Census data in Sacramento, California

A view of Downtown Sacramento that faces east and over the Sacramento river with Tower Bridge visible.

Sacramento County didn’t quite play by the numbers in the 2020 census. | Photo by @julianshootz

Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you’re new to the city — SAC has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Allow us to reintroduce Sacramento County.

The region by the numbers:

  • Total population: 1,588,921
  • Total housing units: 578,937
    • Owner: 57.4%
    • Renter: ~40%
  • Median Household Income: $70,684

How do we know this? Thanks to a law dating back to 1790, we participate in the Census count every 10 years to survey the population.

Previous Census data showed that, from 2010 to 2020, the Sacramento region increased by approximately 166,267. The latest batch of information tells a different story.

Let’s see what the numbers have to say.

The most recent data released shows that in 2021, Sacramento County experienced an increase in population of .2%, which is 3,866 people (or about 14,000 people shy of filling up the Golden 1 Center).

The data also revealed that California has the third highest home values in the US.

Additionally, California only added ~600,000 new housing units in the last decade.

Median single-family home prices across the Greater Sacramento area:

Where are the renters at? In California, nearly 34.2% of the total housing units are rented + the median rent costs are $1,586. Here’s what the majority of renters are paying:

  • 1,517,030 pay $1,000-$1,499
  • 1,349,250 pay $1,500-$1,999
  • 820,826 pay $2,000-$2,499
  • 434,206 pay $2,500-$2,999
  • 466,560 pay $3,000+

So, can you afford to live here? Here are the estimated median household income projections comparing 2015 to 2020 for the Greater Sacramento area. Spoiler alert — there are increases across the board.

  • Sacramento County increased from $56,000 to $71,000, or +26.3%.
  • El Dorado County increased from $70,000 to $84,000, or +20.3%.
  • Yolo County increased from $55,000 to $74,000, or +34.1%.
  • Placer County increased from $74,000 to $94,000, or +26.7%.
  • Sutter County increased from $52,000 to $64,000, or +22.1%.
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