1.1 INTRODUCTION

In order to effectively guide land use and development in the County and establish policies relating to housing and public services and facilities, it is important to understand who lives in the County, how the population has grown over time, and how it is projected to grow in the future. This chapter reviews historical population trends, current demographics, and population projections for Sutter County. In addition to the County-wide overview, population data for the County's two incorporated cities are included to provide insight into how demographics and growth characteristics vary within the County. The most recent population statistics have been taken from the 1990 U.S. Census, and should, therefore, provide a fairly accurate characterization of the County and it's communities.

1.2 HISTORICAL POPULATION GROWTH

Sutter County was one of the original counties in the State of California when the State entered the Union on September 9, 1850. Principally an agricultural area without cities until the incorporation of Yuba City in 1908 and Live Oak in 1947, Sutter County's population was primarily rural until the 1960's when, due to significant growth in the unincorporated "Yuba City Urban Area", the urban and suburban population finally exceeded the rural farm population. The "Yuba City Urban Area" is an area defined by census tracts generally bound by Eager and Nuestro Roads to the north, the Sutter Extension Canal to the west, Oswald Road to the south, and the Feather River to the east. Table 1.2-1 shows the historical population growth of the County, it's cities and unincorporated area. Table 1.2-2 shows the average annual rate of growth of the County, it's cities and the unincorporated area by decade.

TABLE 1.2-1
HISTORICAL POPULATIONS

Source: U. S. Census

TABLE 1.2-2
HISTORICAL ANNUAL POPULATION GROWTH RATES

Source: U. S. Census
* City not incorporated.

TABLE 1.2-3
1995 POPULATION ESTIMATE

Source: California Department of Finance

Table 1.2-3 contains the January 1, 1995, population estimate for the County, it's cities, and the unincorporated area. The Department of Finance estimates that the incorporated area's population first exceeded the unincorporated area's population in 1991.

The 1990 U.S. Census credited Sutter County with a total population of 64,415; however, the October 1995 Sacramento Area Council of Government's (SACOG) projections are the most recent population projections for the County. SACOG projects that the County's population may be expected to grow from the current population of 74,932 to 116,000 by the year 2015. This reflects an annual growth rate of 2.21 percent. The County's growth rate between 1975 and 1995 was 2.47 percent.

Source: SACOG and Sutter County Community Services Department

* The above projections assume that over 83 percent of all new population increases will occur within the Yuba City Urban Area, that over 9 percent will occur in the City of Live Oak and that the remainder will occur uniformly throughout the rest of the unincorporated County area. The projections also assume that no growth to either city will occur through annexation.

Table 1.2-4 lists the population projections of the County and incorporated cities in five year intervals from 1995 to 2015. The projections reflected in this table show the highest growth rates occurring in the two incorporated cities. The annual growth rate of the unincorporated areas of the County over the next 20 years is projected to be 1.68 percent. In comparison, the annual growth rate for the cities of Yuba City and Live Oak over the same period of time is 2.48 percent and 2.57 percent respectively.

Source: SACOG and Sutter County Community Services Department

Table 1.2-5 lists a group quarters projection of the community by five year intervals from 1995 to 2015. All persons not living in households are classified by the Census Bureau as living in group quarters. Two general categories of persons are recognized in group quarters. They are "Institutionalized" persons and "Noninstitutionalized" persons. Institutionalized persons include persons under formally authorized, supervised care or custody in institutions, such as prisons, military stockades, police lockups, halfway houses, local jails, nursing homes, mental hospitals, wards for the mentally ill or challenged, and other similar institutions. Noninstitutionalized persons include persons who live in group quarters other than institutions, such as homes for the mentally ill or challenged, homes for physically handicapped, maternity homes for unwed mothers, religious group quarters, emergency shelters, college dormitories and similar areas.

Tables 1.2-6 and 1.2-8 show the racial classification of the County, its cities and the unincorporated area in 1980 and 1990 respectively. Tables 1.2-7 and 1.2-9 show that some of those who responded in Tables 1.2-6 and 1.2-8 also claim hispanic origin. For example, looking at Tables 1.2-6 and 1.2-7, of the 42,893 Sutter County residents who indicated they were white, 1,924 of them also indicated they were of hispanic origin. Countywide, the hispanic community has accounted for the largest percentage increase in population of any racial group. In 1980, the hispanic population accounted for 11.7 percent of the County's population, while in 1990, it rose to 16.4 percent. This trend is even more apparent in the incorporated cities, where the hispanic population of Yuba City and Live Oak rose from 9.5 to 17.9 percent and 25 to 37 percent respectively.

TABLE 1.2-6
1980 RACIAL CLASSIFICATION BY AREA

Source:1980 U. S. Census

* The sum of the column was derived due to rounding.

TABLE 1.2-7
1980 HISPANIC ORIGIN BY RACIAL CLASSIFICATION AND AREA

Source: 1980 U. S. Census

Source: 1990 U. S. Census

* The sum of the column was derived due to rounding.

TABLE 1.2-9
1990 HISPANIC ORIGIN BY RACIAL CLASSIFICATION AND AREA

Source: 1990 U. S. Census

1.3 FINDINGS

* Sutter County has experienced moderate growth over the last several decades, with the incorporated communities receiving larger percentages of growth.

* Historical populations were larger in the rural area until 1991 when the incorporated area's population surpassed the unincorporated area.

* The 1990 census shows Sutter County's population contains some ethnic diversity, with over 75% of the County being white, and the hispanic population being the next largest category (over 16 percent) and the fastest growing segment.

1.4 BIBLIOGRAPHY

California Department of Finance.

Sacramento Area Council of Governments. Baseline Projections, September 21, 1995.

U.S. Census.