| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placer County | 1 | 10.82% | 449,883 | 405,971 |
| San Benito County | 2 | 10.16% | 71,079 | 64,525 |
| Yuba County | 3 | 9.69% | 89,941 | 81,996 |
| Madera County | 4 | 8.52% | 169,722 | 156,396 |
| San Joaquin County | 5 | 6.39% | 830,481 | 780,618 |
| Riverside County | 6 | 5.62% | 2,560,720 | 2,424,446 |
| Merced County | 7 | 5.24% | 297,713 | 282,895 |
| Yolo County | 8 | 3.58% | 225,560 | 217,760 |
| Calaveras County | 9 | 3.01% | 46,714 | 45,349 |
| Amador County | 10 | 2.99% | 41,778 | 40,567 |
| Fresno County | 11 | 2.74% | 1,037,214 | 1,009,563 |
| Tulare County | 12 | 2.64% | 486,441 | 473,915 |
| Kern County | 13 | 2.6% | 929,488 | 905,960 |
| Sacramento County | 14 | 2.54% | 1,627,023 | 1,586,769 |
| San Bernardino County | 15 | 2.12% | 2,229,418 | 2,183,200 |
| Kings County | 16 | 1.13% | 154,535 | 152,813 |
| Stanislaus County | 17 | 0.79% | 558,066 | 553,702 |
| Solano County | 18 | 0.61% | 455,676 | 452,895 |
| El Dorado County | 19 | 0.54% | 192,275 | 191,237 |
| Contra Costa County | 20 | 0.37% | 1,170,606 | 1,166,249 |
| Imperial County | 21 | 0.29% | 180,051 | 179,532 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 22 | 0.11% | 282,581 | 282,257 |
| Shasta County | 23 | -0.16% | 181,904 | 182,191 |
| Butte County | 24 | -0.18% | 209,836 | 210,204 |
| Sonoma County | 25 | -0.2% | 487,525 | 488,514 |
| Santa Clara County | 26 | -0.54% | 1,920,872 | 1,931,349 |
| Nevada County | 27 | -0.59% | 101,676 | 102,280 |
| San Diego County | 28 | -0.73% | 3,276,954 | 3,301,110 |
| Lake County | 29 | -0.8% | 67,664 | 68,208 |
| Sutter County | 30 | -0.83% | 98,641 | 99,463 |
| Colusa County | 31 | -0.92% | 21,656 | 21,858 |
| Mariposa County | 32 | -1.41% | 16,888 | 17,130 |
| Orange County | 33 | -1.42% | 3,140,987 | 3,186,167 |
| Monterey County | 34 | -1.47% | 434,011 | 440,493 |
| Santa Barbara County | 35 | -1.62% | 441,049 | 448,325 |
| Tehama County | 36 | -1.82% | 64,563 | 65,760 |
| Ventura County | 37 | -1.84% | 828,271 | 843,793 |
| San Mateo County | 38 | -2.12% | 746,509 | 762,639 |
| Trinity County | 39 | -2.21% | 15,743 | 16,099 |
| Alameda County | 40 | -2.61% | 1,636,636 | 1,680,489 |
| Glenn County | 41 | -3.21% | 27,962 | 28,889 |
| Napa County | 42 | -3.42% | 132,783 | 137,481 |
| Los Angeles County | 43 | -3.56% | 9,641,000 | 9,996,510 |
| Marin County | 44 | -3.69% | 251,684 | 261,337 |
| Humboldt County | 45 | -3.91% | 130,970 | 136,298 |
| Modoc County | 46 | -4.17% | 8,317 | 8,679 |
| Mendocino County | 47 | -4.43% | 87,305 | 91,348 |
| Sierra County | 48 | -4.68% | 3,075 | 3,226 |
| San Francisco County | 49 | -5.02% | 831,213 | 875,139 |
| Inyo County | 50 | -5.13% | 18,014 | 18,989 |
| Siskiyou County | 51 | -5.56% | 41,536 | 43,983 |
| Santa Cruz County | 52 | -5.69% | 256,287 | 271,758 |
| Tuolumne County | 53 | -5.84% | 52,135 | 55,369 |
| Del Norte County | 54 | -6.37% | 25,861 | 27,619 |
| Mono County | 55 | -6.84% | 12,318 | 13,222 |
| Plumas County | 56 | -6.85% | 18,393 | 19,745 |
| Lassen County | 57 | -14.55% | 27,641 | 32,349 |
| Alpine County | 58 | -15.25% | 1,000 | 1,180 |
California's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Placer County leads with 1.73% annualized growth, followed by San Benito County (1.63%) and Yuba County (1.55%). The largest counties are Los Angeles County (9,641,000), San Diego County (3,276,954), and Orange County (3,140,987). Of the 58 counties in California, 22 are growing while 36 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged -0.15% annualized growth, with total population growing by -0.08% annually.
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