Sierra County, California

Sierra County has a population of 2,746 and has shrunk 4.1% since the 2020 census. The median home is worth $331,900, about 5.2 times the county's median household income of $63,355.

Home price
$331,900
Income
$63,355
Population
2,746
Unemployment
12.6%

Housing

Home values, rent, property taxes, insurance and how local prices relate to local incomes.

Median home price$331,900county
Median gross rent$2,042(statewide)
Median year homes here were built1971county
Share of homes built before 198060.2%county
Share of homes that are manufactured or mobile1.7%county
Share of homes that are vacant42.5%county
Share of occupied homes that are rented27.9%county
Share of homes held for seasonal or occasional use34.2%county
Typical monthly rent$2,789(statewide)
HUD fair market rent, 2-bed$1,529county
HUD fair market rent, 1-bed$1,165county
HUD fair market rent, 3-bed$2,126county
Home insurance / yr$1,616(statewide)

Money

Household earnings and buying power. Adjusted income restates local income using the statewide cost-of-living index.

Cost of living142.3(statewide)
Median household income$63,355county
Family health premium / yr$24,143(statewide)
Infant childcare / yr$21,945(statewide)
Regular gas price / gal$5.593(statewide)
Poverty rate4.4%county

Jobs

What people here do for work, who they work for, whether they work from home, and how much of the local economy sits in one industry.

Workers who work from home16.8%county
Unemployment rate12.6%county
Share of adults in the labor force52.7%county
Share of workers who are self-employed12.8%county
Share of workers employed by government27.9%county
Share of workers in the largest industry20.1%county
Economic output per resident$46,304county

Taxes

State tax rules that can affect take-home pay, investments and everyday purchases.

Property tax rate0.69%county
Top state income tax13.30%(statewide)
Capital gains tax13.30%(statewide)
Combined sales tax9.03%(statewide)

Transportation

Distance to air travel and how people get around locally. Distances are straight-line from the county's population-weighted centre, so driving is further.

Mean commute time24.3 mincounty
Miles to nearest airport with airline service36 micounty
Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport2377780county
Miles to nearest general aviation field4.0 micounty
Airports with airline service located here0county
General aviation airfields located here1county
Passenger train stations and the railway network0county
Miles to the nearest passenger rail station23 micounty
Households without a vehicle6.5%county
Traffic deaths36.4county
Change in traffic deaths per 100,000-1.8(statewide)

Schools

Public schools and colleges counted where they actually sit, plus the education level of adults who live here. Students per teacher is a staffing measure, not a quality ranking.

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher25.8%county
Adults 25+ with a high school diploma or higher92.5%county
Public schools in the county5county
Public school enrollment414county
Students per full-time teacher15.9county
Free lunch eligible35.0%county
Elementary schools2county
Middle schools0county
High schools3county
Institutions granting bachelor's degrees or above0county
Two-year institutions0county
Miles to the nearest bachelor's-granting institution33 micounty

Health

Primary care physicians81(statewide)
Medicare-certified hospitals in this county0county
Hospitals here with an emergency department0county
Average CMS star rating of hospitals here3(statewide)
Fine particulate matter10.8 µgcounty
Without health insurance13.7%county
Adults who were food insecure in the past year15.1%county
Adults who received food assistance in the past year16.8%county
Frequent mental distress15.6%county
No leisure-time physical activity23.6%county
Diagnosed diabetes13.6%county

Place

Who lives here and what the place is like: population, age, migration, safety and civic profile.

Population2,746county
Land area in square miles953county
People per square mile of land2.9county
Supermarkets and grocery stores0county
Convenience stores0county
Share living far from a food store2.2%county
Share living in a low-income, low-access tract0.0%county
Population change since 2020-4.1%county
Natural change per 1,000 residents-8county
Net international migration per 1,000 residents0county
Median age54.7 yrscounty
Share of residents under 1814.5%county
Share of residents 65 and over35.1%county
Share of households that are one person46.3%county
Share of residents born outside the United States3.8%county
Second languages9.7%county
Share of residents on a religious body’s rolls19.2%county
Congregations per 100,000 residents309county
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents1county
Households that moved in63county
Households that moved away72county
Average income of arriving households$108,190county
Average income of departing households$66,333county
Homes authorised per 1,000 existing homes1county
Housing units authorised in the latest year1county
Share of permitted homes in multifamily buildings44.4%(statewide)
Violent crime rate486(statewide)

Weather

Measured annual temperature, precipitation and snowfall. These are climate facts, not a ranking.

Avg. annual temperature49.4°Fcounty
Annual precipitation48.3 incounty
Annual snowfall0.0 incounty
Average daily solar energy5.10 kWh/m²county
Days reaching 90°F8 dayscounty
Days at or below freezing131 dayscounty

Gardening

Plant hardiness zoneZone 7acounty
Frost-free days117 dayscounty
Average last spring frostMay 30county
Average first fall frostSep 25county

Utilities

Average monthly electric bill$171county
Electric utilities serving this county2county
Electricity price per kWh32.8¢county
Household electricity use529 kWhcounty
Residential natural gas price$20.81(statewide)
Homes heated by electricity20.7%county
Homes heated by utility gas7.9%county
Homes heated by propane23.3%county
Homes heated by fuel oil13.1%county
Homes heated by wood31.2%county
Households with broadband79.5%county

Risk

Relative exposure to air pollution and natural hazards. Higher values indicate more measured risk, not a prediction.

Riverine flood risk37.7county
Coastal flood risk0.0county
Drought risk35.9county
Landslide risk94.6county
Hail risk3.4county
Earthquake risk66.8county
Tornado risk2.4county
Tropical cyclone risk0.0county
Extreme heat risk7.5county
Winter weather risk33.2county
Strong wind risk2.4county
Wildfire risk95.6county

Sports

Major pro teams based here0county
NFL teams based here0county
NBA teams based here0county
MLB teams based here0county
NHL teams based here0county
MLS soccer teams based here0county
Top-division college football teams0county
Second-tier college football teams0county
Affiliated minor league baseball teams0county
AHL teams based here0county
ECHL teams based here0county

Figures marked county are measured for Sierra County directly. The rest are published at state level only and show the California figure — see methodology for each source and its limits.

Similar counties in California

Compare Sierra with anywhere else

Put this county side by side with any other in the country, or weight the factors that matter to you and rank all 50 states.

Open Sierra in the map