County · California

Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County, California. Sonoma County had 486,444 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.5% since 2020, in line with California (−0.5%). It holds 38 places (9 cities, villages and boroughs and 29 census-designated) and 122 census tracts. GEOID 06097.

Sonoma County is the county of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

486,444

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 488,863 · ACS 2020-2024: 485,040

Median household income

$104,674

±$2,030 (90% margin)
California: $99,122

Median home value

$815,500

±$6,412 (90% margin)
California: $734,700

Median gross rent

$2,158

±$30 (90% margin)
California: $2,036

How many people live in Sonoma County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 488,863 residents in Sonoma County. The Census Bureau estimates 486,444 for July 1, 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, in line with California (−0.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 485,040 over 1,575 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −3,687 (484,827)
2021→2022 −1,591 (483,236)
2022→2023 +169 (483,405)
2023→2024 +1,958 (485,363)
2024→2025 +1,081 (486,444)

Sonoma County in California. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Sonoma County	California	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	485,040	39,287,377	−14,732
Households	190,998±984	13,548,091	+1,624
Average household size	2.49±0.01	2.84	−0.10
Housing units	207,699±145	14,644,735	no clear change

Sonoma County's population since 2000

From 458,614 in 2000 to 486,444 in 2025: up 6.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 458,614
2005 (estimate) 465,938
2010 Census 483,878
2015 (estimate) 500,598
2020 Census 488,863
2025 (estimate) 486,444

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Sonoma County?

Sonoma County holds 38 places: 9 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 29 census-designated places. The largest is Santa Rosa with 179,437 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Sonoma County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Santa Rosa	city	178,127	177,090±70	$99,060	$713,900	9.7%	100%
Petaluma	city	59,776	59,247±61	$115,430	$878,600	6.5%	100%
Rohnert Park	city	44,390	44,575±57	$99,273	$666,300	10.5%	100%
Windsor	town	26,344	26,081±36	$133,979	$801,100	5.9%	100%
Healdsburg	city	11,340	11,243±47	$103,554	$950,100	11.6%	100%
Sonoma	city	10,739	10,670±26	$98,527	$970,500	10.4%	100%
Cloverdale	city	8,996	8,886±35	$117,177	$619,400	4.1%	100%
Larkfield-Wikiup	CDP	8,492	8,765±1,188	$97,071	$704,700	6.5%	100%
Cotati	city	7,584	7,489±25	$110,750	$746,800	8.2%	100%
Sebastopol	city	7,521	7,445±40	$87,684	$845,700	8.7%	100%
Boyes Hot Springs	CDP	6,215	7,247±1,280	$101,288	$783,300	11.6%	100%
Guerneville	CDP	4,552	4,100±549	$81,281	$600,600	10.0%	100%
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente	CDP	4,233	3,347±644	$85,694	$823,800	25.2%	100%
El Verano	CDP	3,867	3,443±880	$123,738	$909,300	3.1%	100%
Forestville	CDP	3,264	3,717±627	$115,962	$730,300	7.4%	100%
Sonoma State UniversityGEOID 0672654	CDP	2,679	2,210±263	not published	not published	–	100%
Penngrove	CDP	2,637	2,119±323	$107,147	$1,196,000	8.2%	100%
Graton	CDP	1,683	1,806±400	$91,429	$878,100	24.3%	100%
Temelec	CDP	1,500	1,628±520	$67,582	$679,800	5.5%	100%
Eldridge	CDP	1,312	1,379±333	$121,938	$766,800	9.1%	100%
Sea Ranch	CDP	1,169	1,287±224	$139,375	$1,371,600	3.0%	100%
Occidental	CDP	1,132	1,225±357	$108,207	$1,167,800	7.0%	100%
Monte Rio	CDP	1,080	876±225	$63,750	$652,000	12.3%	100%
Bodega BayGEOID 0607260	CDP	912	1,139±566	$182,898	$1,294,900	2.1%	100%
Geyserville	CDP	861	672±208	$125,093	$825,900	8.6%	100%
KenwoodGEOID 0638156	CDP	852	1,028±405	$99,526	$881,900	6.7%	100%
Glen EllenGEOID 0630028	CDP	714	1,078±761	$202,097	$1,371,400	26.0%	100%
Petaluma CenterGEOID 0656786	CDP	709	763±413	$75,682	not published	0.0%	100%
FultonGEOID 0628014	CDP	551	453±319	$183,158	$760,100	3.8%	100%
BloomfieldGEOID 0607036	CDP	338	324±126	$142,422	$1,294,800	3.4%	100%
Cazadero	CDP	298	483±184	$96,806	$520,000	3.9%	100%
BodegaGEOID 0607246	CDP	211	134±57	$90,625	$1,230,800	0.0%	100%
Timber Cove	CDP	171	199±58	$110,938	$986,100	0.0%	100%
Valley FordGEOID 0681778	CDP	148	0±14	not published	not published	–	100%
JennerGEOID 0637274	CDP	122	18±25	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Salmon CreekGEOID 0664252	CDP	111	40±41	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Sereno del MarGEOID 0671000	CDP	107	101±70	$78,214	$1,071,400	0.0%	100%
CarmetGEOID 0611376	CDP	55	85±62	$93,833	$1,475,000	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Sonoma County?

The median resident of Sonoma County is 42.9 years old; 19.0% are under 18 and 21.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 57.9%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 30.0%. 16.8% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Sonoma County	California	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	42.9±0.2	37.9	+0.8
Under 18 years	19.0%	22.0%	–
65 years and over	21.5%±0.1 pts	15.7%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	30.0%	40.2%	+3.3 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	57.9%±0.2 pts	33.8%	−5.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.5%±0.1 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	4.3%±0.2 pts	15.3%	+0.3 pts
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 pts	0.3%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 pts	0.3%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.0%±0.3 pts	4.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Born outside the United States	16.8%±0.5 pts	27.0%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	27.0%±0.6 pts	44.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	4.8%±0.2 pts	4.3%	–
With a disability	12.6%±0.4 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.1%±0.4 pts	6.6%	−1.0 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	88.7%±0.5 pts	84.7%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	38.5%±0.7 pts	37.1%	+3.0 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	14.6%±0.5 pts	14.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.9%±0.1 pts	1.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Sonoma County earn?

Half of Sonoma County's 190,998 households earn less than $104,674 a year (±$2,030), against $99,122 in California. In 2015-2019 the median was $99,708 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $4,966 after inflation. 8.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sonoma County	California	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$104,674±$2,030	$99,122	+$4,966
Mean household income	$142,354±$2,942	$140,436	–
Per capita income	$56,640±$1,078	$49,513	+$4,732
People below the poverty line	8.9%±0.6 pts	12.0%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	9.6%±1.4 pts	15.0%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	8.0%±0.5 pts	12.4%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	94.4%±0.4 pts	93.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Sonoma County?

Owners occupy 62.6% of Sonoma County's occupied homes and renters 37.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $815,500 by its owner (±$6,412). The median renter pays $2,158 a month including utilities, and 44.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sonoma County	California	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$815,500±$6,412	$734,700	+$65,269
Median gross rent	$2,158±$30	$2,036	+$163
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	44.1%±1.7 pts	46.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$3,040±$39	$2,946	–
Owner-occupied homes	62.6%±0.8 pts	55.9%	no clear change
Housing units	207,699±145	14,644,735	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.6%±0.2 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	2.7%±0.7 pts	4.2%	–
Single-family detached homes	66.8%±0.7 pts	57.0%	–
Mobile homes	4.8%±0.3 pts	3.5%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.5%±0.2 pts	1.3%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	8.0%±0.5 pts	8.9%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Sonoma County building?

Builders took permits for 1,690 new housing units across Sonoma County in 2025 (790 single-family), 3.5 per 1,000 residents.

2019 2,429 units
2020 1,395 units
2021 2,618 units
2022 2,264 units
2023 2,353 units
2024 1,012 units
2025 1,690 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Sonoma County get to work?

69.4% of Sonoma County's workers drive alone and 15.9% work from home. The average trip to work takes 25.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sonoma County	California	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	64.0%±0.5 pts	63.8%	–
Unemployment rate	5.7%±0.5 pts	6.6%	+1.3 pts
Drove alone to work	69.4%±0.8 pts	65.7%	–
Carpooled	9.4%±0.6 pts	9.5%	–
Public transportation	1.1%±0.2 pts	2.9%	–
Walked	2.5%±0.3 pts	2.4%	–
Worked from home	15.9%±0.6 pts	17.2%	+8.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	25.1 min±0.4	28.7 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Sonoma County's census tracts?

Sonoma County is divided into 122 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $60,531 (Tract 1528.04) to $198,860 (Tract 1524.01).

All 122 census tracts of Sonoma County, with their figures

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Sonoma County compare with California's other counties?

Sonoma County's rank among California's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	17th of 58
Growth 2020-2025	26th of 58
Residents per square mile	17th of 58
Median household income	16th of 58
Median home value	14th of 58
Median gross rent	13th of 56
Poverty rate	47th of 57
Bachelor's degree or higher	17th of 58
Median age	16th of 58

Every county in California

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Sonoma County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.