Mono County (/ˈmoʊnoʊ/ MOH-noh) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The county is located east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. The only incorporated town in the county is Mammoth Lakes, which is located at the foot of Mammoth Mountain. Other locations, such as June Lake, are also famous as skiing and fishing resorts. Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is located in a wild natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising out of the salty and alkaline lake. Also located in Mono County is Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, which is now a California State Historic Park.

History

Bodie, as seen from the hill looking to the cemetery

Mono County was formed in 1861 from parts of Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa counties. A portion of northern Mono County contributed to the formation of Alpine County in 1864; parts of the county's territory were given to Inyo County in 1866.

The county is named after Mono Lake which, in 1852, was named for a Native American Paiute tribe, the Mono people, who historically inhabited the Sierra Nevada from north of Mono Lake to Owens Lake. The tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie, meaning "fly people" because they used fly larvae as their chief food staple and trading article.

Archeologists know almost nothing about the first inhabitants of the county, as little material evidence has been found from them. The Kuzedika, a band of Paiute, had been there many generations by the time the first anglophones arrived. The Kuzedika were hunter-gatherers and their language is a part of the Shoshone language.

Geography

Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,132 square miles (8,110 km²), of which 3,049 square miles (7,900 km²) is land and 83 square miles (210 km²) (2.6%) is water. The highest point in Mono County is White Mountain Peak which, at 14,252 feet (4,344 m), is the third-highest peak in California.

Adjacent counties

Inyo County - south
Fresno County - southwest
Madera County - southwest
Tuolumne County- west
Alpine County - northwest
Douglas County, Nevada - north
Lyon County, Nevada - northeast
Mineral County, Nevada - east
Esmeralda County, Nevada - southeast

National protected areas

Inyo National Forest (part)
Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Granite Mountain Wilderness (California)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	430	—
1880	7,499	1,644.0%
1890	2,002	−73.3%
1900	2,167	8.2%
1910	2,042	−5.8%
1920	960	−53.0%
1930	1,360	41.7%
1940	2,299	69.0%
1950	2,115	−8.0%
1960	2,213	4.6%
1970	4,016	81.5%
1980	8,577	113.6%
1990	9,956	16.1%
2000	12,853	29.1%
2010	14,202	10.5%
2020	13,195	−7.1%
2023 (est.)	13,066	−8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2021

In June 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked the county with the third best life expectancy in the United States at 96.5 years old.

2020 census

**Mono County, California - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	9,687	8,679	68.21%	65.77%
Black or African American alone (NH)	42	68	0.30%	0.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	239	177	1.68%	1.34%
Asian alone (NH)	191	159	1.34%	1.21%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	11	26	0.08%	0.20%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	33	78	0.23%	0.59%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	237	501	1.67%	3.80%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,762	3,507	26.49%	26.58%
Total	14,202	13,195	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	14,016
White	11,313	80.7%
Black or African American	180	1.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native	633	4.5%
Asian	78	0.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	47	0.3%
Some other race	1,459	10.4%
Two or more races	306	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	3,613	25.8%
Per capita income	$28,789
Median household income	$60,469
Median family income	$78,079

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)
Aspen Springs	CDP	0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Benton	CDP	76	67.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	32.9%	27.6%
Bridgeport	CDP	456	82.7%	1.8%	0.0%	2.6%	12.9%	5.3%
Chalfant	CDP	749	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.3%
Coleville	CDP	652	89.0%	7.7%	0.0%	3.4%	0.0%	38.3%
Crowley Lake	CDP	496	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	8.9%
June Lake	CDP	406	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Lee Vining	CDP	406	32.8%	13.1%	0.0%	0.0%	54.2%	50.7%
McGee Creek	CDP	107	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Mammoth Lakes	Town	8,081	75.4%	18.6%	0.8%	1.8%	3.3%	35.7%
Mono City	CDP	126	89.7%	10.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Paradise	CDP	383	94.5%	4.4%	1.0%	0.0%	0.0%	12.0%
Sunny Slopes	CDP	149	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Swall Meadows	CDP	461	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Topaz	CDP	75	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Walker	CDP	750	79.6%	13.2%	0.0%	0.0%	7.2%	10.7%
‡ Data for Mono County area of this CDP

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Aspen Springs	CDP	0
Benton	CDP	76	$12,570	$7,414
Bridgeport	CDP	456	$21,597	$68,750	$78,500
Chalfant	CDP	749	$36,325	$64,018	$108,219
Coleville	CDP	652	$17,365	$56,591	$43,250
Crowley Lake	CDP	496	$41,610	$85,299	$96,500
June Lake	CDP	406	$22,958	$25,570
Lee Vining	CDP	406	$18,698	$70,840	$71,152
McGee Creek	CDP	107	$34,573	$85,990	$85,990
Mammoth Lakes	Town	8,081	$27,832	$56,521	$72,469
Mono City	CDP	126	$26,037	$49,020	$49,020
Paradise	CDP	383	$33,544	$81,736	$105,227
Sunny Slopes	CDP	149	$61,994	$128,310	$128,310
Swall Meadows	CDP	461	$53,616	$93,983	$94,331
Topaz	CDP	75
Walker	CDP	750	$23,381	$49,097	$54,028

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that Mono County had a population of 14,202. The racial makeup of Mono County was 11,697 (82.4%) White, 47 (0.3%) African American, 302 (2.1%) Native American, 192 (1.4%) Asian, 11 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,539 (10.8%) from other races, and 414 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,762 persons (26.5%).

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)
Mono County	14,202	11,697	47	302	192	11	1,539	414	3,762
Incorporated town	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Mammoth Lakes	8,234	6,643	29	49	128	5	1,151	229	2,772
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Aspen Springs	65	62	0	0	2	0	0	1	1
Benton	280	199	1	59	1	0	15	5	38
Bridgeport	575	484	1	43	1	0	25	21	148
Chalfant	651	594	0	13	5	0	16	23	67
Coleville	495	386	6	10	8	0	62	23	110
Crowley Lake	875	769	4	6	11	0	60	25	128
June Lake	629	534	0	7	2	0	78	8	137
Lee Vining	222	126	0	25	0	0	64	7	96
McGee Creek	41	39	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Mono City	172	156	0	1	2	0	2	11	37
Paradise	153	130	0	2	6	0	5	10	14
Sunny Slopes	182	159	0	2	7	4	0	10	3
Swall Meadows	220	201	0	3	5	0	2	9	6
Topaz	50	44	0	1	0	0	5	0	24
Walker	721	629	3	57	3	1	13	15	70
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)	637	542	3	24	11	1	41	15	109

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,853 people, 5,137 households, and 3,143 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/sq mi (1.5/km²). There were 11,757 housing units at an average density of 4/sq mi (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 17.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.4% were of German, 12.6% Irish and 11.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 84.0% spoke English and 15.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 5,137 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 121.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,992, and the median income for a family was $50,487. Males had a median income of $32,600 versus $26,227 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,422. About 6.3% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Mono County Courthouse in Bridgeport.

Major highways

U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 395
State Route 89
State Route 108
State Route 120
State Route 158
State Route 167
State Route 168
State Route 182
State Route 203
State Route 266
State Route 270

Public transportation

Eastern Sierra Transit Authority operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Mammoth Lakes. Service extends south to Lancaster, California (Los Angeles County) and north to Reno, Nevada.

Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) also runs along U.S. 395 from Mammoth Lakes to Lee Vining before entering Yosemite National Park.

Airports

General aviation airports in Mono County include Bryant Field near Bridgeport, Mammoth Yosemite Airport and Lee Vining Airport. In December 2021, seasonal commercial air service by United Airlines to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver began at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, providing local service to southern Mono County.

Communities

Town

Mammoth Lakes

Census-designated places

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Mammoth Lakes	Town	8,234
2	Crowley Lake	CDP	875
3	Walker	CDP	721
4	Chalfant	CDP	651
5	June Lake	CDP	629
6	† Bridgeport	CDP	575
7	Coleville	CDP	495
8	Benton	CDP	280
9	Lee Vining	CDP	222
10	Swall Meadows	CDP	220
11	Sunny Slopes	CDP	182
12	Mono City	CDP	172
13	Paradise	CDP	153
14	Benton Reservation (Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe)	AIAN	76
15	Aspen Springs	CDP	65
16	Topaz	CDP	50
17	McGee Creek	CDP	41
18	Bridgeport Reservation (Paiute Indians)	AIAN	35

Mono County, California facts for kids

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