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San Bernardino County, California
County
San Bernardino County Courthouse 2.jpg
Downtown San Bernardino.jpg
Calico view from lookout point.jpg
SanGorgonioWilderness DryLake.jpg
Images, from top down, left to right: San Bernardino County Court House, Downtown San Bernardino, Calico ghost town, a view of the San Bernardino Mountains range from San Gorgonio Wilderness
Flag of San Bernardino County, California
Flag
 Coat of arms of San Bernardino County, California
Coat of arms
Location in California
Location in California
Country United States
State California
Established April 26, 1853
Named for The City of San Bernardino, in turn named for San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, in turn named for Saint Bernardino of Siena
County seat San Bernardino
Largest city (Pop.) San Bernardino
Largest city (Area) Apple Valley
Government
 • Type Council–CEO
 • Body Board of Supervisors
Area
 • Total 20,105 sq mi (52,070 km2)
 • Land 20,057 sq mi (51,950 km2)
 • Water 48 sq mi (120 km2)
Highest elevation
11,503 ft (3,506 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 2,181,654 Increase
 • Density 110/sq mi (40/km2)
GDP
 • Total $100.7 billion (2022)
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes 442/760, 909, 951
FIPS code 06-071
Congressional districts 23rd, 25th, 28th, 33rd, 35th, 40th

San Bernardino County (Listeni/sæn ˌbɜːrnəˈdiːnoʊ/ SAN-_-BUR-nə-DEE-noh), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181,654, making it the fifth-most populous county in California and the 14th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is San Bernardino.

While included within the Greater Los Angeles area, San Bernardino County is included in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan statistical area.

With an area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km2), San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, although some of Alaska's boroughs and census areas are larger. The county is close to the size of West Virginia.

This vast county stretches from where the bulk of the county population resides in three Census County Divisions (Fontana, San Bernardino, and Victorville-Hesperia), counting 1,793,186 people as of the 2010 Census, covering 1,730 square miles (4,500 km2), across the thinly populated deserts and mountains. It spans an area from south of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino Valley, to the Nevada border and the Colorado River.

With a population that is 53.7% Hispanic as of 2020, it is California's most populous majority-Hispanic county and the second-largest nationwide.

History

See also: History of San Bernardino, California

Indigenous

Captain of the Agua Caliente Indians, ca.1900 (CHS-3826)
Many different Indigenous groups, including the Cahuilla, long inhabited what is now San Bernardino County. Captain of the Agua Caliente Band (1900).

The indigenous peoples that resided in what is now San Bernardino County were primarily the Taaqtam (Serrano) and ʔívil̃uqaletem (Cahuilla) peoples who lived in the San Bernardino Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains; the Chemehuevi and the Kawaiisu peoples who lived in the Mojave Desert region; and the 'Aha Makhav (Mohave) and the Piipaash (Maricopa) peoples who lived along the Colorado River. These groups established various villages and settlements throughout the region that were interconnected by a series of extensive trails.

Wa'aachnga was a major Tongva village site, also occupied by the Serrano and Cahuilla, located near what is now the city of San Bernardino. The village was part of an extensive trade network along the Mohave Trail that connected villages in San Bernardino County from the Colorado River to the Los Angeles Basin. Wá'peat was a Desert Serrano village located near what is now the city of Hesperia. It was part of a series of villages located along the Mojave River. By the late 1700s, villages in the area were being increasingly encroached upon by Spanish soldiers and missionaries, who were coming into the region from Mission San Gabriel.

Colonial period

Antonio María Lugo
Don Antonio María Lugo was granted the right to settle the San Bernardino Valley in 1839 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado.

Spanish Missionaries from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel established a church at the village of Wa'aachnga, which would be renamed Politania in 1810. Father Francisco Dumetz named the church San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, after the feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena. The Franciscans also gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in Southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name. In 1819, they established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, a mission farm in what is now Redlands.

Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, Mexican citizens were granted land grants to establish ranchos in the area of the county. Rancho Jurupa in 1838, Rancho Cucamonga and El Rincon in 1839, Rancho Santa Ana del Chino in 1841, Rancho San Bernardino in 1842 and Rancho Muscupiabe in 1844.

Agua Mansa was the first town in what became San Bernardino County, settled by immigrants from New Mexico on land donated from the Rancho Jurupa in 1841.

Establishment

World's Columbian Exposition- Horticultural Building, Chicago, United States, 1893.
San Bernardino County horticulture exhibit at World Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893.

Following the purchase of Rancho San Bernardino, and the establishment of the town of San Bernardino in 1851 by Mormon colonists, San Bernardino County was formed in 1853 from parts of Los Angeles County. Some of the southern parts of the county's territory were given to Riverside County in 1893.

In the 1980s, Northern San Bernardino County proposed to create Mojave County due to the abysmal service levels the county provided. Ultimately, the vote for county secession failed. The proposed county was from the Cajon Pass to the city of Needles.

In 1998, County administrator James Hlawek resigned after being subject to an FBI investigation for bribery, but only after Harry Mays, county Treasurer-Tax Collector Thomas O'Donnell, County Investment Officer Sol Levin and three businessmen had agreed to plead guilty to federal bribery charges.

In 2004, County Supervisor Geral Eaves Pleaded guilty to bribery for accepting gifts from businesses for allowing billboards on county land.

From 2004 to 2016, the county was embroiled in a corruption scandal over the Colonies housing development in Upland with real estate developer Jeff Burum. The scandal resulted in $102 million being paid to Burum's real estate company. Supervisor Bill Postmus pleaded guilty to 10 felonies in regard to his previous post as county assessor. In 2020, Burum sued the county again and the county reached for a $69 million settlement. 2022, the county's insurance company, Ironside, balked at paying the settlement, claiming that the county willfully "retaliate[d] against the Colonies II Plaintiffs as part of a decades-long dispute over land and water rights in Upland, California, culminating in a malicious prosecution of Burum."

In 2020, voters approved Measure K, which limited county supervisors to one term instead of three, while reducing pay from 250 thousand dollars to 60 thousand dollars. County Supervisors appealed the decision, only to lose in the state's appeals court. By 2022, term limits were restored and pay was restored to 80% of the annual base compensation for San Bernardino Superior Court judges under a supervisor lead ballot measure

In 2022, The Board of supervisors were pushed by a major supervisor campaign contributor Jeff Burum to vote for secession from the State of California to form the state of Empire.

Geography

The Arrowhead natural feature is the source of many local names and icons, such as Lake Arrowhead and the county's seal.
Central Joshua Tree with the mountains of Joshua Tree National Park on the horizon.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km2), of which 20,057 square miles (51,950 km2) is land and 48 square miles (120 km2) (0.2%) is water. It is the largest county by area in California and the largest in the United States (excluding boroughs in Alaska). It is slightly larger than the states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island combined, and is also slightly larger than Switzerland. It borders both Nevada and Arizona.

The bulk of the population, nearly two million, live in the roughly 480 square miles south of the San Bernardino Mountains adjacent to Riverside and in the San Bernardino Valley in the southwestern portion of the county. About 390,000 residents live just north of the San Bernardino Mountains, in and around the roughly 280 square-mile area that includes the Victor Valley. Roughly another 100,000 people live scattered across the rest of the sprawling county.

The Mojave National Preserve covers some of the eastern desert, especially between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The desert portion also includes the cities of Needles next to the Colorado River and Barstow at the junction of Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. Trona is at the northwestern part of the county, west of Death Valley. This national park, mostly within Inyo County, also has a small portion of land within San Bernardino County. The largest metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert part of the county is the Victor Valley, with the incorporated localities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville. Further south, a portion of Joshua Tree National Park overlaps the county near the High Desert area, in the vicinity of Twentynine Palms. The remaining towns make up the remainder of the High Desert: Pioneertown, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Landers, and Morongo Valley.

The mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest, and include the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, Big Bear City, Forest Falls, and Big Bear Lake.

The San Bernardino Valley is at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley. The San Bernardino Valley includes the cities of Ontario, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Highland, Redlands, and Yucaipa.

Adjacent counties

Counties adjacent to San Bernardino County, California
 As shown by the map on the left, San Bernardino County is bordered on the north by Inyo County; on the northeast by Clark County, Nevada; on the east by Mohave County, Arizona; on the southeast by La Paz County, Arizona; on the south by Riverside County; on the southwest by Orange County; on the west by Los Angeles County; and on the northwest by Kern County.

National protected areas

Cadiz Dunes Wilderness
Cadiz Dunes Wilderness

More than 80% of the county's land is owned by the federal government. There are at least 35 official wilderness areas in the county that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This is the largest number of any county in the United States (although not the largest in total area). The majority are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are integral components of the above listed national protected areas. Most of these wilderness areas lie entirely within the county, but a few are shared with neighboring counties (and two of these are shared with the neighboring states of Arizona and Nevada).

Except as noted, these wilderness areas are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management and lie within San Bernardino County:

  • Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness
  • Bighorn Mountain Wilderness (part)
  • Black Mountain Wilderness
  • Bristol Mountains Wilderness
  • Cadiz Dunes Wilderness
  • Chemehuevi Mountains Wilderness
  • Cleghorn Lakes Wilderness
  • Clipper Mountain Wilderness
  • Cucamonga Wilderness
  • Dead Mountains Wilderness
  • Death Valley Wilderness (part)
  • Golden Valley Wilderness
  • Grass Valley Wilderness
  • Havasu Wilderness (part)
  • Hollow Hills Wilderness
  • Joshua Tree Wilderness (part)
  • Kelso Dunes Wilderness
  • Kingston Range Wilderness
  • Mesquite Wilderness
  • Mojave Wilderness
  • Newberry Mountains Wilderness
  • North Mesquite Mountains Wilderness
  • Old Woman Mountains Wilderness
  • Pahrump Valley Wilderness (part)
  • Piute Mountains Wilderness
  • Rodman Mountains Wilderness
  • Saddle Peak Hills Wilderness (part)
  • San Gorgonio Wilderness (part)
  • Sheep Mountain Wilderness (part)
  • Sheephole Valley Wilderness
  • Stateline Wilderness
  • Stepladder Mountains Wilderness
  • Trilobite Wilderness
  • Turtle Mountains Wilderness
  • Whipple Mountains Wilderness

Demographics

2020

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 5,551 —
1870 3,988 −28.2%
1880 7,786 95.2%
1890 25,497 227.5%
1900 27,929 9.5%
1910 56,706 103.0%
1920 73,401 29.4%
1930 133,900 82.4%
1940 161,108 20.3%
1950 281,642 74.8%
1960 503,591 78.8%
1970 684,072 35.8%
1980 895,016 30.8%
1990 1,418,380 58.5%
2000 1,709,434 20.5%
2010 2,035,210 19.1%
2020 2,181,654 7.2%
2023 (est.) 2,195,611 7.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020
San Bernardino 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 1990 Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 862,113 752,222 677,598 566,113 60.78% 44.00% 33.29% 25.95%
Black or African American alone (NH) 109,162 150,201 170,700 173,322 7.70% 8.79% 8.39% 7.94%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 10,018 9,804 8,523 8,412 0.71% 0.57% 0.42% 0.39%
Asian alone (NH) 55,387 78,154 123,978 176,204 3.90% 4.57% 6.09% 8.08%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) N/A 4,387 5,845 6,173 N/A 0.26% 0.29% 0.28%
Other race alone (NH) 3,118 3,039 4,055 12,117 0.22% 0.18% 0.20% 0.56%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) N/A 42,240 43,366 68,400 N/A 2.47% 2.13% 3.14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 378,582 669,387 1,001,145 1,170,913 26.69% 39.16% 49.19% 53.67%
Total 1,418,380 1,709,387 2,035,210 2,181,654 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Ethnic Origins in San Bernardino County, CA
Ethnic origins in San Bernardino County

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Bernardino County had a population of 2,035,210. The racial makeup of San Bernardino County was 1,153,161 (56.7%) White, 181,862 (8.9%) African American, 22,689 (1.1%) Native American, 128,603 (6.3%) Asian, 6,870 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 439,661 (21.6%) from other races, and 102,364 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,001,145 persons (49.2%).

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 inhabitants per square mile (33/km2). There were 601,369 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 58.9% White, 9.1% African American, 1.2% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 20.8% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 39.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.3% were of German, 5.5% English and 5.1% Irish ancestry. 66.1% spoke English, 27.7% Spanish and 1.1% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 528,594 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 3.2 people, and the average family size was 3.6 people.

The number of homeless in San Bernardino County grew from 5,270 in 2002 to 7,331 in 2007, a 39% increase.

In the county, the population was spread out—with 32.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,066, and the median income for a family was $46,574. Males had a median income of $37,025 versus $27,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,856. About 12.6% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Public safety

Law enforcement

Sbcsd-040422-03cr
SBC Sheriff's department operates a sizable fleet of helicopters. Shown here are a Bell 212 (foreground) and a Sikorsky S-61 at the air unit's Rialto Airport headquarters.

The current district attorney is Jason Anderson, who was elected in March 2018 and took office on January 1, 2019.

The county's primary law enforcement agency is the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The department provides law enforcement services in the unincorporated areas of the county and in 14 contract cities, operates the county jail system, provides marshal services in the county superior courts, and has numerous other divisions to serve the residents of the county.

Fire rescue

The county operates the San Bernardino County Consolidated Fire District (commonly known as the San Bernardino County Fire Department). The department provides "all-risk" fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to all unincorporated areas in the county except for several areas served by independent fire protection districts, and several cities that chose to contract with the department.

Education

Colleges and universities

  • Barstow Community College
  • Brandman University (Ontario campus)
  • California State University, San Bernardino
  • California University of Science and Medicine
  • Calvary Chapel Bible College In Twin Peaks, California
  • Chaffey College
  • Copper Mountain College
  • Crafton Hills College
  • Loma Linda University
  • National University (campuses in Ontario and San Bernardino)
  • Palo Verde Community College (Needles campus)
  • San Bernardino Valley College
  • University of Redlands (Main Campus)
  • Victor Valley College

K-12 education

School districts are:

Unified:

  • Apple Valley Unified School District
  • Baker Valley Unified School District
  • Barstow Unified School District
  • Bear Valley Unified School District
  • Beaumont Unified School District
  • Chino Valley Unified School District
  • Colton Joint Unified School District
  • Fontana Unified School District
  • Hesperia Unified School District
  • Lucerne Valley Unified School District
  • Morongo Unified School District
  • Muroc Joint Unified School District
  • Needles Unified School District
  • Redlands Unified School District
  • Rialto Unified School District
  • Rim of the World Unified School District
  • San Bernardino City Unified School District
  • Sierra Sands Unified School District
  • Silver Valley Unified School District
  • Snowline Joint Unified School District
  • Trona Joint Unified School District
  • Upland Unified School District
  • Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District

Secondary:

  • Chaffey Joint Union High School District
  • Victor Valley Union High School District

Elementary:

  • Adelanto Elementary School District
  • Alta Loma Elementary School District
  • Central Elementary School District
  • Cucamonga Elementary School District
  • Etiwanda Elementary School District
  • Helendale Elementary School District
  • Mountain View Elementary School District
  • Mount Baldy Joint Elementary School District
  • Ontario-Montclair School District
  • Oro Grande Elementary School District
  • Victor Elementary School District

Libraries

The San Bernardino County Library System consists of 32 branches across the county. Library services offered vary from branch to branch, but include internet access, children's story times, adult literacy services, book clubs, classes, and special events. The library system also offers e-books, digital music and movie downloads, free access to online learning through Lynda.com, and many other digital services.

City-sponsored public libraries also exist in San Bernardino County, including A. K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands, California, which was built in 1898. Other public libraries in the County include: The San Bernardino City Public Library System, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, Upland Public Library, Colton City Library, Victorville City Library and the Ontario City Library. These libraries are separate from the county system and do not share circulation privileges.

Arts and culture

Keys Desert Queen Ranch, in Joshua Tree National Park, has ranger-led tours to learn about the cultural history of Keys Ranch, Native American history, mining, ranching, homesteading, the Keys family, and the site's transition into a protected historical site.

Kimberly Crest House & Gardens is a 6-acre estate in Redlands, CA with a Victorian Chateau and Italian Renaissance styled gardens. The gardens are open to the public and the house serves as a museum offering guided tours.

The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands CA is a multidisciplinary museum offering a look at the area’s past with an Inland Southern California regional focus. Its exhibits and collections draw from the cultural and natural history of San Bernardino County.

The Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art at Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA is a non-collecting institution that features temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, education and community programming.

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-10
  • I-15
  • I-15 Bus.
  • I-40
  • I-215
  • US 95
  • US 395
  • SR 2
  • SR 18
  • SR 38
  • SR 58
  • SR 60
  • SR 62
  • SR 66
  • SR 71
  • SR 83
  • SR 127
  • SR 138
  • SR 142
  • SR 173
  • SR 178
  • SR 189
  • SR 210
  • SR 247
  • SR 259
  • SR 330
  • CR 66

Public transportation

  • Morongo Basin Transit Authority provides bus service in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms (including the Marine base). Limited service is also provided to Palm Springs.
  • Mountain Transit covers the Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear regions. Limited service is also provided to Downtown San Bernardino.
  • Needles Area Transit serves Needles and the surrounding county area.
  • Omnitrans provides transit service in the urbanized portion of San Bernardino County, serving the City of San Bernardino, as well as the area between Montclair and Yucaipa.
  • Victor Valley Transit Authority operates buses in Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Apple Valley and the surrounding county area.
  • Foothill Transit connects the Inland Empire area to the San Gabriel Valley and downtown Los Angeles.
  • RTA connects Montclair, and Anaheim to Riverside County.
  • SunLine Transit Agency connects Cal State San Bernardino to Palm Springs
  • Beaumont Transit Connects Downtown San Bernardino to the city of Beaumont and Banning
  • San Bernardino County is also served by Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains. Metrolink commuter trains connect the urbanized portion of the county with Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties.

Airports

  • Commercial domestic and international passenger flights are available at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) and Ontario International Airport (ONT). SBD can be accessed from I-215 via Mill Street, I-10 via Tippecanoe Avenue, and I-210 via 3rd Street. Terminal construction recently finished, and commercial flights began in 2022. There is also a logistics center for Amazon's Amazon Air service that has recently completed construction on the airport grounds.
  • Southern California Logistics Airport (Victorville) is a major airplane graveyard, general aviation airport, and a Partial Air Force Installation.
  • The County of San Bernardino owns six general aviation airports: Apple Valley Airport, Baker Airport, Barstow-Daggett Airport, Chino Airport, Needles Airport, and Twentynine Palms Airport.
  • Other general aviation airports in the county include: Big Bear City Airport, Cable Airport (Upland), Hesperia Airport (not listed in NPIAS), and Redlands Municipal Airport

Environmental quality

SanBernardinoCA Skyline
San Bernardino under heavy smog in 2005

California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the county in April 2007 under the state's environmental quality act for failing to account for the impact of global warming in the county's 25-year growth plan, approved in March. The Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society also sued in a separate case. According to Brendan Cummings, a senior attorney for the plaintiffs: "San Bernardino has never seen a project it didn't like. They rubber-stamp development. It's very much of a frontier mentality." The plaintiffs want the county to rewrite its growth plan's environmental impact statement to include methods to measure greenhouse gases and take steps to reduce them.

According to county spokesman David Wert, only 15% of the county is controlled by the county; the rest is cities and federal and state land. However, the county says it will make sure employment centers and housing are near transportation corridors to reduce traffic and do more to promote compact development and mass transit. The county budgeted $325,000 to fight the lawsuit.

The state and the county reached a settlement in August 2007. The county agreed to amend its general plan to include a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan, including an emission inventory and reduction targets. According to the LA Times in 2015, San Bernardino County had the highest levels of ozone in the United States, averaging 102 parts per billion.

Communities

Cities

City Year
incorporated		 Population,
2018		 Median income,
2019		 Land area
sq mi (km2)
Adelanto 1970 34,160 $45,380 56.009 (145.062)
Apple Valley 1988 73,508 $51,314 73.193 (189.57)
Barstow 1947 23,972 $40,633 41.385 (107.186)
Big Bear Lake 1981 5,281 $51,060 6.346 (16.435)
Chino 1910 91,583 $87,090 29.639 (76.766)
Chino Hills 1991 83,447 $103,473 44.681 (115.723)
Colton 1887 54,741 $53,838 15.324 (39.689)
Fontana 1952 213,739 $80,800 42.432 (109.899)
Grand Terrace 1978 12,584 $71,788 3.502 (9.07)
Hesperia 1988 95,274 $50,271 73.096 (189.316)
Highland 1987 55,406 $64,868 18.755 (48.575)
Loma Linda 1970 24,382 $55,607 7.516 (19.467)
Montclair 1956 39,437 $62,024 5.517 (14.289)
Needles 1913 4,982 $33,717 30.808 (79.793)
Ontario 1891 181,107 $75,266 49.941 (129.345)
Rancho Cucamonga 1977 177,751 $92,773 39.851 (103.212)
Redlands 1888 71,586 $72,410 36.126 (93.565)
Rialto 1911 103,440 $70,188 22.351 (57.889)
San Bernardino 1854 215,941 $49,721 59.201 (153.33)
Twentynine Palms 1987 26,418 $44,226 59.143 (153.179)
Upland 1906 77,000 $82,426 15.617 (40.448)
Victorville 1962 122,312 $60,391 73.178 (189.529)
Yucaipa 1989 53,682 $69,104 27.888 (72.231)
Yucca Valley 1991 21,726 $44,757 40.015 (103.639)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

Ghost towns

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of San Bernardino County.

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † San Bernardino City 222,101
2 Fontana City 208,393
3 Ontario City 175,265
4 Rancho Cucamonga City 174,453
5 Victorville City 134,810
6 Rialto City 104,026
7 Hesperia City 99,818
8 Chino City 91,403
9 Upland City 79,040
10 Chino Hills City 78,411
11 Apple Valley Town 75,791
12 Redlands City 73,168
13 Highland City 56,999
14 Yucaipa City 54,542
15 Colton City 53,909
16 Adelanto City 38,046
17 Montclair City 37,865
18 Twentynine Palms City 28,065
19 Barstow City 25,415
20 Loma Linda City 24,791
21 Bloomington CDP 24,339
22 Yucca Valley Town 21,738
23 Phelan CDP 13,859
24 Grand Terrace City 13,150
25 Big Bear City CDP 12,738
26 Lake Arrowhead CDP 12,401
27 Crestline CDP 11,650
28 Muscoy CDP 10,719
29 Spring Valley Lake CDP 9,598
30 Mentone CDP 9,557
31 Oak Hills CDP 9,450
32 Fort Irwin CDP 8,096
33 Piñon Hills CDP 7,258
34 Joshua Tree CDP 6,489
35 Silver Lakes CDP 6,317
36 Lucerne Valley CDP 5,331
37 Running Springs CDP 5,268
38 Big Bear Lake City 5,046
39 Needles City 4,931
40 Wrightwood CDP 4,720
41 Lenwood CDP 3,623
42 Morongo Valley CDP 3,514
43 San Antonio Heights CDP 3,441
44 Mountain View Acres CDP 3,337
45 Homestead Valley CDP 2,789
46 Searles Valley CDP 1,565
47 Colorado River Indian Reservation AIAN 1,395
48 Big River CDP 1,084
49 Lytle Creek CDP 725
50 Oak Glen CDP 602
51 Baker CDP 442
52 Chemehuevi Reservation AIAN 464
53 Fort Mojave Indian Reservation AIAN 253
54 San Manuel Reservation AIAN 137
55 Bluewater CDP 116
56 Twenty-Nine Palms Reservation AIAN 5

Places of interest

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de San Bernardino para niños

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San Bernardino County, California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.