Data / Rankings / Population aged 65 and over / Counties in California

Counties in California by share of population aged 65 and over

Sierra County had the highest share of population aged 65 and over of 58 counties in 2020, at 31.1%. Kings County had the lowest, at 10.6%. The median was 16.7% and the figure for California was 15.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest31.1Sierra County
Lowest10.6Kings County
Median16.758 counties
California15.2History

All counties, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

Sierra CountySierra County: 31.1 %31.1Plumas CountyPlumas County: 30 %30Amador CountyAmador County: 28.6 %28.6Calaveras CountyCalaveras County: 28.2 %28.2Mariposa CountyMariposa County: 28.2 %28.2Nevada CountyNevada County: 28 %28Tuolumne CountyTuolumne County: 27.3 %27.3Modoc CountyModoc County: 27 %27Siskiyou CountySiskiyou County: 26.9 %26.9Alpine CountyAlpine County: 25.8 %25.8Trinity CountyTrinity County: 25.3 %25.3Inyo CountyInyo County: 23.9 %23.9Mendocino CountyMendocino County: 23.2 %23.2Marin CountyMarin County: 22.7 %22.7Lake CountyLake County: 22.7 %22.7El Dorado CountyEl Dorado County: 22.5 %22.5Shasta CountyShasta County: 22.4 %22.4San Luis Obispo CountySan Luis Obispo County: 21.9 %21.9Sonoma CountySonoma County: 21 %21Napa CountyNapa County: 20.8 %20.8Placer CountyPlacer County: 20.6 %20.6Tehama CountyTehama County: 20.1 %20.1Humboldt CountyHumboldt County: 19.2 %19.2Del Norte CountyDel Norte County: 19.1 %19.1Butte CountyButte County: 19 %19Santa Cruz CountySanta Cruz County: 18.2 %18.2Glenn CountyGlenn County: 17.2 %17.2Ventura CountyVentura County: 17 %17Santa Barbara CountySanta Barbara County: 16.7 %16.7Solano CountySolano County: 16.6 %16.6Contra Costa CountyContra Costa County: 16.6 %16.6San Mateo CountySan Mateo County: 16.6 %16.6Mono CountyMono County: 16.4 %16.4San Francisco CountySan Francisco County: 16.2 %16.2Sutter CountySutter County: 16.1 %16.1Orange CountyOrange County: 15.7 %15.7Riverside CountyRiverside County: 15.3 %15.3San Diego CountySan Diego County: 15.1 %15.1Sacramento CountySacramento County: 15 %15Colusa CountyColusa County: 15 %15Madera CountyMadera County: 14.7 %14.7Lassen CountyLassen County: 14.7 %14.7Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County: 14.5 %14.5Alameda CountyAlameda County: 14.4 %14.4Stanislaus CountyStanislaus County: 14.2 %14.2Monterey CountyMonterey County: 14.2 %14.2Yolo CountyYolo County: 14 %14Santa Clara CountySanta Clara County: 13.9 %13.9San Joaquin CountySan Joaquin County: 13.7 %13.7San Benito CountySan Benito County: 13.7 %13.7Imperial CountyImperial County: 13.4 %13.4Yuba CountyYuba County: 13.4 %13.4Fresno CountyFresno County: 13.2 %13.2San Bernardino CountySan Bernardino County: 12.7 %12.7Tulare CountyTulare County: 12.2 %12.2Merced CountyMerced County: 11.9 %11.9Kern CountyKern County: 11.9 %11.9Kings CountyKings County: 10.6 %10.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)
1Sierra County31.1
2Plumas County30
3Amador County28.6
4Calaveras County28.2
5Mariposa County28.2
6Nevada County28
7Tuolumne County27.3
8Modoc County27
9Siskiyou County26.9
10Alpine County25.8
11Trinity County25.3
12Inyo County23.9
13Mendocino County23.2
14Marin County22.7
15Lake County22.7
16El Dorado County22.5
17Shasta County22.4
18San Luis Obispo County21.9
19Sonoma County21
20Napa County20.8
21Placer County20.6
22Tehama County20.1
23Humboldt County19.2
24Del Norte County19.1
25Butte County19
26Santa Cruz County18.2
27Glenn County17.2
28Ventura County17
29Santa Barbara County16.7
30Solano County16.6
31Contra Costa County16.6
32San Mateo County16.6
33Mono County16.4
34San Francisco County16.2
35Sutter County16.1
36Orange County15.7
37Riverside County15.3
38San Diego County15.1
39Sacramento County15
40Colusa County15
41Madera County14.7
42Lassen County14.7
43Los Angeles County14.5
44Alameda County14.4
45Stanislaus County14.2
46Monterey County14.2
47Yolo County14
48Santa Clara County13.9
49San Joaquin County13.7
50San Benito County13.7
51Imperial County13.4
52Yuba County13.4
53Fresno County13.2
54San Bernardino County12.7
55Tulare County12.2
56Merced County11.9
57Kern County11.9
58Kings County10.6

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 65 or over as a percentage of total population. Spain: 1 January, INE annual census. United States: 1 July, Census Bureau population estimates. World Bank figures for other countries and the World refer to mid-year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Use this data in your AI agent

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Rank Counties in California by share of population aged 65 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population_65_plus_share","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
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Questions

Which county has the highest share of population aged 65 and over?

Sierra County, with 31.1% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest share of population aged 65 and over?

Kings County, with 10.6% in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Population aged 65 and over: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings