How Populous is Sacramento? We’ve been involved in computer repair in Sacramento for quite some time (ahem, since 2004 if we’re going to get down to chronological brass tacks). The place has changed a lot in that time. Sacramento bustles and shimmies along, its story becoming ever-more enriched with new people, new businesses, and new opportunities.
From the chrome and asphalt of the city out to the welcoming green of the suburbs, it feels like the place is growing. There’s more choice, more to see, and best of all, an ever-growing number of customers making little-old-us their nerds-of-choice when their technology needs a bit of tender loving care.
But all this change and bustle got me wondering: How populous is Sacramento? And is it growing as fast as it seems?
Let’s Talk Population: How Populous is Sacramento?
So let’s get data-centric here, and mosey on over to the 2018 census data. Let’s take a gander at what the numbers have to say.
The population of Sacramento County was 1,540,975 at the last census. To give you a sense of how that’s shifted over time, Sacramento County was home to 1,481,735 folks at the time of the previous, 2010 census. We’re talking a roughly eight-and-a-half percent population increase.
Sacramento City had a population of 508,529 people in 2018, and a population of 466,488 in 2010. That’s a tad higher, at about nine percent.
Across the US as a whole, the national average population growth was closer to seven percent. So, based purely on population increase, yep, Sacramento has grown unusually fast — but not (given the growth of our biz workload) as fast as we had imagined!
Let’s Talk Density
So, Sacramento’s population is one thing, but its population density is another. We don’t have any 2018 data to go off here, but in 2016 there were around 1,500 people per square mile (PPSM) in Sacramento and around 5,000 PPSM in Sacramento City.
To give you a gauge on how populous that is, according to data on Governing.com, in 2016 West New York in New Jersey had a population density of over 52,000 PPSM, and San Francisco in California had a population density of over 18,000 PPSM.
Sacramento City is undoubtedly one of the more populous places to live in the US, as far as big, busy, technologically verdant cities go. But after a bit of number crunching, it’s clear Sacramento is actually comparatively “spaced out” (in the non-aliens-abducted-my-hampster sense of the phrase).
So, What’s The Deal Then?
Which brings me back to my original question. Why does life seem so much busier with more people needing our nerd-smarts than ever before?
I think it boils down to computer ownership. Over 90 percent of households in Sacramento City have a computer, placing it significantly above the national average. Sacramento is a large technology-focused city, with a strong (and likely growing) reliance on technology.
Sacramento is growing fast, but the technology needs of its bustling, coffee-loving, smart phone-obsessed populous are growing even faster. Maybe that doesn’t explain everything about why life seems so busy at Nerds HQ, but it’s a good start.
