Solano County’s population continues to grow and stands at 436,092. That is still short, however, of the 427,837 residents who called Solano County home at the beginning of 2010.
The county’s overall figures reflected what five of the county’s seven cities experienced during and after the Great Recession, with two years of decline in population after the 2010 census. Fairfield and Dixon were the only two cities that did not peak that year.
After topping out in 2010, the overall population of the county dipped by 3.2 percent to 414,509 in 2011 and dropped off a bit more the next year to 413,786. It began to rebound in 2013, increasing for the first of four straight years.
Five cities in the county also saw a drop in population after 2010.
Rio Vista experienced a decline of 10.8 percent from 2010 to 2011, while Vacaville had a 4.5 percent drop, Vallejo was down 4.1 percent, Benicia had a decline of 3.5 percent and Suisun City dropped 2.6 percent. The unincorporated area of the county, meanwhile, had a population decline of 5.9 percent during the same time frame. All areas have experienced a recovery similar to the overall county, with a second year of decline in 2012, followed by four consecutive years of growth.
Fairfield experienced a similar pattern one year earlier than its neighbors. After hitting a population of 108,440 in 2009, its numbers dipped by 2.3 percent. After a second down year, Fairfield has seen five straight years of growth — reaching 110,283 in January 2015. It now stands at 112,970.
Dixon’s population, meanwhile, has seen steady numbers through most of the past decade. It’s numbers slipped by less than 1 percent from 2007 to 2008 and then again from 2011 to 2012.
Solano County’s demographic statistics reflect the Great Recession in other ways. The poverty rate grew from 8.3 percent in 2000 to 10.4 percent in 2010, the highest rate since the 1960s.
The population is 49.7 percent male and 50.3 percent female, a statistical even split. That’s virtually the same for California as a whole.
The county’s population is aging, with 11.9 percent of residents over age 64. That compares to 9.5 percent in that age group in 2000, 8.2 percent in 1990, 7.5 percent in 1980, 6.7 percent in 1970, 5.9 percent in 1960 and 4.9 percent in 1950.
The county has about 500 people per square mile, compared to 239.1 for California as a whole. Still, many parts of the state have far denser populations than Solano County. San Francisco County has 17,180 people per square mile.
Is this correct?
“Solano County’s population continues to grow and stands at 436,092. That is still short, however, of the 427,837 residents who called Solano County home at the beginning of 2010.” How can 436,092 be short of 427,837?
Oops.