county

Sierra County, CA

Demographic and economic profile of Sierra County, CA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Sierra County is a small, rural California county with a population of just 2,731, shrinking 6.8% over five years, and a median age of 54.7 years that reflects an older, settled resident base with a 78.3% homeownership rate. Labor force participation stands at just 50.4% and unemployment reaches 12.2%, pointing to a constrained local labor pool, while 24.4% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $63,355 against a median home value of $334,100, and GDP per capita of $33,413 sits below median worker earnings of $46,413, indicating limited local economic output relative to individual wages.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

2,731

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$63,355

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

54.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-6.8% since 2018

Sierra County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone2,373 (86.4%)
  • Some Other Race Alone200 (7.3%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race145 (5.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races20 (0.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone8 (0.3%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish266
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic65

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

12.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

52.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

34.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.8%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

132

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$33,413

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$40,612

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

12.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

12.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance218
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)131
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services130
  4. 4.Construction (Group)125
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining109

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations562
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations220
  3. 3.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations123
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations95
  5. 5.Service Occupations86

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 11.31×)191
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 2.01×)187
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 2.01×)147
  4. 4.Manufacturing (LQ 1.12×)118
  5. 5.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 0.64×)158

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$334,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,181/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

72.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999237 (27.0%)
  • $400,000 to $499,99997 (11.0%)
  • $200,000 to $249,99995 (10.8%)
  • $750,000 to $999,99985 (9.7%)
  • $175,000 to $199,99980 (9.1%)
  • $150,000 to $174,99965 (7.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

24.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

91.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

50.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$46,413

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

24.3 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

8.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone751 (69.2%)
  • Worked At Home182 (16.8%)
  • Carpooled88 (8.1%)
  • Other45 (4.1%)
  • Walked20 (1.8%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.