Yuba County (; Maidu: Yubu)Sutter County Museum - Sutter County Historical Society News Bulletin (Vol. XXXV No. 1)1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning is a county located in north-central Central Valley, California, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, its population was 81,575. Yuba County is included in the Yuba City metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Sacramento–Roseville combined statistical area. The county is in the Central Valley region along the Feather River; the county seat is Marysville.
History Yuba County was one of California's original counties, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Placer County in 1851, to Nevada County in 1851, and to Sierra County in 1852.
The county was named after the Yuba River by Captain John Sutter for the Maidu village Yubu, Yupu, or Juba near the confluence of the Yuba and Feather Rivers. General Mariano Vallejo said the river was named Uba by an exploring expedition in 1824 because of the quantities of wild grapes (uvas silvestres in Spanish) that they found growing on its banks.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which (1.9%) are covered by water. It is California's fifth-smallest county by area. The county lies along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the steep slopes making it prime territory for the siting of hydroelectric power plants.
Part of the county, where Marysville (the county seat) and most of the population lives, is west of the mountains on the valley floor; a great deal of agricultural business occurs in this part of the county, especially fruit orchards, rice fields, and cattle ranching.
Ecology Yuba is the most biodiverse county in the contiguous United States, with a documented 1,968 native vascular plant species per ,Biota of North America Program; County-centered estimates of the number of native species per 10000 km2 (data 2011) and 2,772 total species verifiably observed. Flowering plant species include the yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus luteus).C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
National protected areas in Yuba County include parts of the Plumas National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest. The county also has natural areas consisting of forests, grasslands, riparian areas, and meadows.
Adjacent counties Butte County to the north Sierra County to the northeast Nevada County to the east Placer County to the southeast Sutter County to the southwest
Crime
This table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense:
Population and crime rates PopulationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 71,817 Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013. 279 3.88 Homicide 3 0.04 Forcible rape 24 0.33 Robbery 46 0.64 Aggravated assault 206 2.87 Property crime 883 12.30 Burglary 455 6.34 Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes. 836 11.64 Motor vehicle theft 208 2.90 Arson 21 0.29
Cities by population and crime rates Cities by population and crime rates City PopulationUnited States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013. Violent crimes Violent crime rateper 1,000 persons Property crimes Property crime rateper 1,000 persons Marysville 12,254 88 7.18 502 40.97 Wheatland 3,509 2 0.57 36 10.26
Politics
Voter registration statistics Population and registered voters Total population 81,575 Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. October 21, 2024 - Report of Registration. Retrieved March 7, 2025.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow. 44,078 54.03% Democratic 12,351 28.02% Republican 17,988 40.81% Democratic–Republican spread -5,637 -12.79% American Independent 2,547 5.78% Green 175 0.40% Libertarian 676 1.53% Peace and Freedom 315 0.71% Unknown 290 0.66% Other 369 0.84% No party preference 9,367 21.25%
Cities by population and voter registration
+Cities by population and voter registration City Population Registered voters Democratic Republican D–R spread Third parties, Unknown, Other No party preference Marysville 12,844 6,195 1,768 2,400 -10.20% 652 1,375 Wheatland 3,712 2,272 504 1,092 -25.88% 245 431 Unincorporated Areas 65,019 35,611 10,079 14,496 -12.40% 3,475 7,561
Overview Yuba is a strongly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
In the United States House of Representatives, Yuba County is split between , and .
In the California State Legislature, the county is in , and .
Transportation
Major highways State Route 20 State Route 49 State Route 65 State Route 70
Public transportation Yuba Sutter Transit operates local bus service, as well as commuter runs to downtown Sacramento. Greyhound buses stop in Marysville.
Airports Yuba County Airport is south of Marysville. It is a general-aviation airport.
Brownsville Aero Pines Airport is off La Porte Rd in Brownsville.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 81,575. The median age was 34.3 years, 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 13.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 57.1% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.1% Asian, 0.5% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 15.0% from some other race, and 14.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 28.8% of the population.
70.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 27,008 households in the county, of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 29,458 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.3% were owner-occupied and 38.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Yuba County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)40,36642,92439,32042,41641,75081.17%73.72%65.30%58.78%51.18%Black or African American alone (NH)2,1932,3411,7952,1222,8314.41%4.02%2.98%2.94%3.47%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,1461,5301,3061,2601,0342.30%2.63%2.17%1.75%1.27%Asian alone (NH)1,3774,6254,4804,7105,5832.77%7.94%7.44%6.53%6.84%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 Census98270372xx0.16%0.37%0.46%Other race alone (NH)284801201024590.57%0.14%0.20%0.14%0.56%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,6513,2246,026xx4.40%4.47%7.39%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4,3676,72810,44918,05123,5208.78%11.55%17.35%25.02%28.83%Total49,73358,22860,21972,15581,575 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Yuba County had a population of 72,155. The racial makeup of Yuba County was 49,332 (68.4%) White, 2,361 (3.3%) African American, 1,675 (2.3%) Native American, 4,862 (6.7%) Asian, 293 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 8,545 (11.8%) from other races, and 5,087 (7.1%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 18,051 persons (25.0%).
Population reported at 2010 United States censusThe County TotalPopulationWhiteAfricanAmericanNativeAmericanAsianPacificIslanderotherracestwo ormore racesHispanicor Latino(of any race) Yuba County72,15549,3322,3611,6754,8622938,5455,08718,051IncorporatedcitiesTotalPopulationWhiteAfricanAmericanNativeAmericanAsianPacificIslanderotherracestwo ormore racesHispanicor Latino(of any race)Marysville12,0728,576522298498381,2478932,920Wheatland3,4562,63341582035278238620Census-designatedplacesTotalPopulationWhiteAfricanAmericanNativeAmericanAsianPacificIslanderotherracestwo ormore racesHispanicor Latino(of any race)Beale AFB1,3199491173245850118191Camptonville158117015204205Challenge-Brownsville1,1481,006103153108390Dobbins6245175526093528Linda17,7739,9737223612,304803,0291,3045,779Loma Rica2,3682,085206020252129211Olivehurst13,6568,534322399772612,6239454,994Plumas Lake5,8533,92337273474444515161,312Smartsville17715705009618Otherunincorporated areasTotalPopulationWhiteAfricanAmericanNativeAmericanAsianPacificIslanderotherracestwo ormore racesHispanicor Latino(of any race)All others not CDPs (combined)13,55110,862230291533527838001,883
2000 census As of the census of 2000, 60,219 people, 20,535 households, and 14,805 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 22,636 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 70.6% White, 3.2% African American, 2.6% Native American, 7.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 10.0% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. About 17.4% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Ancestry distribution was 11.2% German, 10.4% American, 7.6% Irish, and 7.5% English according to Census 2000; 78.8% spoke English, 13.2% Spanish, and 4.7% Hmong as their first language.
Of the 20,535 households, 38.1% had children under living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were not families. About 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.87, and the average family size was 3.34.
In the county, the age distribution was 31.0% under 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,460, and for a family was $34,103. Males had a median income of $27,845 versus $21,301 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,124. About 16.3% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education Higher education is available at Yuba Community College. The county also has a Yuba County Library system with one branch in Marysville.
Yuba County schools have a 16% suspension rate, with 2,257 students receiving suspensions out of 14,027 students enrolled in Yuba County schools.
There is one unified school district covering portions of the county for all grades Kindergarten through 12, Marysville Joint Unified School District, and a section of the county is under the Nevada Joint Union High School District only for high school grades. Additionally, there is one secondary school district, Wheatland Union High School District, and the following elementary school districts: Camptonville Elementary School District, Plumas Lake Elementary School District, and Wheatland Elementary School District. - Text list
Communities
Cities Marysville (county seat) Wheatland