FAIRFIELD — Solano County ranks 21st among the state’s 58 counties in terms of population and is growing only because more people are born here than die.
The county has 413,365 residents, according to the state Department of Finance. The population increase from July 2010 to July 2011 was 415 people, a mere .1 percent increase.
So much for Solano County’s image as a growth powerhouse.
Solano County is no longer a place where people are moving to in great numbers. During the most recent one-year period, 1,297 people came to the county, but 3,296 left, for a net migration loss of 1,999.
The county grew only because 5,097 people were born here compared to the 2,683 who died, a net gain in this category of 2,414.
Solano County is hardly alone in this trend. California as a whole grew only because the birth rate outstripped the death rate.
On a more regional scale, Solano County from July 2010 to July 2011 had the lowest growth among the nine Bay Area counties, both numerically and in percentage growth. Such famous slow-growth counties as Marin and Napa both outstripped Solano County as a destination.
In fact, Solano County was the only Bay Area county that had more people leave than come. By comparison, only 100 people moved out of neighboring Contra Costa County, compared to the 3,387 who moved into that county.
But Solano County was hit particularly hard by the housing market meltdown. The Fairfield-Vallejo area since 2006 has been a fixture among the nation’s top 10 areas for foreclosure activity.
Census 2010 also provides much information on Solano County.
The county’s population is 50 percent male and 50 percent female, a statistical even split. That’s virtually the same for California as a whole.
Solano County’s population is 60.8 percent white and 40.6 percent white when subtracting people who are Hispanic. It is 24.6 percent Hispanic, 15.2 percent black, 15.2 percent Asian, 6.5 percent people reporting two or more races, 1.2 percent American Indian or Alaska native and 1 percent Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
The county has a greater percentage of residents age 25 and older who are high school graduates compared to the state as a whole, 85.8 percent to 80.7 percent. But the opposite is true for people with bachelor’s degrees. The percentage for Solano County is 24 percent, compared to 30.1 percent for California.
County residents have an average commute time to work of 29.5 minutes, compared to 26.9 minutes for California.
The county has 503 people per square mile, compared to 239.1 for California. Still, many parts of the state have far denser populations than Solano. San Francisco County has 17,180 people per square mile.
Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929, or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.
