Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Santa Rosa, California population is 179,437 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #149 nationally and #27 in California. Cost of living runs 7.8% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $157,677/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
179,437 people live in Santa Rosa as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #149 largest U.S. city.
How big is Santa Rosa?
Santa Rosa covers 42.6 square miles of land and 0.2 square miles of water. Its population density is about 4,212 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 0.8% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 178,089 → 2025: 179,437 (+0.8%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
178,089
April 1, 2020
2020
177,938
July 1, 2020
2021
177,374
July 1, 2021
2022
176,182
July 1, 2022
2023
176,493
July 1, 2023
2024
177,940
July 1, 2024
2025
179,437
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 0.9% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Santa Rosa is the #149 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #27 in California.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
178,089
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+1,348
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+0.8%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+1,497
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.8%
within V2025 only
Density
4,212
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
42.6
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#149
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#27
of 483 in California
What is the median household income in Santa Rosa?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 23% above the U.S. median ($99,060 vs $80,734); 9.7% live in poverty, 2.7 points below the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$99,060
US
Santa Rosa: $99,060 — 23% above the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Santa Rosa
$99,060
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Santa Rosa from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$99,060+22.7% vs US
±$3,788
Per capita income
$52,066+16.5% vs US
±$1,489
Population in poverty
9.7% ± 0.8 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 115% above the U.S. median ($713,900 vs $332,700); median rent is 52% above ($2,152 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 7.2× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$713,900
US
Santa Rosa: $713,900 — 115% above the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$2,827/mo
US
Santa Rosa: $2,827/mo — 162% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$713,900+114.6% vs US
±$12,496
Median gross rent
$2,152+52.3% vs US
±$51
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$2,827-23.9% vs US
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
56.7% ± 1.4 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
7.2x± 0.30x approximate 90% MOE+74.9% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
54.9% ± 3.3 percentage points+7.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
26.4% ± 2.5 percentage points+2.1% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Santa Rosa. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.5%
Santa Rosa (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
92,415
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
11.5% ± 0.8 percentage points-23.7% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Santa Rosa sits in Sonoma County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Sonoma County
8.4%
$105,956
4.4%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Santa Rosa's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
35,922
$1,482 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
22,003
$914 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
21,013
$723 / wk
#4
Manufacturing (31-33)
19,646
$1,773 / wk
#5
Construction (23)
16,007
$1,709 / wk
What workers earn in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the largest tracked occupation in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro (10,150 jobs, median $36,850/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
10,150
$36,850
$17.72
Cashiers
5,030
$38,440
$18.48
Fast Food and Counter Workers
4,720
$43,610
$20.97
Waiters and Waitresses
3,670
$36,830
$17.71
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
3,620
$39,210
$18.85
Office Clerks, General
3,350
$51,780
$24.90
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
2,810
$46,640
$22.42
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
5,720
$39,570
$19.02
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
4,090
$109,970
$52.87
Registered Nurses · benchmark
3,720
$174,550
$83.92
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
2,180
$99,060
—
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
All items run 7.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 107.8); utilities run 54.8% above (RPP 154.8) — the metro's utility cost premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 107.8
US
Santa Rosa's cost of living runs 7.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 107.8 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 107.8
+7.8% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$2,827/mo
FY2026 · Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
13.30%
10 brackets · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$13,140/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$4,708/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
21.2% ± 1.1 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (27.4% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Santa Rosa's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
12 districts serve Santa Rosa, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Santa Rosa?
Hottest month: August (84°F avg high). Coldest: December (37°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 32.1 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Santa Rosa from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 99.1/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Landslide (99.8).
Natural-hazard exposure for Santa Rosa from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Sonoma County
99.1
Relatively High
Landslide 99.8 Relatively High · Earthquake 99.5 Relatively High · Drought 99.3 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Santa Rosa?
10 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 60% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Santa Rosa from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
10 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
6
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
59.5%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
59.5%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
83,487
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Santa Rosa?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 600 violent and 2,312 property offenses in the Santa Rosa jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 342.6 per 100,000, below the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Santa Rosa — an FBI jurisdiction population of 175,147, versus the Census place population of 179,437. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
600
342.6
359.1
Property crime
2,312
1,320.0
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
2
Rape
118
Robbery
117
Aggravated assault
363
Burglary
405
Larceny-theft
1,610
Motor vehicle theft
297
Arson (12-month reporters only)
26
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
339.2
1,359.1
175,999
2023
330.8
1,469.0
176,855
2024
342.6
1,320.0
175,147
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Santa Rosa · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Santa Rosa sits at state rank #27 among 483 cities in California. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Aurora, IL · #148 · 181,505 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Eugene, OR · #150 · 178,618 residents.
Quick travel facts for Santa Rosa
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
180 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport(STS) · 7 mi 12 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
May, Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Santa Rosa.
How many people live in Santa Rosa, CA?
Santa Rosa has 179,437 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #149 largest city in the United States and #27 in California. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Santa Rosa growing or shrinking?
Santa Rosa has grown 0.8% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 1,348 residents, including a 0.8% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Santa Rosa's population in the 2020 census?
Santa Rosa covers 42.6 square miles of land, with a population density of about 4,212 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Santa Rosa?
$99,060, about 23% above the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID0670098
Last build2026-09-30
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Santa Rosa is 0670098. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
