Editing Placer County, California

{{short description|County in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage. -->
 | name                     = Placer County, California
 | settlement_type          = [[County (United States)|County]]
 | other_name               = 
<!-- Images and maps ------>
 | image_skyline            = {{photomontage
   | photo1a = Auburn Superior Court 3.jpg
   | photo1b = Placer County, CA, USA - panoramio (8).jpg
   | photo2a = Geese on North Tahoe Beach in the morning, Tahoe Vista, 2011.jpg
   | spacing = 2
   | size = 300
   | color = white
   | foot_montage = Images from top, left to right: The Auburn Courthouse, a panorama of a forested area, [[Lake Tahoe]] in [[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]]
}}
 | image_flag               = Flag of Placer, CA.png
 | image_seal               = Seal of Placer County, California.png
 | image_map                = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=250|frame-align=center|type=shape|fill=#ffffff|fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=3}}
 | map_caption              = Interactive map of Placer County
 | image_map1               = Map of California highlighting Placer County.svg
 | mapsize1                 = 200px
 | map_caption1             = Location in the state of [[California]]
<!-- Location ------------->
 | coordinates              = {{coord|39.06|-120.73|type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_source:UScensus1990|display=inline,title}}
 | subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 | subdivision_name         = United States
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of regions of California|Region]]s
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Sacramento Valley]], [[Sierra Nevada]]
 | subdivision_type3        = [[Combined Statistical Area|Metro area]]
 | subdivision_name3        = [[Greater Sacramento]]
<!-- History -------------->
 | established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
 | established_date         = April 25, 1851<ref>{{Cite GNIS|277295|Placer County|access-date=February 6, 2015}}</ref>
 | named_for                = [[Placer mining]], a reference to the area being a center of the [[California Gold Rush]]
<!-- Parts ---------------->
 | seat_type                = [[County seat]]
 | seat                     = [[Auburn, California|Auburn]]
 | seat1_type               = Largest city
 | seat1                    = [[Roseville, California|Roseville]]
<!-- Government ----------->
 | government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council–CEO]]
 | leader_title             = Chair
 | leader_name              = Bonnie Gore
 | leader_title1            = Vice Chair
 | leader_name1             = Shanti Landon
 | governing_body           = {{Collapsible list
  | title = Board of Supervisors<ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Supervisors &#124; Placer County, CA |url=https://www.placer.ca.gov/2231/Board-of-Supervisors}}</ref>
| 1 = Bonnie Gore
| 2 = Shanti Landon
| 3 = Anthony M. DeMattei
| 4 = Suzanne Jones
| 5 = Cindy Gustafson
  }}
 | leader_title4            = County Executive Officer
 | leader_name4             = Daniel J. Chatigny
<!-- Area ----------------->
 | unit_pref                = US
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 1502
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 1407
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 95
<!-- Elevation ------------>
 | elevation_max_footnotes  = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Baldy-West Ridge |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=24582 |access-date=February 6, 2015 |publisher=Peakbagger.com}}</ref>
 | elevation_max_ft         = 9044
 | elevation_min_footnotes  = 
 | elevation_min_ft         = 
<!-- Population ----------->
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_total         = 404739
 | pop_est_as_of            = 
 | pop_est_footnotes        = 
 | population_est           = 
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
<!-- Time zones ----------->
 | timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone]]
 | utc_offset               = &minus;8
 | timezone_DST             = [[Pacific Daylight Time]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = &minus;7
<!-- Codes ---------------->
 | postal_code_type         = <!--[[ZIP code]]s-->
 | postal_code              = 
 | area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
 | area_code                = [[Area code 530|530]], [[Area codes 916 and 279|916, 279]]
 | blank_name_sec1          = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
 | blank_info_sec1          = 06-061
 | blank1_name_sec1         = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info_sec1         = {{GNIS 4|277295}}
 | blank_name_sec2          = Congressional district
 | blank_info_sec2          = [[California's 3rd congressional district|3rd]]
 | website                  = {{URL|www.Placer.CA.gov}}
}}
[[File:Gold-Quartz-22791.jpg|thumb|Gold specimen from the Eagle's Nest Mine, a source of [[specimen gold]] in Placer County]]

'''Placer County''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|l|æ|s|ər}} {{respell|PLASS|ər}}; ''Placer'', [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "sand deposit"), officially the '''County of Placer''', is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]]. As of the [[2020 United States census]], the population was 404,739.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Placer County, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US06061 |access-date=January 30, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Auburn, California|Auburn]].<ref name="GR6">{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

Placer County is included in the [[Sacramento metropolitan area|Greater Sacramento metropolitan area]]. It is in both the [[Sacramento Valley]] and [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] regions, in what is known as the [[Gold Country]]. The county stretches roughly {{convert|65|mi|km}} from Sacramento's suburbs at [[Roseville, California|Roseville]] to the [[Nevada]] border and the shore of [[Lake Tahoe]].

==Etymology==
The discovery of gold in 1848 brought tens of thousands of miners from around the world during the [[California gold rush]]. In addition, many more thousands came to provide goods and services to the miners. On April 25, 1851, the fast-growing county was formed from parts of Sutter and Yuba Counties with Auburn as the county seat. Placer County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits containing gold.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AbbiAgency |date=2024-02-13 |title=A History-Lover's Guide to Placer County |url=https://www.visitplacer.com/blog/a-history-lovers-guide-to-placer-county/ |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=Visit Placer |language=en-US}}</ref> Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier gold, in a process known as "[[placer mining]]".

== History ==
Gold mining was a major industry through the 1880s, but gradually the new residents turned to farming the fertile foothill soil, harvesting timber and working for the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]. Auburn was settled when Claude Chana discovered gold in Auburn Ravine in May 1848, and it later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps. The cornerstone of Placer's courthouse, which is clearly visible from Interstate 80 through Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building was renovated during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public with courtrooms, a sheriff's office and the [[Placer County Museum]]. [[Roseville, California|Roseville]], once a small agricultural center, became a major railroad center and grew to the county's most populous city after Southern Pacific Railroad moved its railroad switching yards there in 1908.

Loomis and Newcastle began as mining towns, but soon became centers of a booming fruit-growing industry, supporting many local packing houses. Penryn was founded by a Welsh miner, Griffith Griffith, who established a large granite quarry. Rocklin began as a railroad town and became home to a number of granite quarries. Lincoln and Sheridan continue to support ranching and farming. Lincoln also is the home of one of the county's oldest businesses, the [[Gladding, McBean]] terra cotta clay manufacturing plant, established in 1875.

The [[1960 Winter Olympics]] were hosted in [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Squaw Valley]], in Placer County.

== Geography ==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has an area of {{convert|1502|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1407|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|95|sqmi}} (6.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_06.txt |access-date=October 3, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Watercourses in Placer County include the [[American River]] and [[Bunch Creek]]. 40.96% of Lake Tahoe's surface area is in Placer County, more than in any of the four other counties in which it lies.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=August 29, 2018 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

The county is typically divided into three regions; "South Placer" in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills south of Auburn, "Gold Country" which consists of the Sierra Foothills around Auburn, Colfax, and Foresthill, and the Sierra Nevada which consists of all areas east of Foresthill and northeast of Colfax (including the Lake Tahoe region). Roughly 3/4ths of the population lives in South Placer, Roseville being the primary job and retail center of the county. Auburn and Lincoln are the main secondary commercial centers.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Nevada County, California|Nevada County]] - north
* [[Washoe County, Nevada]] - northeast
* [[Carson City, Nevada]] - east
* [[Douglas County, Nevada]] - southeast
* [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado County]] - south
* [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento County]] - southwest
* [[Sutter County, California|Sutter County]] - west
* [[Yuba County, California|Yuba County]] - northwest

=== National protected areas ===
* [[Eldorado National Forest]] in part
* [[Tahoe National Forest]] in part

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1860= 13270
|1870= 11357
|1880= 14232
|1890= 15101
|1900= 15786
|1910= 18237
|1920= 18584
|1930= 24468
|1940= 28108
|1950= 41649
|1960= 56998
|1970= 77306
|1980= 117247
|1990= 172796
|2000= 248399
|2010= 348432
|2020= 404739
|estyear=2024
|estimate=433822
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html |access-date=May 10, 2025 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |access-date=January 24, 2022 |publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |access-date=October 3, 2015 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 1995 |editor-last=Forstall |editor-first=Richard L. |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt |access-date=October 3, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2001 |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |access-date=October 3, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Placer County, California – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Placer County, California  |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US06061&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Placer County, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US06061&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name="2020CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Placer County, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US06061&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|207,326
|265,294
|style='background: #ffffe6; |272,471
|83.43%
|76.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |67.32%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|1,896
|4,427
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,440
|0.76%
|1.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.59%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,687
|2,080
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,010
|0.68%
|0.60%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|7,148
|19,963
|style='background: #ffffe6; |34,776
|2.88%
|5.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.59%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|324
|697
|style='background: #ffffe6; |967
|0.13%
|0.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.24%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other Race]] alone (NH)
|336
|603
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,091
|0.14%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|5,753
|10,658
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25,356
|2.32%
|3.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.26%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|24,019
|44,710
|style='background: #ffffe6; |60,628
|9.67%
|12.83%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.98%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''248,399'''
|'''348,432'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''404,739'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

=== 2011 ===

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan=6 | Population, race, and income
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | 343,554
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;White<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 290,923
| 84.7%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 4,587
| 1.3%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 2,654
| 0.8%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 20,515
| 6.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 750
| 0.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 11,478
| 3.3%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| 12,647
| 3.7%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| 43,268
| 12.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $35,583
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $74,645
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $90,446
|}

==== Places by population, race, and income ====

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan=9 | Places by population and race
|-
! Place
! Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
! data-sort-type="number" | White<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001" /><br /><ref name="other" group="note">Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Black or African<br />American<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001" /><br /><ref name="na" group="note">Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Hispanic or Latino<br />(of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003" />
|-
| [[Alta, California|Alta]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 549 || 97.6% || 2.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.4% || 9.8%
|-
| [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 13,476 || 90.4% || 6.7% || 1.2% || 1.0% || 0.7% || 6.6%
|-
| [[Carnelian Bay, California|Carnelian Bay]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 289 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| [[Colfax, California|Colfax]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 1,999 || 92.1% || 5.0% || 2.7% || 0.1% || 0.2% || 4.1%
|-
| [[Dollar Point, California|Dollar Point]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,091 || 98.4% || 1.6% || 0.0% || 0.1% || 0.0% || 8.9%
|-
| [[Dutch Flat, California|Dutch Flat]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 114 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 3.5%
|-
| [[Foresthill, California|Foresthill]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,823 || 84.5% || 7.2% || 2.1% || 0.0% || 6.1% || 0.6%
|-
| [[Granite Bay, California|Granite Bay]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 22,201 || 88.0% || 5.3% || 5.2% || 0.4% || 1.2% || 5.3%
|-
| [[Kings Beach, California|Kings Beach]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,136 || 95.7% || 2.8% || 0.0% || 0.3% || 1.2% || 61.3%
|-
| [[Kingvale, California|Kingvale]] ‡ || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 0 || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| [[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 40,177 || 79.0% || 11.6% || 6.2% || 2.2% || 1.0% || 18.7%
|-
| [[Loomis, California|Loomis]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|Town]] || 6,511 || 92.2% || 3.1% || 3.7% || 0.8% || 0.2% || 3.1%
|-
| [[Meadow Vista, California|Meadow Vista]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,095 || 92.5% || 2.9% || 1.5% || 0.0% || 3.0% || 2.7%
|-
| [[Newcastle, California|Newcastle]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,166 || 87.7% || 7.5% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 4.9% || 10.5%
|-
| [[North Auburn, California|North Auburn]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 13,184 || 83.0% || 10.2% || 4.9% || 1.1% || 0.8% || 16.2%
|-
| [[Penryn, California|Penryn]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 665 || 99.1% || 0.0% || 0.9% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 55,713 || 83.1% || 6.0% || 8.2% || 1.7% || 1.1% || 10.5%
|-
| [[Roseville, California|Roseville]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 116,613 || 81.4% || 7.7% || 8.4% || 1.7% || 0.8% || 15.1%
|-
| [[Sheridan, Placer County, California|Sheridan]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,444 || 85.9% || 6.8% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 7.3% || 13.8%
|-
| [[Sunnyside-Tahoe City, California|Sunnyside-Tahoe City]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,667 || 95.4% || 2.8% || 0.0% || 1.7% || 0.0% || 15.6%
|-
| [[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,376 || 86.4% || 9.4% || 4.1% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 42.5%
|-
| [[Tahoma, California|Tahoma]] ‡ || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 361 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 10.2%
|-
! colspan=9 style="text-align: right; font-weight:normal; font-size: 90%;" | ‡ Data for Placer County area of this CDP
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan=6 | Places by population and income
|-
! Place
! Type<ref name="US-CB" />
! Population<ref name="US-CB-B01003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="currency" | Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301" />
! data-sort-type="currency" | Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013" />
! data-sort-type="currency" | Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113" />
|-
| [[Alta, California|Alta]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 549 || $27,408 || $56,250 || $68,214
|-
| [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 13,476 || $34,471 || $62,600 || $84,679
|-
| [[Carnelian Bay, California|Carnelian Bay]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 289 || $29,998 || $47,900 || $55,000
|-
| [[Colfax, California|Colfax]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 1,999 || $27,379 || $58,750 || $70,455
|-
| [[Dollar Point, California|Dollar Point]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,091 || $36,547 || $70,673 || $74,659
|-
| [[Dutch Flat, California|Dutch Flat]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 114 || $34,586 || $50,288 || $73,056
|-
| [[Foresthill, California|Foresthill]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,823 || $29,272 || $41,410 || $79,276
|-
| [[Granite Bay, California|Granite Bay]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 22,201 || $58,548 || $126,937 || $135,578
|-
| [[Kings Beach, California|Kings Beach]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,136 || $23,607 || $40,060 || $55,268
|-
| [[Kingvale, California|Kingvale]] ‡ || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 0 ||<ref name="ND">Data unavailable</ref>  ||<ref name="ND" />  ||<ref name="ND" />
|-
| [[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 40,177 || $33,260 || $75,071 || $83,373
|-
| [[Loomis, California|Loomis]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|Town]] || 6,511 || $35,922 || $86,990 || $94,966
|-
| [[Meadow Vista, California|Meadow Vista]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,095 || $35,557 || $69,709 || $88,806
|-
| [[Newcastle, California|Newcastle]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,166 || $24,996 || $31,736 || $49,348
|-
| [[North Auburn, California|North Auburn]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 13,184 || $25,674 || $44,107 || $51,752
|-
| [[Penryn, California|Penryn]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 665 || $46,799 || $87,604 || $98,415
|-
| [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 55,713 || $34,658 || $79,675 || $92,295
|-
| [[Roseville, California|Roseville]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 116,613 || $34,047 || $75,245 || $92,433
|-
| [[Sheridan, Placer County, California|Sheridan]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,444 || $24,253 || $67,813 || $81,339
|-
| [[Sunnyside-Tahoe City, California|Sunnyside-Tahoe City]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,667 || $32,055 || $62,470 || $85,776
|-
| [[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,376 || $32,092 || $69,145 || $77,933
|-
| [[Tahoma, California|Tahoma]] ‡ || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 361 || $45,543 || $77,926 || $77,756
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: right; font-weight: normal; font-size: 90%;" | ‡ Data for Placer County area of this CDP
|}

===2010 Census===
The [[2010 United States census]] reported that Placer County had a population of 348,432. The racial makeup of Placer County was 290,977 (83.5%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4,751 (1.4%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 3,011 (0.9%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 20,435 (5.9%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 778 (0.2%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 13,375 (3.8%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 15,105 (4.3%) from two or more races. There were 4,710 [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanics]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latinos]] of any race (12.8%).<ref>{{USCensus2010CA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
!colspan=10|Population reported at [[2010 United States census]]
|-
|{{center|'''The County'''}} ||{{center|'''Total<br/>Population'''}}||{{center|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]'''}} ||{{center|'''[[African American (U.S. Census)|African<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]'''}} || {{center|'''two or<br/>more races'''}} ||{{center|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''}}
|-
|''' Placer County'''
|align="right"|348,432||align="right"|290,977||align="right"|4,751||align="right"|3,011||align="right"|20,435||align="right"|778||align="right"|13,375||align="right"|15,105||align="right"|44,710
|-
|{{center|'''[[Incorporated city|Incorporated<br/>cities and towns]]'''}} ||{{center|'''Total<br/>Population'''}}||{{center|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]'''}} ||{{center|'''[[African American (U.S. Census)|African<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]'''}} || {{center|'''two or<br/>more races'''}} ||{{center|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''}}
|-
|'''[[Auburn, California|Auburn]]'''
|align="right"|13,330||align="right"|11,863||align="right"|100||align="right"|129||align="right"|240||align="right"|9||align="right"|405||align="right"|584||align="right"|1,331
|-
|'''[[Colfax, California|Colfax]]'''
|align="right"|1,963||align="right"|1,759||align="right"|4||align="right"|26||align="right"|29||align="right"|2||align="right"|54||align="right"|89||align="right"|178
|-
|'''[[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]]'''
|align="right"|42,819||align="right"|34,087||align="right"|629||align="right"|399||align="right"|2,663||align="right"|115||align="right"|3,125||align="right"|1,801||align="right"|7,597
|-
|'''[[Loomis, California|Loomis]]'''
|align="right"|6,430||align="right"|5,733||align="right"|33||align="right"|74||align="right"|169||align="right"|12||align="right"|149||align="right"|260||align="right"|568
|-
|'''[[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]]'''
|align="right"|56,974||align="right"|47,047||align="right"|858||align="right"|410||align="right"|4,105||align="right"|150||align="right"|1,538||align="right"|2,866||align="right"|6,555
|-
|'''[[Roseville, California|Roseville]]'''
|align="right"|118,788||align="right"|94,199||align="right"|2,329||align="right"|885||align="right"|10,026||align="right"|346||align="right"|5,087||align="right"|5,916||align="right"|17,359
|-
|{{center|'''[[Census-designated place|Census-designated<br/>places]]'''}} ||{{center|'''Total<br/>Population'''}}||{{center|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]'''}} ||{{center|'''[[African American (U.S. Census)|African<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]'''}} || {{center|'''two or<br/>more races'''}} ||{{center|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''}}
|-
|'''[[Alta, California|Alta]]'''
|align="right"|610||align="right"|592||align="right"|1||align="right"|3||align="right"|5||align="right"|1||align="right"|2||align="right"|6||align="right"|23
|-
|'''[[Carnelian Bay, California|Carnelian Bay]]'''
|align="right"|524||align="right"|493||align="right"|1||align="right"|4||align="right"|14||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|11||align="right"|13
|-
|'''[[Dollar Point, California|Dollar Point]]'''
|align="right"|1,215||align="right"|1,145||align="right"|4||align="right"|6||align="right"|19||align="right"|0||align="right"|24||align="right"|17||align="right"|83
|-
|'''[[Dutch Flat, California|Dutch Flat]]'''
|align="right"|160||align="right"|155||align="right"|0||align="right"|3||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|4
|-
|'''[[Foresthill, California|Foresthill]]'''
|align="right"|1,483||align="right"|1,371||align="right"|8||align="right"|29||align="right"|6||align="right"|2||align="right"|17||align="right"|50||align="right"|97
|-
|'''[[Granite Bay, California|Granite Bay]]'''
|align="right"|20,402||align="right"|17,960||align="right"|148||align="right"|138||align="right"|1,152||align="right"|28||align="right"|222||align="right"|754||align="right"|1,260
|-
|'''[[Kings Beach, California|Kings Beach]]'''
|align="right"|3,796||align="right"|3,216||align="right"|15||align="right"|20||align="right"|14||align="right"|2||align="right"|409||align="right"|120||align="right"|2,115
|-
|'''[[Kingvale, California|Kingvale]]‡'''
|align="right"|143||align="right"|135||align="right"|1||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|2||align="right"|3||align="right"|6
|-
|'''[[Meadow Vista, California|Meadow Vista]]'''
|align="right"|3,217||align="right"|3,017||align="right"|1||align="right"|21||align="right"|35||align="right"|6||align="right"|34||align="right"|103||align="right"|171
|-
|'''[[Newcastle, California|Newcastle]]'''
|align="right"|1,224||align="right"|1,113||align="right"|7||align="right"|19||align="right"|17||align="right"|0||align="right"|35||align="right"|33||align="right"|104
|-
|'''[[North Auburn, California|North Auburn]]'''
|align="right"|13,022||align="right"|11,081||align="right"|115||align="right"|172||align="right"|298||align="right"|13||align="right"|893||align="right"|450||align="right"|2,108
|-
|'''[[Penryn, California|Penryn]]'''
|align="right"|831||align="right"|718||align="right"|3||align="right"|22||align="right"|32||align="right"|3||align="right"|27||align="right"|26||align="right"|79
|-
|'''[[Sheridan, Placer County, California|Sheridan]]'''
|align="right"|1,238||align="right"|1,026||align="right"|7||align="right"|20||align="right"|13||align="right"|3||align="right"|113||align="right"|56||align="right"|253
|-
|'''[[Sunnyside-Tahoe City, California|Sunnyside-Tahoe City]]'''
|align="right"|1,557||align="right"|1,480||align="right"|3||align="right"|4||align="right"|15||align="right"|1||align="right"|32||align="right"|22||align="right"|84
|-
|'''[[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]]'''
|align="right"|1,433||align="right"|1,279||align="right"|3||align="right"|8||align="right"|21||align="right"|2||align="right"|82||align="right"|38||align="right"|352
|-
|'''[[Tahoma, California|Tahoma]]‡'''
|align="right"|411||align="right"|393||align="right"|4||align="right"|3||align="right"|7||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|3||align="right"|16
|-
|{{center|'''Other<br>[[unincorporated area]]s'''}} ||{{center|'''Total<br/>Population'''}}||{{center|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]'''}} ||{{center|'''[[African American (U.S. Census)|African<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]'''}} || {{center|'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]'''}} || {{center|'''two or<br/>more races'''}} ||{{center|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''}}
|-
|All others not CDPs (combined)
|align="right"|57,003||align="right"|51,248||align="right"|478||align="right"|616||align="right"|1,554||align="right"|83||align="right"|1,125||align="right"|1,899||align="right"|4,360
|-
!colspan=10|‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of these CDPs in Placer County
|}

===2000===

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=May 14, 2011 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> of 2000, there were 248,399 people, 93,382 households, and 67,701 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|177|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 107,302 housing units at an average density of {{convert|76|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 88.6% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.9% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 3.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.4% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.2% from two or more races. 9.7% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 15.5% were of [[German Americans|German]], 12.3% [[English Americans|English]], 10.6% [[Irish Americans|Irish]], 7.1% [[Italian Americans|Italian]] and 7.0% [[American ancestry]] according to [[Census 2000]]. 89.7% spoke only [[English language|English]] at home; 6.0% spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]].

There were 93,382 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,535, and the median income for a family was $65,858 (these figures had risen to $68,463 and $80,987 respectively as of a 2007 estimate<ref>{{Cite web |title=Placer County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US06059&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C05000US06059&_street=&_county=placer&_cityTown=placer&_state=04000US06&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211180655/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US06059&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C05000US06059&_street=&_county=placer&_cityTown=placer&_state=04000US06&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null:null&_keyword=&_industry= |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=July 22, 2010 |publisher=Factfinder.census.gov}}</ref>). Males had a median income of $50,410 versus $33,763 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $27,963. About 3.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over. Unemployment in the county is just under 7% which is considerably lower than the state's average.

== Politics, government, and policing ==
===Government===
County government is by a five-person four-year term elected board of supervisors from five single member districts with a board-appointed county manager and his/her department administrators.

===Law enforcement===
The Placer County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for all of Placer County. It provides patrol, detective, and other police services for the unincorporated areas of the county plus by contract to the city of Colfax and the town of Loomis.

===Politics===
====Voter registration====

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible collapsible collapsed"
|+Population and registered voters
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="2020CensusP2" />
| colspan="2" | 404,739
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. [https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/15day-gen-2024/complete-ror.pdf October 21, 2024 - Report of Registration]. Retrieved March 7, 2025.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group="note">Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>
| 291,479
| 72.02%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 91,719
| 31.47%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Republican<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 119,117
| 40.87%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic&ndash;Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS" />
| <span style="color: #800080;">'''-27,398'''</span>
| <span style="color: #800080;">'''-9.40%'''</span>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;American Independent<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 14,217
| 4.88%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Green<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 1,151
| 0.39%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 5,203
| 1.79%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 895
| 0.31%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unknown<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 1,141
| 0.39%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 2,051
| 0.7%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No party preference<ref name="CA-SS" />
| 55,985
| 19.21%
|}

==== Cities by population and voter registration ====

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible collapsible collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+Cities by population and voter registration
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="2020CensusP2" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS" /><br /><ref name="PCT-RV" group="note" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Democratic<ref name="CA-SS" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Republican<ref name="CA-SS" />
! data-sort-type="number" | D&ndash;R spread<ref name="CA-SS" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Third parties, Unknown, Other<ref name="CA-SS" />
! data-sort-type="number" | No party preference<ref name="CA-SS" />
|-
| [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] || 13,776 || 10,072 || 3,488 || 3,724 || <span style="color: #800080;">'''-2.34%'''</span> || 932 || 1,928
|-
| [[Colfax, California|Colfax]] || 1,995 || 1,178 || 302 || 481 || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-15.20%'''</span> || 142 || 253
|-
| [[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]] || 49,757 || 39,135 || 12,368 || 16,676 || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-11.01%'''</span> || 3,235 || 6,856
|-
| [[Loomis, California|Loomis]] || 6,836 || 5,070 || 1,121 || 2,566 || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-28.50%'''</span> || 478 || 905
|-
| [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]] || 71,601 || 47,936 || 15,142 || 19,173 || <span style="color: #800080;">'''-8.41%'''</span> || 4,018 || 9,603
|-
| [[Roseville, California|Roseville]] || 147,773 || 103,882 || 35,396 || 39,078 || <span style="color: #800080;">'''-3.54%'''</span> || 8,382 || 21,026
|
|-
| Unincorporated Areas || 113,001 || 84,206 || 23,902 || 37,419 || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-16.05%'''</span> || 7,471 || 15,414
|}

=== Overview ===
In its early history Placer County was solidly Republican: it voted Republican in every election between 1860 and 1912, when Bull Moose nominee [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was California's official Republican nominee.<ref name="Geography">Menendez, Albert J.; ''The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004'', pp. 153–156 {{ISBN|0786422173}}</ref> Between 1916 and 1976, however, the county voted Republican only in three landslide elections of [[United States presidential election in California, 1920|1920]], [[United States presidential election in California, 1952|1952]] and [[United States presidential election in California, 1972|1972]] – in all of which its GOP margins were much smaller than for the state or nation. Since the "[[Reagan Revolution]]" Placer County has become and remained a stronghold of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]; it consistently elects Republican public officials and has voted for presidential candidates from the party in every election since 1980.

{{PresHead|place=Placer County, California|source=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|123,941|103,958|7,034|California}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|122,488|106,869|5,727|California}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|95,138|73,509|17,377|California}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|99,921|66,818|4,972|California}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|94,647|75,112|4,053|California}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|95,969|55,573|1,736|California}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|69,835|42,449|5,515|California}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|49,808|34,981|9,638|California}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|38,298|30,783|22,285|California}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|42,096|27,516|1,030|California}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|38,035|21,294|1,098|California}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|28,179|17,311|5,950|California}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|18,154|21,026|1,131|California}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|18,597|16,911|1,437|California}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|12,427|14,050|2,667|California}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|9,389|18,256|31|California}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|10,439|13,304|120|California}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|9,059|10,611|69|California}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|9,841|9,444|168|California}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|5,570|8,837|702|California}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|4,196|7,149|64|California}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|3,887|8,402|147|California}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|2,321|7,959|108|California}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|2,242|6,200|241|California}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|3,669|3,685|96|California}}
{{PresRow|1924|Progressive|2,192|390|3,402|California}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|2,894|1,559|416|California}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|1,954|3,375|462|California}}
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|15|1,823|2,519|California}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|1,865|1,491|269|California}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|2,050|1,023|201|California}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|2,009|1,592|76|California}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|1,890|1,721|65|California}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|1,743|1,524|271|California}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|1,761|1,547|56|California}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|1,749|1,483|75|California}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|1,643|1,416|58|California}}

In the [[United States House of Representatives]], Placer County is within California's [[California's 3rd congressional district|3rd]]  congressional district, represented by {{Representative|cacd|3}}.

In the [[California State Senate]], Placer County is split between the [[California's 1st State Senate district|1st]], [[California's 4th State Senate district|4th]], and [[California's 6th State Senate district|6th]] districts,<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 Citizens Redistricting Commission Senate Districts |url=https://sdmg.senate.ca.gov/sites/sdmg.senate.ca.gov/files/2021/2021_crc_sd_state_a_final.pdf |publisher=California Citizens Redistricting Commission}}</ref> represented by {{Representative|casd|1}}, {{Representative|casd|4}}, and {{Representative|casd|6}}, respectively.

In the [[California State Assembly]], the county is split between the [[California's 1st State Assembly district|1st]], [[California's 3rd State Assembly district|3rd]], and [[California's 5th State Assembly district|5th]] districts,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Maps |url=https://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/transition/maps-final-draft-assembly-districts/ |publisher=California Citizens Redistricting Commission}}</ref> represented by {{Representative|caad|1}}, {{Representative|caad|3}}, and {{Representative|caad|5}} respectively.

=== Crime ===

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and crime rates
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001" />
| colspan="2" | 343,554
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. [http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf Table 11: Crimes &ndash; 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222315/http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf |date=December 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
| 816 || 2.38
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 6 || 0.02
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 61 || 0.18
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 156 || 0.45
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 593 || 1.73
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 4,274 || 12.44
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 1,606 || 4.67
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" /><ref name="LT-note group=note" group="note"">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref>
| 5,513 || 16.05
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 711 || 2.07
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11" />
| 42 || 0.12
|}

=== Cities by population and crime rates ===

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="9" | Cities by population and crime rates
|-
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California)]. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8" />
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
|-
| [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] || 13,787 || 44 || 3.19 || 249 || 18.06
|-
| [[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]] || 44,378 || 14 || 0.32 || 506 || 11.40
|-
| [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]] || 58,865 || 49 || 0.83 || 917 || 15.58
|-
| [[Roseville, California|Roseville]] || 122,896 || 293 || 2.38 || 3,288 || 26.75
|}

==Economy==

===Top employers===

According to the county's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>[http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Auditor/~/media/aud/documents/cafr10/CAFR63010.ashx County of Placer CAFR]</ref> the top employers in the county are:

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
|[[Kaiser Permanente]]
|3,064
|-
|2
|[[Hewlett-Packard]]
|2,500
|-
|3
|Placer County
|2,400
|-
|4
|[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
|2,000
|-
|5
|[[Sutter Health]]
|1,983
|-
|6
|[[Northstar at Tahoe]]
|1,500
|-
|7
|[[Thunder Valley Casino Resort]]
|1,412
|-
|8
|[[Roseville, California|City of Roseville]]
|1,282
|-
|9
|PRIDE Industries
|1,135
|-
|10
|[[Raley's Supermarkets]]
|1,006
|-
|}

===mPOWER Placer===

[http://www.mpowerplacer.org/ mPOWER Placer] is Placer County's [[PACE financing|Property Assessed Clean Energy]] (PACE) program. It provides financing to commercial, industrial, agricultural and multifamily property owners to install energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy retrofits. The program, administered by the [http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Tax.aspx Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office], was approved by the Board of Supervisors on February 9, 2010, and launched on March 22, 2010, and is open to eligible Placer County property owners.

==Transportation==
{{See also|Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area}}

=== Major highways ===

* [[File:I-80 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 80 in California|Interstate 80]]
* [[File:California 28.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 28|State Route 28]]
* [[File:California 49.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 49|State Route 49]]
* [[File:California 65.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 65|State Route 65]]
* [[File:California 89.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 89|State Route 89]]
* [[File:California 174.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 174|State Route 174]]
* [[File:California 193.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 193|State Route 193]]
* [[File:California 267.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 267|State Route 267]]

=== Public transportation ===

* [[Placer County Transit]] provides basic bus service primarily along the I-80 corridor between Alta and the Watt Ave. [[Sacramento Regional Transit]] light rail station. PCT also runs commuter service to Downtown Sacramento.
* [[Roseville, CA|Roseville]] has its own [[Roseville Transit|local fixed route transit service]] and a commuter service to Sacramento. Lincoln previously operated transit and Auburn operates a [[Demand-responsive transport|dial-a-ride]] service.
* [[Gold Country Stage]] (Nevada County) provides a connection between Auburn and Grass Valley.
* [[Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit]], operated by Placer County and the City of Truckee, operates in [[Truckee, CA|Truckee]] (Nevada County), [[Tahoe City, CA|Tahoe City]] and along the North Shore of [[Lake Tahoe]] to [[Incline Village, Nevada]].
* [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]] and [[Amtrak]] provide long-distance intercity service.

=== Airports ===

There are three general aviation airports in Placer County:

* [[Lincoln Regional Airport (California)|Lincoln Regional Airport]]
* [[Auburn Municipal Airport (California)|Auburn Airport]]
* [[Truckee-Tahoe Airport]]

The closest commercial airport is [[Sacramento International Airport]] in Sacramento.

==Communities==
===Cities===
* [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] (county seat)
* [[Colfax, California|Colfax]]
* [[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]]
* [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]]
* [[Roseville, California|Roseville]]

===Towns===
* [[Loomis, California|Loomis]]

===Census-designated places===
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Alta, California|Alta]]
* [[Carnelian Bay, California|Carnelian Bay]]
* [[Cedar Flat, California|Cedar Flat]]
* [[Dollar Point, California|Dollar Point]]
* [[Dutch Flat, California|Dutch Flat]]
* [[Foresthill, California|Foresthill]]
* [[Granite Bay, California|Granite Bay]]
* [[Kings Beach, California|Kings Beach]]
* [[Kingvale, California|Kingvale]]
* [[Meadow Vista, California|Meadow Vista]]
* [[Newcastle, California|Newcastle]]
* [[North Auburn, California|North Auburn]]
* [[Penryn, California|Penryn]]
* [[Sheridan, Placer County, California|Sheridan]]
* [[Sunnyside-Tahoe City, California|Sunnyside-Tahoe City]]
* [[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]]
* [[Tahoma, California|Tahoma]]
{{div col end}}

===Other communities===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Applegate, California|Applegate]]
* [[Baxter, California|Baxter]]
* [[Blue Canyon, California|Blue Canyon]]
* [[Bowman, California|Bowman]]
* [[Emigrant Gap, California|Emigrant Gap]]
* [[Northstar California|Northstar]]
* [[Ophir, California|Ophir]]
* [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Olympic Valley]]
* [[Weimar, California|Weimar]]
{{Div col end}}

===Ghost town===
* [[Iowa Hill]]

===Population ranking===
The population ranking of the following table is based on the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] of Placer County.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |access-date=October 8, 2021 |website=United States Census Bureau }}</ref>

'''†''' ''county seat''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!City/Town/etc.
!Municipal type
!Population (2020 Census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 1
|'''[[Roseville, California|Roseville]]''' 
| City
| 147,773
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 2
|'''[[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]]''' 
| City
| 71,601
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 3
|'''[[Lincoln, California|Lincoln]]''' 
| City
| 49,757
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 4
|'''[[Granite Bay, California|Granite Bay]]''' 
| CDP
| 21,247
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 5
|'''†''' '''[[Auburn, California|Auburn]]''' 
| City
| 13,776
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 6
|'''[[North Auburn, California|North Auburn]]''' 
| CDP
| 13,452
|- style="background:#F0F8FF;"
| 7
|'''[[Loomis, California|Loomis]]''' 
| Town
| 6,836
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 8
|'''[[Kings Beach, California|Kings Beach]]''' 
| CDP
| 3,563
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 9
|'''[[Meadow Vista, California|Meadow Vista]]''' 
| CDP
| 3,263
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 10
|'''[[Colfax, California|Colfax]]''' 
| City
| 1,995
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 11
|'''[[Foresthill, California|Foresthill]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,692
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 12
|'''[[Sunnyside-Tahoe City, California|Sunnyside-Tahoe City]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,555
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 13
|'''[[Tahoe Vista, California|Tahoe Vista]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,392
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 14
|'''[[Sheridan, Placer County, California|Sheridan]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,385
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 15
|'''[[Newcastle, California|Newcastle]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,321
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 16
|'''[[Dollar Point, California|Dollar Point]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,261
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 17
|'''[[Penryn, California|Penryn]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,150
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 18
|'''[[Tahoma, California|Tahoma]]''' (''partially in [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado County]]'') 
| CDP
| 1,034
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 19
|'''[[Alta, California|Alta]]''' 
| CDP
| 615
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 20
|'''[[Carnelian Bay, California|Carnelian Bay]]''' 
| CDP
| 518
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 21
|'''[[Dutch Flat, California|Dutch Flat]]''' 
| CDP
| 183
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 22
|'''[[Kingvale, California|Kingvale]]''' (''mostly in [[Nevada County, California|Nevada County]]'') 
| CDP
| 128
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 23
|'''[[United Auburn Indian Community|Auburn Rancheria]]'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Website Services & Coordination |title=2010 Census Interactive Population Map (Text Version) - U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=0120 |website=www.census.gov}}</ref> 
| [[AIAN (U.S. Census)|AIAN]]
| 2
|}

==Education==
School districts include:

Unified K-12:<ref name=PlacerCoSDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06061_placer/DC20SD_C06061.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Placer County, CA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-08-28}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06061_placer/DC20SD_C06061_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Center Joint Unified School District]]
* [[Rocklin Unified School District]]
* [[Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District]]
* [[Western Placer Unified School District]]
{{div col end}}

Secondary school districts:<ref name=PlacerCoSDMap2020/>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[East Nicolaus Joint Union High School District]]
* [[Placer Union High School District]]
* [[Roseville Joint Union High School District]]
{{div col end}}
Additionally, [[Twin Rivers Unified School District]] includes a section of the county for grades 9–12 only.<ref name=PlacerCoSDMap2020/>

Elementary school districts:<ref name=PlacerCoSDMap2020/>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Ackerman Elementary School District]]
* [[Alta-Dutch Flat Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Auburn Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Colfax Elementary School District]]
* [[Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District]]
* [[Elverta Joint Elementary School District]]
* [[Eureka Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Foresthill Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Loomis Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Newcastle Elementary School District]]
* [[Placer Hills Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Pleasant Grove Joint Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Roseville City Elementary School District]]
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
*[[List of school districts in Placer County, California]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Placer County, California]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.placer.ca.gov/|Official '''Placer County''' website}}
* [https://www.visitplacer.com/ Placer County Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.placer.ca.gov/library Placer County Library]
* [http://www.placernaturecenter.org Placer Nature Center]
* [https://www.placer.ca.gov/museums Placer County Museums]
* [http://www.placersentinel.com/ Placer Sentinel Newspaper]
* [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/01/brown-calls-special-election-for-4th-assembly-district.html Special Election called for 4th Assembly District], November 1, 2011
* [http://www.placer.networkofcare.org/mh Placer County Network of Care]

{{Geographic location
| Centre    = Placer County, California
| North     = [[Nevada County, California|Nevada County]]
| Northeast =
| East      = [[Washoe County, Nevada]] and [[Carson City, Nevada]]
| Southeast = [[Douglas County, Nevada]]
| South     = [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado County]]
| Southwest = [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento County]]
| West      = [[Sutter County, California|Sutter County]]
| Northwest = [[Yuba County, California|Yuba County]]
}}
{{Cities of Placer County, California}}
{{Greater Sacramento}}
{{Sacramento Valley}}
{{California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Placer County, California| ]]
[[Category:California counties]]
[[Category:Counties in the Sacramento metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Sacramento Valley]]
[[Category:Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1851]]