San Benito County (ⁱ/ˌsæn bəˈniːtoʊ/; San Benito, Spanish for "St. Benedict"), officially the County of San Benito, is a county located in the Central Coast region of California. Situated in the California Coast Ranges, the county had a population of 64,209, as of the 2020 census. The county seat is the city of Hollister.

San Benito County is included in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area. El Camino Real passes through the county and includes one mission in San Juan Bautista.

History

Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the San Benito County area was inhabited by the Mutsun sub-group of the Ohlone Native Americans. In 1772 Father Juan Crespí conducted a brief expedition into the area and named a small river which he found in honor of San Benito de Nursia (Saint Benedict), the patron saint of monasticism. The county was later named after the San Benito Valley, the valley surrounding this river. Thus it was from the Spanish version of the saint's name that the county eventually took its name.

In 1797 Spanish missionaries founded the first European settlement in the county as the San Juan Bautista mission. In 1848 the United States government gained control over what would soon become the state of California, which included the area now known as San Benito county. The town of New Idria was the next town to develop in the area and was founded ca. 1857. New Idria was centered around the New Idria Mercury Mine. When the mine played out fairly recently in 1972, New Idria was abandoned, and the town is now one of California's many ghost-towns.

The town of Hollister was next founded on November 19, 1868, by William Welles Hollister on the grounds of the former Mexican land-grant Rancho San Justo. In 1874 the California legislature formed San Benito County from a section of Monterey County while naming Hollister as the new county seat. Sections of Merced and Fresno Counties were also later reassigned to San Benito County in 1887 as a result of the growth of the New Idria community. Other towns in the county which were founded early in the county's history include Tres Pinos and Paicines.

Geography

Tumey Hills BLM recreation area, near Interstate 5

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,390 square miles (3,600 km²), of which 1,388 square miles (3,595 km²) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) is water (0.1%).

Sharing a border with Santa Clara County, San Benito County lies adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area and is sometimes considered a part of that region. Frequently, the county is associated with the Monterey Bay Area through governmental organizations such as the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments as well as the Pajaro River, which flows from northern San Benito County into the Monterey Bay. The United States Census Bureau includes the county in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA and the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CSA, which the Census uses as a statistical definition of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The county also borders Merced County and Fresno County on the east, which extend into California's San Joaquin Valley. It borders Santa Cruz County on the west and Monterey County on the southwest border.

The county is also the location of the Mount Harlan and San Benito American Viticultural Areas. The latter contains the Cienega Valley, Lime Kiln Valley, and Paicines AVAs.

Flora

Due to the varied topography, diverse geology, and varied climate from near-coastal to inland, San Benito County contains a high diversity of vegetation types. Common vegetation types include annual grasslands, coastal scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland.

In the extreme southeastern portion of San Benito County at Panoche Valley, Panoche Hills, Tumey Hills, and Vallecitos, the climate is arid and part of the recently recognized San Joaquin Desert biome. The flora there includes saltbush scrub, San Joaquin Desert scrub, and California juniper woodland. Panoche Hills navarretia (Navarretia panochensis) is nearly endemic to this small portion of the San Joaquin Desert in San Benito County.

At the highest elevations of San Benito County at Fremont Peak and San Benito Mountain, the average annual precipitation is high enough and the average annual temperature is cool enough to support mixed conifer forest. At San Benito Mountain, the high elevation climate and extreme geology of the New Idria serpentine, supports a unique mixed-conifer forest that includes foothill pine, Coulter pine, Jeffrey pine, and incense cedar. The extreme conditions of the serpentine soils of the New Idria serpentine mass support many rare local endemic plant species including San Benito evening primrose (Camissonia benitensis), rayless layia (Layia discoidea), Guirado's goldenrod (Solidago guiradonis), and San Benito fritillary (Fritillaria viridea).

The plant species Benitoa occidentalis was named for San Benito County. Camissonia benitensis, Monardella antonina subsp. benitensis, and Arctostaphylos benitoensis were named in recognition of their being endemic or near-endemic to San Benito County. The species Hollisteria lanata was named after William Welles Hollister, namesake of the city of Hollister.

Fauna

Illacme plenipes, a millipede having more legs than any other millipede species, was discovered in the county in 1926.

A California condor was found shot to death in the county on July 22, 2022, leading to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posting a $5,000 reward for information on the killer.

National protected area

Pinnacles National Park

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	5,584	—
1890	6,412	14.8%
1900	6,633	3.4%
1910	8,041	21.2%
1920	8,995	11.9%
1930	11,311	25.7%
1940	11,392	0.7%
1950	14,370	26.1%
1960	15,396	7.1%
1970	18,226	18.4%
1980	25,005	37.2%
1990	36,697	46.8%
2000	53,234	45.1%
2010	55,269	3.8%
2020	64,209	16.2%
2023 (est.)	68,175	23.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**San Benito County, California – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	24,513	21,154	19,785	46.05%	38.27%	30.81%
Black or African American alone (NH)	475	355	479	0.89%	0.64%	0.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	279	231	221	0.52%	0.42%	0.34%
Asian alone (NH)	1,173	1,298	2,189	2.20%	2.35%	3.41%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	68	65	127	0.13%	0.12%	0.20%
Other Race alone (NH)	53	67	332	0.10%	0.12%	0.52%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	1,157	913	1,835	2.17%	1.65%	2.86%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	25,516	31,186	39,241	47.93%	56.43%	61.11%
Total	53,234	55,269	64,209	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	54,873
White	41,820	76.2%
Black or African American	728	1.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native	693	1.3%
Asian	1,336	2.4%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Some other race	7,903	14.4%
Two or more races	2,393	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	30,497	55.6%
Per capita income	$26,300
Median household income	$65,570
Median family income	$73,150

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)
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,175	77.9%	19.1%	0.0%	0.0%	3.0%	18.6%
Hollister	City	34,733	71.2%	23.2%	2.7%	1.6%	1.4%	65.7%
Ridgemark	CDP	3,370	86.3%	7.9%	2.8%	2.2%	0.8%	21.5%
San Juan Bautista	City	1,619	83.8%	6.4%	4.1%	4.4%	1.4%	37.6%
Tres Pinos	CDP	313	97.8%	2.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	32.6%
‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,175	$49,556	$121,964	$163,906
Hollister	City	34,733	$22,433	$62,570	$64,123
Ridgemark	CDP	3,370	$38,800	$90,833	$101,776
San Juan Bautista	City	1,619	$24,527	$56,897	$65,526
Tres Pinos	CDP	313	$41,294	$83,500	$88,929
‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Benito County had a population of 55,269. The racial makeup of San Benito County was 35,181 (63.7%) White, 483 (0.9%) African American, 895 (1.6%) Native American, 1,443 (2.6%) Asian, 94 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 14,471 (26.2%) from other races, and 2,702 (4.9%) from two or more races. There were 31,186 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (56.4%).

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)
San Benito County	55,269	35,181	483	895	1443	94	14,471	2,702	31,186
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Hollister	34,928	20,761	341	617	929	63	10,437	1,780	22,965
San Juan Bautista	1,862	1,125	12	58	52	2	494	119	907
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)
Aromas ‡	1,292	961	9	13	14	3	207	85	413
Ridgemark	3,016	2,520	23	14	105	3	248	103	623
Tres Pinos	476	390	3	8	6	0	57	12	112
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)	13,695	9,424	95	185	337	23	3,028	603	6,166
‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in San Benito County

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,234 people, 15,885 households, and 12,898 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15 people/km²). There were 16,499 housing units at an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county in 2010 was 38.3% non-Hispanic White, 0.6% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 56.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.6% were of German, 6.3% Irish and 5.4% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 62.8% spoke only English at home, while 35.3% spoke Spanish. As of the 2010 census, San Benito County was the only county in the greater San Francisco Bay Area with a Hispanic majority.

There were 15,885 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the county 32.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,469, and the median income for a family was $60,665. Males had a median income of $44,158 versus $29,524 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,932. About 6.7% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy is statistically included in metro San Jose, though the dominant activity is agriculture. Agritourism is growing as the county has destination wineries, organic farms and quaint inns with views of cattle grazing. With concerns about how oil and gas operations could impact this sector of the economy and agriculture in general, the county voters approved a measure in 2014 that bans well stimulation techniques such as fracking, acidizing and steam injection, along with conventional drilling in some areas. In the 1950s, the oil drilling industry had many wells and the county is over the Monterey Shale formation but there is very little activity now.

Top employers

According to the San Benito County Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County, the top employers in the county are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Earthbound Farm	1,000+
2	R&R Labor	500-999
3	Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital	250–499
4	Mcelectronics Inc.	250–499
5	San Benito High School	250–499
6	True Leaf Farms	250–499
7	Corbin Sparrow	100–249
8	Denise & Filice Packing Co	100–249
9	Nob Hill Foods	100–249
10	San Benito Foods	100–249
11	San Benito County Sheriff	100–249
12	Target	100–249
13	Trical Inc.	100–249
14	West Marine	100–249

Media

San Benito County receives media in Monterey County, including the major Monterey County TV and radio stations.

The county also has several media outlets that serve the local community:

Television

CMAP TV - Community Media Access Partnership, based in Gilroy, operates Channels 17, 18, 19 & 20 on Charter/Spectrum Cable as well as streaming online, offering public access and educational programming to Gilroy and San Benito County as well as offering live civic meetings, including county government.

Radio

KMPG, at 1520 AM daytime, plays regional Mexican music;
KQKE, at 97.5 FM, "The Quake" San Benito County Community Radio provides a low power signal.
KHRI, at 90.7 FM, is an affiliate of Air 1 playing contemporary Christian music;
KXSM, at 93.1 FM, broadcasts a regional Mexican format.
K206BQ, at 89.1 FM, rebroadcasts KLVM.
K265DG, at 100.9 FM, rebroadcasts KPRC-FM.

Print

The Hollister Free Lance, founded in 1873, is published weekly on Thursdays. The Freelance is now owned by New SV Media, Inc.and its main office is in Gilroy. New SV Media owns Good Times, Metro Silicon Valley, Pajaroan, Gilroy Dispatch, SantaCruz.com, King City Rustler and California Wheelin'.
Mission Village Voice is a monthly paper based in San Juan Bautista. It is oriented toward arts, culture and community-wide events.

Online

BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website covering San Benito County, run by local and regional residents.
San Benito Live is a local news website, primarily focused on culture-related media.

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Route 101 to San Francisco
State Route 25
State Route 129 to Santa Cruz
State Route 146
State Route 156

Public transportation

San Benito County Express provides fixed route service in the city of Hollister, and intercity service in the northern portion of the county. Service operates as far north as Gilroy, in Santa Clara County.

Airports

Hollister Municipal Airport

Hollister Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located just north of Hollister.

Communities

Cities

Hollister (county seat)
San Juan Bautista

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

New Idria

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Hollister	City	34,928
2	Ridgemark	CDP	3,016
3	Aromas (partially in Monterey County)	CDP	2,650
4	San Juan Bautista	City	1,862
5	Tres Pinos	CDP	476

San Benito County, California facts for kids

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