Population Growth
Fueled by job growth and attractive quality of life, the population of Sonoma County has steadily increased over the last 10 years. Between 2000 and 2010, the population increased by 34,671 people, or 7.6 percent. Today there are 493,285 Sonoma County residents. The majority of new residents, 69 percent, live within the boundaries of Sonoma County’s nine cities. The City of Santa Rosa has led this growth in total population, adding 15,841 residents, or 10.7 percent, over ten years to attain its current population of 163,436 people.

Between 1990 and 2000, Sonoma County’s population increased by 70,392 persons, with an average annual growth rate of 1.9 percent. From 2000 to 2010, population in Sonoma County at an average annual rate of 0.7 percent. In 2015 the population is projected to be 519,042 residents.