HomeCaliforniaSonoma County
Sonoma County, California: commercial real estate data.
Sonoma County, California had an estimated 485,375 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.7 percent since the 2020 census base of 488,862, across 1,576 square miles. County output reached $39.45 bn in 2024, 14,572 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 555 7(a) approvals worth $348.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Sonoma County
How many people live in Sonoma County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024485,040
- Households190,998
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$104,674
- Median age42.9
- Median gross rent$2,158 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$815,500
- Home value to household income7.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income24.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher38.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over354,661
- Population under 1892,397
- Share under 1819.0 percent
- Population 65 and over104,389
- Share 65 and over21.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64288,254
- Civilian labor force258,155
- Unemployment rate5.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.7 percent
- Rank by population among California counties17th of 58
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included150th of 3,222
Sonoma County is the 17th largest of 58 California counties by population. A median home costs 7.8 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 21.5 percent against 19.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sonoma County
Is Sonoma County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024485,375
- Census 2020 base population488,862
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.71 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20242,009
- Births, 20244,240
- Deaths, 20244,393
- Natural change, 2024-153
- Net domestic migration, 2024-206
- Net international migration, 20242,349
- Total net migration, 20242,143
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-8,101
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2091st of 3,144
The county has lost 0.71 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Sonoma County
Where are people moving to Sonoma County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving9,989
- People arriving, from those returns15,551
- Tax returns filed by households leaving10,799
- Net household movement-810
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.43 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-2.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$142,818
- Average income of a leaving household$132,364
- Largest single originMarin County (1,182 households)
- Largest single destinationMarin County (583 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marin County | 1,182 | 1,953 | $143.2 m |
| San Francisco County | 793 | 1,233 | $274.7 m |
| Alameda County | 622 | 980 | $94.5 m |
| Contra Costa County | 408 | 658 | $52.2 m |
| Los Angeles County | 396 | 575 | $42.2 m |
| San Mateo County | 366 | 579 | $99.9 m |
| Santa Clara County | 358 | 551 | $83.5 m |
| Napa County | 335 | 512 | $38.0 m |
Households arriving report $10,454 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Marin County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Sonoma County
What is the Sonoma County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$39.45 bn
- County GDP, 2023$38.08 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years24.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among the California areas BEA publishes17th of 58
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes151st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$81,329
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 24.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Sonoma County
Employment by industry in Sonoma County
- Covered employment, annual average206,849
- Establishments reporting21,652
- Average annual pay$71,422
- Average weekly wage$1,373
- Health care and social assistance, employment33,992
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$75,712
- Retail trade, employment22,460
- Retail trade, average annual pay$46,087
- Accommodation and food services, employment21,171
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$36,237
- Manufacturing, employment21,072
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$94,399
- Construction, employment16,281
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment12,838
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 33,992 | 7,438 | $75,712 |
| Retail trade | 22,460 | 1,542 | $46,087 |
| Accommodation and food services | 21,171 | 1,283 | $36,237 |
| Manufacturing | 21,072 | 1,066 | $94,399 |
| Construction | 16,281 | 2,308 | $85,465 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 12,838 | 918 | $54,054 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 8,517 | 1,735 | $98,379 |
| Other services, except public administration | 7,686 | 1,390 | $56,950 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 33,992 jobs, 16.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Sonoma County
How many businesses are in Sonoma County?
- Establishments, all industries14,572
- Employment at those establishments177,367
- Annual payroll$12.28 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents30.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Sonoma County
Building permits in Sonoma County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241,012
- Declared construction value permitted$293.8 m
- Single family units authorized832
- Multifamily units authorized180
- Multifamily share of units17.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$290,279
- Units authorized per 1,000 households5.3
Single-family homes are 82.2 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Sonoma County
SBA loans in Sonoma County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded555
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$348.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$627,332
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,649,400
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)6,153
- Jobs per approval11.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active71
- Distinct industries receiving approvals200
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms111
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter414
- Franchise loans37
- Franchise share of approvals6.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (30)
- Most active lenderRedwood CU (66)
- 504 approvals recorded436
- 504 gross approval dollars$355.1 m
- Average 504 approval$814,415
- Median 504 approval$548,000
- Distinct CDCs active12
- 504 jobs per approval9.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.2
- Most active CDCBay Area Employment Development Company (175)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$703.3 m
The average approval of $627,332 sits well above the median of $300,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 20.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sonoma County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Sonoma County
Do SBA loans in Sonoma County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded92
- Paid in full85
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans7.6 percent
- Status: Paid in full85
- Status: Cancelled53
- Status: Exempt from disclosure389
- Status: Charged off7
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed21
Of the 92 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.6 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sonoma County
SBA lending by place in Sonoma County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending24
- Santa Rosa, approvals227
- Petaluma, approvals89
- Rohnert Park, approvals43
- Sonoma, approvals41
- Sebastopol, approvals35
- Healdsburg, approvals34
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa | 227 | $146,293,000 |
| Petaluma | 89 | $50,871,100 |
| Rohnert Park | 43 | $19,497,800 |
| Sonoma | 41 | $20,410,700 |
| Sebastopol | 35 | $17,444,500 |
| Healdsburg | 34 | $27,818,800 |
| Windsor | 25 | $9,578,800 |
| Cotati | 16 | $8,831,800 |
| 16 other borrower cities | 45 | $47,422,800 |
Santa Rosa accounts for 227 approvals against 89 in Petaluma. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sonoma County
How large is Sonoma County?
- Land area1,576 sq mi
- Rank by land area among California counties29th of 58
- Width, east to west62.6 mi
- Height, north to south51.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land308
- Establishments per square mile9.25
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Sonoma County
Flood risk in Sonoma County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Sonoma County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 060375
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 10
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book10
- Of those, participating in the NFIP10
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 6
- Communities carrying a CRS class2
- Radon levels in Sonoma County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Sonoma County (community 060375), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 10, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Sonoma County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 6, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Sonoma County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Sonoma County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024485,040
- Households190,998
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$104,674
- Median age42.9
Common questions
Sonoma County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sonoma County, California?
The Census Bureau estimates 485,375 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 485,040, in 190,998 households, ranking 17th of 58 California counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Sonoma County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.71 percent since the 2020 census base of 488,862, to 485,375 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 4,240 births against 4,393 deaths, with net migration of 2,143. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Sonoma County?
$104,674. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $815,500, which is 7.8 times income, and median gross rent is $2,158 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Sonoma County?
14,572 establishments, employing 177,367 people with an annual payroll of $12.28 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Sonoma County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 33,992 jobs, 16.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 206,849 jobs at an average annual pay of $71,422, or $1,373 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Sonoma County?
555 7(a) approvals totaling $348.2 m since FY2020, across 71 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 436 504 approvals worth $355.1 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Sonoma County get paid back?
Of the 92 loans that have reached a final outcome, 85 were paid in full and 7 charged off, a charge-off rate of 7.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Sonoma County?
1,012 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $293.8 m. Multifamily was 17.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Sonoma County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Sonoma County come from?
The largest single origin is Marin County, with 1,182 households. Arriving households report an average income of $142,818 against $132,364 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Sonoma County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Sonoma County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Sonoma County
Cities and places in Sonoma.
38 Census places lie wholly or partly in Sonoma County. 37 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa | city | 177,090 | 227 | Wholly in this county |
| Petaluma | city | 59,247 | 89 | Wholly in this county |
| Rohnert Park | city | 44,575 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| Windsor | town | 26,081 | 25 | Wholly in this county |
| Healdsburg | city | 11,243 | 34 | Wholly in this county |
| Sonoma | city | 10,670 | 41 | Wholly in this county |
| Cloverdale | city | 8,886 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Larkfield-Wikiup | CDP | 8,765 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cotati | city | 7,489 | 16 | Wholly in this county |
| Sebastopol | city | 7,445 | 35 | Wholly in this county |
| Boyes Hot Springs | CDP | 7,247 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Guerneville | CDP | 4,100 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Forestville | CDP | 3,717 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| El Verano | CDP | 3,443 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente | CDP | 3,347 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sonoma State University | CDP | 2,210 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Penngrove | CDP | 2,119 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Graton | CDP | 1,806 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Temelec | CDP | 1,628 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Eldridge | CDP | 1,379 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sea Ranch | CDP | 1,287 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Occidental | CDP | 1,225 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Bodega Bay | CDP | 1,139 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Glen Ellen | CDP | 1,078 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Kenwood | CDP | 1,028 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Monte Rio | CDP | 876 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Petaluma Center | CDP | 763 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Geyserville | CDP | 672 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Cazadero | CDP | 483 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fulton | CDP | 453 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bloomfield | CDP | 324 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Timber Cove | CDP | 199 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bodega | CDP | 134 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sereno del Mar | CDP | 101 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Carmet | CDP | 85 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Salmon Creek | CDP | 40 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Jenner | CDP | 18 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Valley Ford | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 6 of the county's 555 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Sonoma County, the largest being Duncans Mills (2), Orange (1), Belmont (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby