 1.8K | 450 | -1.84% |
| San Mateo County | 746,509 | 449 | 1,663 | -2.12% |
| Stanislaus County | 558,066 | 1.5K | 373 | 0.79% |
| Sonoma County | 487,525 | 1.6K | 310 | -0.2% |
| Tulare County | 486,441 | 4.8K | 101 | 2.64% |
| Solano County | 455,676 | 822 | 554 | 0.61% |
| Placer County | 449,883 | 1.4K | 320 | 10.82% |
| Santa Barbara County | 441,049 | 2.7K | 161 | -1.62% |
| Monterey County | 434,011 | 3.3K | 132 | -1.47% |
| Merced County | 297,713 | 1.9K | 154 | 5.24% |
| San Luis Obispo County | 282,581 | 3.3K | 86 | 0.11% |
| Santa Cruz County | 256,287 | 445 | 576 | -5.69% |
| Marin County | 251,684 | 520 | 484 | -3.69% |
| Yolo County | 225,560 | 1K | 223 | 3.58% |
| Butte County | 209,836 | 1.6K | 128 | -0.18% |
| El Dorado County | 192,275 | 1.7K | 113 | 0.54% |
| Shasta County | 181,904 | 3.8K | 48 | -0.16% |
| Imperial County | 180,051 | 4.2K | 43 | 0.29% |
| Madera County | 169,722 | 2.1K | 79 | 8.52% |
| Kings County | 154,535 | 1.4K | 111 | 1.13% |
| Napa County | 132,783 | 752 | 177 | -3.42% |
| Humboldt County | 130,970 | 3.6K | 37 | -3.91% |
| Nevada County | 101,676 | 958 | 106 | -0.59% |
| Sutter County | 98,641 | 603 | 164 | -0.83% |
| Yuba County | 89,941 | 632 | 142 | 9.69% |
| Mendocino County | 87,305 | 3.5K | 25 | -4.43% |
| San Benito County | 71,079 | 1.4K | 51 | 10.16% |
| Lake County | 67,664 | 1.3K | 54 | -0.8% |
| Tehama County | 64,563 | 2.9K | 22 | -1.82% |
| Tuolumne County | 52,135 | 2.2K | 23 | -5.84% |
| Calaveras County | 46,714 | 1K | 46 | 3.01% |
| Amador County | 41,778 | 595 | 70 | 2.99% |
| Siskiyou County | 41,536 | 6.3K | 6.6 | -5.56% |
| Glenn County | 27,962 | 1.3K | 21 | -3.21% |
| Lassen County | 27,641 | 4.5K | 6.1 | -14.55% |
| Del Norte County | 25,861 | 1K | 26 | -6.37% |
| Colusa County | 21,656 | 1.2K | 19 | -0.92% |
| Plumas County | 18,393 | 2.6K | 7.2 | -6.85% |
| Inyo County | 18,014 | 10.2K | 1.8 | -5.13% |
| Mariposa County | 16,888 | 1.4K | 12 | -1.41% |
| Trinity County | 15,743 | 3.2K | 5.0 | -2.21% |
| Mono County | 12,318 | 3K | 4.0 | -6.84% |
| Modoc County | 8,317 | 3.9K | 2.1 | -4.17% |
| Sierra County | 3,075 | 953 | 3.2 | -4.68% |
| Alpine County | 1,000 | 738 | 1.4 | -15.25% |
Sources
- US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
- Census QuickFacts
- Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)