Sutter County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Sutter County, California

County of Sutter

Images, from top down, left to right: Sutter Buttes terrain, Live Oak Blvd near Pennington Road in the City of Live Oak, downtown of Yuba City

Seal

Location in the state of California

United States

Region

Metro area

Sacramento metropolitan area

February 18, 1850

John Augustus Sutter

Largest city

Yuba City

Government

• Type

Council–CAO

• Body

Board of Supervisors

Area

• Total

608 sq mi (1,570 km²)

• Land

602 sq mi (1,560 km²)

• Water

6.1 sq mi (16 km²)

Highest elevation

2,120 ft (650 m)

Population

(April 1, 2020)

• Total

99,633

• Density

163.87/sq mi (63.27/km²)

Time zone

UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)

• Summer (DST)

UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)

Congressional district

1st

Website

www.co.sutter.ca.us

Sutter County is a county 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.

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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 608 square miles (1,570 km²), of which 602 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km²), 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 240 miles (390 km) 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 1,795-acre (7.26 km²) 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.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,444	—
1860	3,390	−1.6%
1870	5,030	48.4%
1880	5,159	2.6%
1890	5,469	6.0%
1900	5,886	7.6%
1910	6,328	7.5%
1920	10,115	59.8%
1930	14,618	44.5%
1940	18,680	27.8%
1950	26,239	40.5%
1960	33,380	27.2%
1970	41,935	25.6%
1980	52,246	24.6%
1990	64,415	23.3%
2000	78,930	22.5%
2010	94,737	20.0%
2020	99,633	5.2%
2023 (est.)	97,948	3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**Sutter County, California - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	47,532	47,782	41,366	60.22%	50.44%	41.52%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,418	1,713	1,774	1.8%	1.81%	1.78%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	940	925	862	1.19%	0.98%	0.87%
Asian alone (NH)	8,771	13,442	18,014	11.11%	14.19%	18.08%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	142	256	279	0.18%	0.27%	0.28%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	190	190	611	0.24%	0.20%	0.61%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	2,408	3,178	5,159	3.05%	3.35%	5.18%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17,529	28,251	31,568	22.21%	28.76%	31.68%
Total	78,930	94,737	99,633	100.00%	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	94,192
White	61,951	65.8%
Black or African American	1,800	1.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native	1,428	1.5%
Asian	13,029	13.8%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	290	0.3%
Some other race	10,267	10.9%
Two or more races	5,427	5.8%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	26,642	28.3%
Per capita income	$22,464
Median household income	$50,010
Median family income	$54,737

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)
East Nicolaus	CDP	301	36.9%	46.5%	16.6%	0.0%	0.0%	46.5%
Live Oak	City	8,244	58.4%	30.7%	8.3%	0.4%	2.2%	50.3%
Meridian	CDP	485	97.3%	2.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	17.5%
Nicolaus	CDP	183	81.4%	4.4%	13.1%	1.1%	0.0%	0.0%
Rio Oso	CDP	349	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	15.2%
Robbins	CDP	285	82.1%	16.5%	0.0%	0.0%	1.4%	54.0%
Sutter	CDP	2,892	88.1%	9.2%	0.2%	0.6%	1.8%	9.0%
Trowbridge	CDP	112	95.5%	4.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Yuba City	City	64,224	62.2%	16.2%	17.3%	2.4%	1.9%	28.5%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
East Nicolaus	CDP	301	$18,776	$32,813	$40,833
Live Oak	City	8,244	$16,052	$41,773	$40,919
Meridian	CDP	485	$30,530	$53,125	$77,500
Nicolaus	CDP	183	$35,223	$75,000	$100,000
Rio Oso	CDP	349	$32,149	$85,750	$90,357
Robbins	CDP	285	$22,532	$55,625	$55,268
Sutter	CDP	2,892	$28,772	$62,708	$76,667
Trowbridge	CDP	112	$33,904	$60,833	$62,083
Yuba City	City	64,224	$21,566	$48,830	$53,818

2010

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
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Sutter County	94,737	57,749	1,919	1,365	13,663	281	14,463	5,297	27,251
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Live Oak	8,392	4,491	138	130	978	17	2,173	465	4,093
Yuba City	64,925	37,382	1,591	909	11,190	228	9,772	3,853	18,413
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)
East Nicolaus	225	159	0	1	19	0	41	5	49
Meridian	358	268	2	7	0	0	58	23	85
Nicolaus	211	186	1	0	5	0	10	9	13
Rio Oso	356	274	5	7	26	1	32	11	53
Robbins	323	208	0	9	5	0	94	7	181
Sutter	2,904	2,503	16	54	30	1	160	140	410
Trowbridge	226	167	3	5	25	0	15	11	38
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)	16,817	12,111	163	243	1,385	34	2,108	773	3,916

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 78,930 people, 27,033 households, and 19,950 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 inhabitants per square mile (51/km²). There were 28,319 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km²). 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.

MySYtv.com provides television coverage of local events in the area.

Communities

Cities

Yuba City (county seat)
Live Oak

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Proposed town

Sutter Pointe

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Yuba City	City	64,925
2	Live Oak	City	8,392
3	Sutter	CDP	2,904
4	Meridian	CDP	358
5	Rio Oso	CDP	356
6	Robbins	CDP	323
7	Trowbridge	CDP	226
8	East Nicolaus	CDP	225
9	Nicolaus	CDP	211