| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placer County | 1 | 11.41% | 452,268 | 405,951 |
| Yuba County | 2 | 10.99% | 91,017 | 82,001 |
| San Benito County | 3 | 9.7% | 70,795 | 64,533 |
| Madera County | 4 | 8.35% | 169,492 | 156,434 |
| San Joaquin County | 5 | 7.15% | 836,506 | 780,676 |
| Merced County | 6 | 6.56% | 301,518 | 282,963 |
| Riverside County | 7 | 6.52% | 2,582,701 | 2,424,663 |
| Yolo County | 8 | 5.58% | 229,915 | 217,768 |
| Amador County | 9 | 4.68% | 42,482 | 40,584 |
| Sacramento County | 10 | 3.65% | 1,644,681 | 1,586,727 |
| Kings County | 11 | 3.52% | 158,177 | 152,797 |
| Tulare County | 12 | 3.21% | 489,144 | 473,944 |
| Santa Clara County | 13 | 3.11% | 1,984,701 | 1,924,802 |
| Kern County | 14 | 3.11% | 934,295 | 906,124 |
| San Bernardino County | 15 | 2.64% | 2,241,233 | 2,183,526 |
| Imperial County | 16 | 2.38% | 184,002 | 179,730 |
| Contra Costa County | 17 | 2.34% | 1,193,463 | 1,166,165 |
| Fresno County | 18 | 2.27% | 1,032,577 | 1,009,613 |
| Solano County | 19 | 2.27% | 463,183 | 452,887 |
| Calaveras County | 20 | 2.22% | 46,355 | 45,350 |
| Stanislaus County | 21 | 1.69% | 563,074 | 553,710 |
| El Dorado County | 22 | 1.22% | 193,589 | 191,250 |
| Del Norte County | 23 | 0.97% | 27,885 | 27,616 |
| Colusa County | 24 | 0.77% | 22,036 | 21,868 |
| San Diego County | 25 | 0.71% | 3,324,617 | 3,301,182 |
| Orange County | 26 | 0.5% | 3,202,179 | 3,186,261 |
| Sonoma County | 27 | 0.18% | 489,393 | 488,501 |
| Nevada County | 28 | 0.14% | 102,413 | 102,267 |
| Mariposa County | 29 | 0.11% | 17,152 | 17,133 |
| Butte County | 30 | 0.03% | 210,294 | 210,222 |
| Shasta County | 31 | -0.08% | 182,051 | 182,190 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 32 | -0.15% | 281,515 | 281,924 |
| San Mateo County | 33 | -0.34% | 760,145 | 762,727 |
| Santa Barbara County | 34 | -0.36% | 446,458 | 448,083 |
| Ventura County | 35 | -0.43% | 840,139 | 843,808 |
| Alameda County | 36 | -0.58% | 1,670,896 | 1,680,614 |
| Monterey County | 37 | -0.69% | 437,479 | 440,506 |
| Sutter County | 38 | -0.76% | 98,721 | 99,479 |
| Lake County | 39 | -1.14% | 67,424 | 68,200 |
| Glenn County | 40 | -1.24% | 28,532 | 28,889 |
| Marin County | 41 | -1.36% | 257,788 | 261,341 |
| Los Angeles County | 42 | -1.89% | 9,807,863 | 9,996,634 |
| Mendocino County | 43 | -2.79% | 88,817 | 91,362 |
| Trinity County | 44 | -3.34% | 15,558 | 16,095 |
| Inyo County | 45 | -3.37% | 18,359 | 18,999 |
| Tehama County | 46 | -3.43% | 63,435 | 65,690 |
| San Francisco County | 47 | -3.49% | 844,276 | 874,826 |
| Tuolumne County | 48 | -3.55% | 53,433 | 55,397 |
| Modoc County | 49 | -3.87% | 8,341 | 8,677 |
| Santa Cruz County | 50 | -4.4% | 259,820 | 271,768 |
| Napa County | 51 | -4.49% | 131,293 | 137,465 |
| Mono County | 52 | -5.04% | 12,559 | 13,225 |
| Humboldt County | 53 | -5.28% | 129,122 | 136,324 |
| Siskiyou County | 54 | -5.43% | 41,612 | 43,999 |
| Plumas County | 55 | -7.59% | 18,262 | 19,761 |
| Sierra County | 56 | -7.74% | 2,979 | 3,229 |
| Alpine County | 57 | -11.37% | 1,045 | 1,179 |
| Lassen County | 58 | -15.39% | 27,344 | 32,319 |
California's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Placer County leads with 1.82% annualized growth, followed by Yuba County (1.75%) and San Benito County (1.56%). The largest counties are Los Angeles County (9,807,863), San Diego County (3,324,617), and Orange County (3,202,179). Of the 58 counties in California, 30 are growing while 28 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.01% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.16% annually.
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