Sutter County is located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,633. The county seat is Yuba City. Sutter County is included in the Yuba City, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Sacramento-Roseville, CA Combined Statistical Area. The county is located along the Sacramento River in the Sacramento Valley.
History The Maidu were the people living in the area of Sutter County when European settlers arrived.Capace, Nancy (1999). Encyclopedia of California. North American Book Dist LLC. Page 448. .
Sutter County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to Placer County in 1852.
Sutter County is named after John Augustus Sutter, a German native born to Swiss parents. He was one of the first Europeans to recognize the Sacramento Valley for its potential in agriculture. His Hock Farm, established in 1841 on the Feather River just south of present-day Yuba City, was the site of the first major farm in the Central Valley, and used extensive slave labor from Natives in order to function.
Sutter obtained the Rancho New Helvetia Mexican land grant, and called his first settlement New Helvetia (which included the present day city of Sacramento). In 1850, Sutter retired to Hock Farm when the gold rush led to him losing his holdings in Sacramento.
Sutter County is the birthplace (Yuba City, 1858) of John Joseph Montgomery, who was the first American to successfully pilot a heavier-than-air craft, 20 years before the Wright Brothers, and who held the first patent for an "aeroplane."
In the 1890s, Sutter County was one of the two prohibition counties in California; the other was Riverside County. Both outlawed saloons and sale or consumption of alcohol in public.Berkeley Gazette, 1905. July 28
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and , comprising 1.0%, is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in California by total area. Some 88 percent of the county is prime farmland and grazing land.
Sutter County is home to the Sutter Buttes, known as the "World's Smallest Mountain Range." This volcanic formation provides relief to the otherwise seemingly flat Sacramento Valley.
Bordered by the Sacramento River on the west and the Feather River on the east, Sutter County has of levees. The Sutter Bypass, which diverts flood waters from the Sacramento River, cuts through the heart of Sutter County.
Adjacent counties Butte County - north Yuba County - east Placer County - southeast Sacramento County - south Yolo County - southwest Colusa County - west
National protected areas Butte Sink National Wildlife Refuge (part) Sutter National Wildlife Refuge Sutter County also has the State Feather River Wildlife Area, consisting of the Nelson Slough, O'Connor Lakes, Abbott Lake, Shanghai Bend, and Morse Road Units in Sutter County. Also, a State Park in the Sutter Buttes. In addition, there are the state public trust lands of the Feather, Bear and Sacramento rivers as well as smaller streams including Butte Creek and Butte Slough.
Transportation
Major highways State Route 20 State Route 70 State Route 99 State Route 113
Public transportation Yuba Sutter Transit operates local bus service, as well as commuter runs to Downtown Sacramento. The Amtrak Thruway 3 bus also provides daily connections to/from Sacramento.
Airports Sutter County Airport is a general aviation airport located just south of Yuba City. The closest major airport is in Sacramento.
Government and policing Sutter County is a general law county under the California Constitution. That is, it does not have a county charter. The county is governed by a five-member board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by districts for four-year terms. There are no term limits in effect. The chairman and vice-chairman are elected annually by the Board of Supervisors from among its members.
Politics
Voter registration statistics Population and registered voters Total populationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 94,192 Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow. 41,760 44.3% Democratic 13,557 32.5% Republican 18,571 44.5% Democratic–Republican spread -5,014 -12.0% American Independent 1,328 3.2% Green 117 0.3% Libertarian 224 0.5% Peace and Freedom 124 0.3% Americans Elect 1 0.0% Other 550 1.3% No party preference 7,288 17.5%
Cities by population and voter registration
Cities by population and voter registration City Population Registered voters Democratic Republican D–R spread Other No party preference Live Oak 8,244 35.9% 44.5% 29.9% +14.6% 8.9% 19.6% Yuba City 64,224 42.6% 34.2% 41.3% -7.1% 9.2% 18.7%
Overview Sutter is a strongly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Franklin Roosevelt in 1940. It was the only county in the whole state to give a majority to George H. W. Bush in 1992.
In the United States House of Representatives, Sutter County is in .
In the California State Legislature, the county is in , and .
On November 4, 2008, Sutter County voted 70.7% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Population and crime rates Population 94,192 Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013. 316 3.35 Homicide 1 0.01 Forcible rape 24 0.25 Robbery 54 0.57 Aggravated assault 237 2.52 Property crime 1,038 11.02 Burglary 446 4.74 Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes. 1,474 15.65 Motor vehicle theft 201 2.13 Arson 11 0.12
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 99,633. The median age was 36.9 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.8 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 47.0% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 1.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 18.3% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 18.0% from some other race, and 12.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 31.7% of the population.
84.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 15.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 33,062 households in the county, of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 34,499 housing units, of which 4.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.3% were owner-occupied and 39.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%.
Racial and ethnic composition
+Sutter County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)40,96946,14047,53247,78241,36678.42%71.63%60.22%50.44%41.52%Black or African American alone (NH)5529871,4181,7131,7741.06%1.53%1.80%1.81%1.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5878269409258621.12%1.28%1.19%0.98%0.87%Asian alone (NH)3,5975,7488,77113,44218,0146.88%8.92%11.11%14.19%18.08%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census142256279xx0.18%0.27%0.28%Other race alone (NH)4431221901906110.85%0.19%0.24%0.20%0.61%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,4083,1785,159xx3.05%3.35%5.18%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6,09810,59217,52927,25131,56811.67%16.44%22.21%28.76%31.68%Total52,24664,41578,93094,73799,633 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Sutter County had a population of 94,737. The racial makeup of Sutter County was 57,749 (61.0%) White, 1,919 (2.0%) African American, 1,365 (1.4%) Native American, 13,663 (14.4%) Asian, 281 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 14,463 (15.3%) from other races, and 5,297 (5.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27,251 persons (28.8%).
Population reported at 2010 United States census Sutter County94,73757,7491,9191,36513,66328114,4635,29727,251 Live Oak8,3924,491138130978172,1734654,093Yuba City64,92537,3821,59190911,1902289,7723,85318,413 East Nicolaus2251590119041549Meridian3582682700582385Nicolaus211186105010913Rio Oso35627457261321153Robbins3232080950947181Sutter2,9042,5031654301160140410Trowbridge22616735250151138 All others not CDPs (combined)16,81712,1111632431,385342,1087733,916
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 78,930 people, 27,033 households, and 19,950 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 28,319 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 67.5% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 11.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 13.0% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. 22.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.3% were of German, 9.0% American, 7.1% English and 6.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 70.3% spoke English, 17.9% Spanish and 9.3% Punjabi as their first language.
There were 27,033 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,375, and the median income for a family was $44,330. Males had a median income of $35,723 versus $25,778 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,428. About 12.1% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Media Sutter County is in the Sacramento television market, and thus receives Sacramento media.
Communities
Cities Live Oak Yuba City (county seat)
Census-designated places
East Nicolaus Meridian Nicolaus Rio Oso Robbins Sutter Trowbridge
Unincorporated communities
Encinal Pleasant Grove South Yuba City Tierra Buena Tudor
Proposed town Sutter Pointe
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sutter County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2020 census) 1† Yuba City City 70,117 2Live Oak City 9,106 3Sutter CDP 2,997 4Rio Oso CDP 372 5Robbins CDP 347 6Meridian CDP 304 7Trowbridge CDP 229 8East Nicolaus CDP 223 9Nicolaus CDP 176
See also
Hiking trails in Sutter County