Glenn County split from Colusa County in 1891. It was named for Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, who purchased 8,000 acres (32.4 km²) in the northeast end of Rancho Jacinto in 1867. He became the largest wheat farmer in the state during his lifetime and a man of great prominence in political and commercial life in California.

Sheriffs

Peter Herman Clark (Mar 1, 1891- November 7, 1894)
William H. Sale (Nov 7, 1894- November 7, 1900)
Jack A. Bailey (Nov 7, 1900- November 7, 1918)
Newt Collins (Nov 7, 1918- November 7, 1922)
Roy D. Heard (Nov 7, 1922- November 7, 1934)
Lawrence Atherton Braden (Nov 7, 1934- November 7, 1940)
Roy D. Heard (Nov 7, 1940- November 7, 1946)
Hal Singleton (Nov 7, 1946- December 27, 1951)- Killed in Car Crash
Ben Karanig (Dec 27, 1951- November 7, 1980)
Roger Roberts (Nov 7, 1980- November 7, 1982)
Richard "Rick" Weaver (Nov 7, 1982- November 7, 1984)
Louis K. Donnelley (Nov 7, 1984- November 7, 1998)
Robert "Bob" Shadley (Nov 7, 1998- March 15, 2005) - Resigned
Larry Jones (Mar 15, 2005- November 7, 2014)
Richard L. Warren Jr. (Nov 7, 2014- )

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,327 square miles (3,440 km²), of which 1,314 square miles (3,400 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.0%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Colusa County - south
Lake County - southwest
Mendocino County - west
Tehama County - north
Butte County - east

National protected areas

Mendocino National Forest (part)
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	5,150	—
1910	7,172	39.3%
1920	11,853	65.3%
1930	10,935	−7.7%
1940	12,195	11.5%
1950	15,448	26.7%
1960	17,245	11.6%
1970	17,521	1.6%
1980	21,350	21.9%
1990	24,798	16.1%
2000	26,453	6.7%
2010	28,122	6.3%
2020	28,917	2.8%
2023 (est.)	28,129	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**Glenn County, California - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	15,717	13,897	55.89%	48.06%
Black or African American alone (NH)	192	140	0.68%	0.48%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	477	531	1.70%	1.84%
Asian alone (NH)	674	626	2.40%	2.16%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	22	39	0.08%	0.13%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	39	144	0.14%	0.50%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	462	999	1.64%	3.45%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10,539	12,541	37.48%	43.37%
Total	28,122	28,917	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	28,027
White	21,943	78.3%
Black or African American	261	0.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native	768	2.7%
Asian	645	2.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	9	0.0%
Some other race	3,460	12.3%
Two or more races	941	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	10,270	36.6%
Per capita income	$21,254
Median household income	$43,239
Median family income	$51,067

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Artois	CDP	189	87.8%	12.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	12.2%
Elk Creek	CDP	89	93.3%	3.4%	0.0%	0.0%	3.4%	3.4%
Hamilton City	CDP	1,992	66.1%	32.4%	0.0%	1.5%	0.0%	91.1%
Orland	City	7,214	79.6%	18.0%	1.1%	0.1%	1.2%	43.2%
Willows	City	6,190	76.5%	12.7%	4.8%	2.2%	3.8%	27.4%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Artois	CDP	189	$27,344	$70,288	$70,288
Elk Creek	CDP	89	$19,307	$28,333	$56,250
Hamilton City	CDP	1,992	$11,825	$29,458	$30,669
Orland	City	7,214	$17,372	$45,186	$51,577
Willows	City	6,190	$20,484	$43,493	$50,694

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Glenn County had a population of 28,122. The racial makeup of Glenn County was 19,990 (71.1%) White, 231 (0.8%) African American, 619 (2.2%) Native American, 722 (2.6%) Asian, 24 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,522 (19.6%) from other races, and 1,014 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,539 persons (37.5%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Glenn County	28,122	19,990	231	619	722	24	5,522	1,014	10,539
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Orland	7,291	4,828	37	122	208	1	1,833	262	3,269
Willows	6,166	4,304	78	138	312	11	1,099	224	2,020
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Artois	295	245	0	8	3	0	25	14	54
Elk Creek	163	144	0	7	1	0	8	3	8
Hamilton City	1,759	834	18	23	15	0	804	65	1,489
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	12,448	9,635	98	321	183	12	1,753	446	3,699

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,453 people, 9,172 households, and 6,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km²). There were 9,982 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 18.2% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 29.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.8% were of German, 9.4% American, 6.2% English and 5.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 69.5% spoke English, 27.0% Spanish and 2.1% Hmong as their first language.

There were 9,172 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,107, and the median income for a family was $37,023. Males had a median income of $29,480 versus $21,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,069. About 12.5% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 5
State Route 32
State Route 45
State Route 162

Public transportation

Glenn Ride runs buses from Willows to Hamilton City, and on into Chico (Butte County). The nearest Amtrak station is in Chico.

Airports

Willows-Glenn County Airport and Haigh Field are both general aviation airports.

Railroads

California Northern Railroad shortline serves Willows. The main line runs north to Tehama and south to Davis, where the railroad interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad. Prior to the line being leased to the California Northern, the route was operated by Southern Pacific and was known as the West Side Line. The railroad first reached Willows on December 28, 1879, from Davis. In 1882 the extension from Willows to Tehama was completed. In 1884 the West Side and Mendocino Railroad constructed a line east from Willows to Fruto.

Communities

Cities

Orland
Willows (county seat)

Census-designated places

Other communities

Butte City
Chrome
Fruto
Meadowood Estates, a former unincorporated community

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Glenn County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Orland	City	7,291
2	† Willows	City	6,166
3	Hamilton City	CDP	1,759
4	Artois	CDP	295
5	Grindstone Rancheria	AIAN	164
6	Elk Creek	CDP	163

Glenn County, California facts for kids

Contents

History