Lassen County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. Its county seat and the largest city is Susanville.
Lassen County comprises the Susanville, California micropolitan statistical area. A former farming, mining, and lumber area, its economy now depends on employment at one federal and two state prisons; the former in Herlong and the latter two in Susanville. In 2007, half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the facilities.
History Lassen County was formed on April 1, 1864, from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties following the two-day conflict known as the Sagebrush War, also called the Roop County War, that started on Sunday morning, February 15, 1863. Due to uncertainties over the California border, the area that is now Lassen County was part of the unofficial Nataqua Territory and Roop County, Nevada, during the late 1850s and early 1860s.
The county was named by California after Peter Lassen,Lassen County History, Lassen County, California Genweb Project, 2006, accessed January 14, 2014 along with Lassen Peak, which is in adjoining Shasta County. Lassen was one of General John C. Fremont's guides, and a famous trapper, frontiersman, and Indian fighter. He was murdered under mysterious circumstances near the Black Rock Desert in 1859, and his murder was never solved.
By the 1880s small towns began to spring up all over Lassen County. Bieber developed at the north end of the county, in rich farmland. Gold was discovered at Hayden Hill, and the small town developed to support the miners. Hayden Hill no longer exists: when the mining stopped, the townspeople left for other communities. Madeline was formed at the north end of another rich farming valley, and along the railroad tracks heading north to Alturas, California. This community still has about 50 people living in and around the town. In the 1890s many immigrant family groups arrived in the county, primarily coming from Lincolnshire and Herefordshire, England as well as the towns of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac in Serbia.Serbian Studies, Volumes 4–5 - North American Society for Serbian Studies, 1986Henderson, George; Olasiji, Thompson Dele (1995). Migrants, Immigrants, and Slaves: Racial and Ethnic Groups in America. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. ISBN 0-8191-9738-6. Several "Yankee" settlers arrived from Waldo County, Maine and Lincoln County, Maine as well.Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 355
During World War I, the area was heavily in favor of American entry into the war, and a disproportionate amount of volunteers from Lassen County signed up to take part in the war effort. A pro-German newspaper editor from San Francisco noted that "the inhabitants of Lassen County" were "sympathetic to Britain, hostile to Germany, and indifferent to France."The Projection of Britain British Overseas Publicity and Propaganda 1919-1939 by Philip M. Taylor, Taylor Philip M. Taylor · 1981Serb World. 5–6. Neven Publishing Corporation. 1988. p. 40.California at War The State and the People During World War I By Diane M. T. North · 2018
A narrow gauge railroad, the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway, ran through Lassen County from 1880 to 1927. The NCOR was the longest small gauge of the century. It was intended to connect Reno, Nevada, to the Columbia River, but only of track were laid, from Reno to Lakeview, Oregon.
In 1913, the Fernley & Lassen Railroad was built and it was used to export timber from the large forests of Lassen County. As this railroad was completed, the Red River Lumber Company set up shop, building the town of Westwood, California, to support its massive logging operation. Two other lumber mills followed the Red River Lumber Co. They built their mills in the county seat of Susanville. The Lassen Lumber and Box Company and the Fruit Growers Company both operated mills in Susanville for several decades.
In 2003, Anderson-based Sierra Pacific Industries announced plans to relocate or lay off 150 workers as they closed the last lumber mill in Susanville due to the lack of large timber for the mill."Town's Last Mill to Be Shut Down", Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2003 Sierra Pacific chose to close the mill permanently rather than spend the several million dollars required to convert the mill from large to small timber.
Since the late 20th century, three prisons have been opened in and near Susanville: California Correctional Center (minimum security, 1963) and High Desert State Prison (California) (maximum security, 1995), both in the city; and the nearby Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong (opened 2007). In 2007, half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the three prisons. In "job-starved rural America, ... residents see them [prisons] as the last and only chance for employment after work at the lumber mill or the dairy dries up."Taylor, Robert. "'Prison Town' a view from outside," Contra Costa Times, 28 July 2007; hosted at Mercury News.
Education Lassen County is served by Lassen Community College, Lassen High School District, Mt. Lassen Charter School, Thompson Peak Charter School, Diamond Mountain Charter High, Diamond View Middle School, Herlong High School, Meadow View Elementary, McKinley Elementary, Long Valley Charter School, Fort Sage Charter School, and Westwood Junior Senior High School.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.79%) is water. It is the 8th largest county in California by total area. Part of Lassen Volcanic National Park extends onto a western corner of the county.
Adjacent counties Modoc County – north Washoe County, Nevada – east Sierra County – southeast Plumas County – south Shasta County – west
National protected areas Lassen National Forest (part) Lassen Volcanic National Park (part) Modoc National Forest (part) Plumas National Forest (part) Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Demographics
As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Lassen County was $264,340.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 9,060 estimated households in Lassen County with an average of 2.64 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $64,395. Approximately 17.1% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Lassen County has an estimated 39.5% employment rate, with 13.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 79.1% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (81.9%), Spanish (15.0%), Indo-European (0.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (2.1%), and Other (0.3%).
The median age in the county was 37.8 years.
2023 estimate As of the 2023 estimate, there were 28,861 people and 9,060 households residing in the county. There were 12,238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.5% White (63.5% NH White), 6.8% African American, 4.4% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 21.8% of the population.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lassen County had a population of 32,730, 9,888 households, and 6,383 families, yielding a population density of with 12,216 housing units at an average density of .
The median age was 37.2 years; 16.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 172.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 193.1 males.
Of the county's 9,888 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 12,216 housing units, of which 19.1% were vacant; among occupied units, 65.9% were owner-occupied and 34.1% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 3.3% and a rental vacancy rate of 8.5%.
The racial makeup of the county was 64.4% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.9% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 15.1% from some other race, and 7.9% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.0% of the population.
27.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 72.5% lived in rural areas.
Racial and ethnic composition +Lassen County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)18,70021,92023,89323,27019,53486.33%79.43%70.63%66.69%59.68%Black or African American alone (NH)7511,6992,9762,7902,2443.47%6.16%8.80%8.00%6.86%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6347909599999392.93%2.86%2.83%2.86%2.87%Asian alone (NH)1212932443374720.56%1.06%0.72%0.97%1.44%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census1341632830.40%0.47%0.40%0.47%0.86%Other race alone (NH)38132673631420.18%0.05%0.79%1.04%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6748561,585xx1.99%2.45%4.84%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,4172,8834,6816,1177,5316.54%10.45%13.84%17.53%23.01%Total21,66127,59833,82834,89532,730 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 34,895 people, 10,058 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 12,216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 73.17% White, 8.12% African American, 3.54% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.47% Pacific Islander, 10.21% from some other races and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 17.53% of the population.
Population reported at 2010 census Lassen County34,89525,5322,8341,2343561653,5621,2126,117 Susanville17,94711,2692,2496121981112,9285804,259 Bieber3122640151024872Clear Creek169149050211215Doyle678583143732122755Herlong29818738161394446Janesville1,4081,28313321132739118Johnstonville1,024929716130263373Litchfield195176000014525Milford16715011114911Nubieber5026013006510Patton Village702552482745184862Spaulding1781680310156Westwood1,6471,43031041024949179 All others not CDPs (combined)10,1208,366461353113364433481,186
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 33,828 people, 9,625 households, and 6,776 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 12,000 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.81% White, 8.84% African American, 3.26% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.43% Pacific Islander, 3.23% from some other races and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.84% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 13.8% were of German, 12.1% Irish, 10.5% English, 8.7% American and 5.0% Italian ancestry. 88.2% spoke English and 10.3% Spanish as their first language.
There were 9,625 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. Of all households, 24.5% were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.