Placer County, California

County in CA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

419,156

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

42.5

years ∙ half population younger than 42.5, half older

Diversity Index

53.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

12.7%

foreign-born population

87.3%Native

12.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Placer County is a county in California, United States.

Location

County in CA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC39.062032° N, 120.722718° W

DMS39° 03′ 43.32″ N, 120° 43′ 21.78″ W

Population Density & area

297.9/sq mi (115/km²)

Total Area

1,502 sq mi (3,890 km²)

Land Area

1,407 sq mi (3,644 km²) · 93.7%

Water Area

95 sq mi (246 km²) · 6.3%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.2% male

Male 49.2%

Female 50.8%

males per 100 females

Placer County 96.8

California 99.8

United States 98

Nativity

12.7%

foreign-born population

87.3%Native

12.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Placer County 12.7%

California 27%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

42.5

years ∙ half population younger than 42.5, half older

Placer County

42.5

California

37.9

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

73.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Placer County 73.2

California 60.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Placer County	California	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.8%	22%	22%
Working age (18-64)	57.7%	62.3%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	20.5%	15.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	73.2	60.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	37.7	35.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	35.5	25.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

65.5%

Black

1.6%

Asian

9.1%

Hispanic

15.7%

Other

8.1%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

53.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Placer County 53.3%

California 69.6%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Placer County population

	Placer County	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	15.7%	40.2%	19.3%
Mexican	10.9%	32.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.7%	0.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0.2%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	3.9%	7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	84.3%	59.8%	80.7%
One race	77.1%	55.4%	76.4%
White	65.5%	33.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	1.6%	5.2%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.2%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	9.1%	15.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.3%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.7%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	7.2%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

71.2% family

Family 71.2%

Non family 28.8%

% family households

Placer County 71.2%

California 67.8%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.62

persons per household

Placer County

2.62

California

2.84

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Placer County population

	Placer County	California	United States
Total households	157,954	13,548,091	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.62	2.84	2.53
Family households	112,517	9,191,176	82,990,528
Average family size	3.11	3.41	3.14
Married couple family	91,588	6,557,184	60,637,388
Other families	20,929	2,633,992	22,353,140
Male householder	6,525	857,732	6,572,819
Female householder	14,404	1,776,260	15,780,321
Non-family households	45,437	4,356,915	46,236,968
One-person households	36,837	3,289,307	37,140,836
Male householder	13,949	1,493,062	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	5,806	460,668	5,225,110
Female householder	22,888	1,796,245	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	14,057	886,142	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	8,600	1,067,608	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

179,266

housing units

Placer County 179,266

California 14,644,735

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

88.1% occupied

Occupied 88.1%

Vacant 11.9%

vacancy rate

Placer County 11.9%

California 7.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

81.8%

Single family houses

81.8%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

15.6%

Mobile homes

2.5%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1995

Half of houses were built before 1995, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

2.9%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

11.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

45.8%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

39.5%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Placer County	California	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	11%	21%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	51.4%	54.7%	51.6%
7+ rooms	37.6%	24.4%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.6%	5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7%	13.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	20.1%	26.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	37.4%	32.8%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	34%	22.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1995	1976	1981
Total housing units	179,266	14,644,735	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

74.8% owners

Renter-occupied 25.2%

Owner-occupied 74.8%

homeownership rate

Placer County 74.8%

California 55.9%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.7

Owner-occupied

2.39

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Placer County 2.7

California 2.95

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Placer County	California	United States
Total occupied units	157,954	13,548,091	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	24.3%	23.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	42.9%	41.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	18.2%	17%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	14.6%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.4%	91.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.9%	5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.8%	3.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.2%	7.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	26.2%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	41%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	28.6%	25.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	69%	64.4%	51.4%
Electricity	24.5%	29.5%	41.3%
Solar	1.9%	1.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	3.9%	1.6%	2%
No fuel used	0.5%	3%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.2%	1.2%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.6%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$688,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Placer County

$688,100

California

$734,700

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

34.4%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

34.4%

Owners without a mortgage

16.7%

Renters

57.9%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Placer County	California	United States
Property value
Median Value	$688,100	$734,700	$332,700
Under $100,000	3.1%	4.2%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	1.7%	2.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	1.5%	4.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	13.6%	17.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	64.7%	42.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	15.5%	29.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	69.5%	67.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	30.5%	32.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$2,984	$2,946	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$939	$829	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$2,069	$2,036	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

43.2%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Placer County 43.2%

California 37.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Placer County 5%

California 15.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

98,976

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

4.9%

K–12

69.9%

College / Undergraduate

20.3%

Graduate / Professional

4.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

44.2%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Placer County

44.2%

California

46.8%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Placer County	California	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	98,976	9,917,839	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	4.9%	5%	5.7%
K–12	69.9%	64.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.4%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	20.2%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	21.8%	19.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	22.5%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	25.2%	30.1%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	20.3%	24.3%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4.9%	5.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	44.2%	46.8%	40.9%
School type
Public school	85.5%	85%	82%
Private school	14.5%	15%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

297,631

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

9th-12th, no diploma

HS graduate

17.8%

Some college no degree

22.8%

Associates degree

11.3%

Bachelors degree

27.9%

Graduate or professional degree

15.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

42.5% · 57.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

51.1% · 48.9%

HS graduate

51.2% · 48.8%

Some college no degree

47.5% · 52.5%

Associates degree

43.8% · 56.2%

Bachelors degree

47.5% · 52.5%

Graduate or professional degree

50.6% · 49.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Placer County	California	United States
Population (25+)	297,631	27,073,960	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2%	8.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	3%	6.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	17.8%	20.5%	26%
Some college, no degree	22.8%	19.3%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.3%	7.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.2%	37.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	27.9%	22.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	15.2%	14.4%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.1%	84.7%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$73,073

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$36,526

HS graduate

$47,856

Some college or associates

$59,321

Bachelors degree

$92,245

Graduate or professional degree

$113,242

Poverty Rate

3.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

20.7%

HS graduate

11.4%

Some college or associates

6.7%

Bachelors degree or higher

3.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Placer County	California	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$73,073	$56,395	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$36,526	$32,480	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$47,856	$41,382	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$59,321	$50,157	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$92,245	$80,933	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$113,242	$111,188	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	20.7%	20%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	11.4%	13.9%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	6.7%	10.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.3%	5%	4.5%

Insights for Placer County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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