Stanislaus County ( ; ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

of the U.S. state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. As of 2023, its estimated population is 564,404. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Modesto. Stanislaus County makes up the Modesto metropolitan statistical area. The county is located just east of the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

and serves as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for those who work in the eastern part of the Bay Area.

History

The first European to see the area was Gabriel Moraga in 1806. The county was named after the Estanislao River, which in turn was named in honor of Estanislao, a mission-educated renegade Native American chief who led a band of Native Americans in a series of battles against Mexican troops until finally being defeated by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Mariano Vallejo in 1826. Estanislao was his baptismal name, the Spanish name version after Saint Stanislaus the Martyr. Between 1843 and 1846, when California was a province of independent Mexico, five Mexican land grants totaling were granted in Stanislaus County. Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas, Rancho Pescadero and Rancho Del Puerto were located on the west side of the San Joaquin River, and Rancho Del Rio Estanislao and Rancho Thompson were on the north side of the Stanislaus River. Additionally in 1844, Salomon Pico received a Mexican land grant of in the

, somewhere near the

Stanislaus River The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the h ...

and the San Joaquin River in what is now Stanislaus County. However, the grant was never confirmed by the land commission. Stanislaus County was formed from part of Tuolumne County in 1854. The county seat was first situated at Adamsville, then moved to Empire in November, La Grange in December, and Knights Ferry in 1862, and was ultimately fixed at the present location in Modesto in 1871. As the price of housing has increased in the San Francisco Bay Area, many people who work in the southern reaches of the Bay Area have opted for the longer commute and moved to Stanislaus County for the relatively

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.3%) are covered by water. Stanislaus County has historically been divided socially and economically by the north-flowing San Joaquin River, which provided a natural barrier to trade and travel for much of the county's history. Isolated from the main rail corridors through the county and the

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

projects that generated much of the region's economic prosperity, the part of Stanislaus County west of the river (known to locals as the "West Side" of the county) has largely remained rural and economically dependent on agricultural activities. Because of its proximity to

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

and the California Aqueduct, some towns within this area, including Patterson and Newman, have experienced tremendous growth and are being transformed into bedroom communities for commuters from the nearby San Francisco Bay Area, while others (including Westley and Crows Landing) have been almost entirely overlooked by development and remain tiny farming communities.

Flora and fauna

A number or rare and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

are found in Stanislaus County. The beaked clarkia, ('' Clarkia rostrata''), is listed as a candidate for the federal endangered species list. It has only been found in blue oak- gray pine associations in the

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, a

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

that occurs at moderately high elevations. Colusa grass, ('' Neostapfsia colusana'') is listed as endangered by the state. It is restricted to vernal pools.

National protected area

* San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Transportation

Major highways

State Route 4 * California 33

State Route 33 * California 99

State Route 99 * California 108

State Route 108 * California 120

State Route 120 * California 132

State Route 132 * California 165

State Route 165 * California 219

State Route 219

Public transportation

* Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority operates local bus service and paratransit in Modesto, regional service in Stanislaus County, and commuter service connecting to Bay Area Rapid Transit and Altamont Corridor Express. *The cities of Ceres, Oakdale, Riverbank, and Turlock run small local bus systems. *Both

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

have stops in Modesto and Turlock. Amtrak for Turlock actually stops in Denair.

Airports

Modesto City-County Airport has previously had a number of scheduled passenger flights. Currently, its main air traffic is general aviation. Other (general aviation) airports around the county include Oakdale Airport, Patterson Airport, and Turlock Airpark.

Demographics

2020 census

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that Stanislaus County had a population of 514,453. The racial makeup of Stanislaus County was 337,342 (65.6%) White, 14,721 (2.9%) African American, 5,902 (1.1%) Native American, 26,090 (5.1%) Asian (1.5% Indian, 1.1% Filipino, 0.7% Cambodian, 0.5% Chinese, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.3% Laotian, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Cambodian), 3,401 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 99,210 (19.3%) from other races, and 27,787 (5.4%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 215,658 persons (41.9%); 37.6% of Stanislaus County is Mexican, 0.6% Puerto Rican, 0.5% Salvadoran, 0.2% Nicaraguan, and 0.2% Guatemalan. (Note - the US Census Bureau says "this system treats race and ethnicity as separate and independent categories. This means that within the federal system, everyone is classified as both a member of one of the four race groups and also as either Hispanic or non-Hispanic." Consequently, there are a total of 8 race-ethnicity categories (e.g., White-Hispanic, White-non-Hispanic, Black-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, etc.). That, in turn, means that the total Hispanic population is made up of each of the four groups, thus the separate distinction for Hispanic and non-Hispanic.)

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 446,997 people, 145,146 households, and 109,585 families were residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The 150,807 housing units had an average density of . The racial/ethnic makeup of the county was 69.3% White, 2.6% Black, 4.2% Asian, 1.3% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 16.8% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. About 31.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race; 8.4% were of German, 6.3% English, 6.0% American, 5.5% Irish, and 5.1% Portuguese ancestry according to Census 2000. About 67.8% spoke English, 23.7% Spanish, 1.5% Syriac, and 1.3% Portuguese as their first languages. Of the 145,146 households, 41.2% had children under 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were not families. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03, and the average family size was 3.47. In the county, the age distribution was 31.1% under 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,101, and for a family was $44,703. Males had a median income of $36,969 versus $26,595 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,913. About 12.3% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.5% of those under 18 and 8.8% of those 65 or over.

Metropolitan statistical area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

has designated Stanislaus County as the Modesto, CA metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

ranked the Modesto MSA as the 103rd-most populous MSA of the United States as of July 1, 2012. The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Modesto MSA as a component of the more extensive San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA combined statistical area, the 5th-most populous combined statistical area in the United States.

Crime

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

Cities by population and crime rates

Government, politics, and policing

Government

The government of Stanislaus County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution and

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

as a general law county. The county government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition, the county serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas. The county government is composed of the elected five-member board of supervisors, several other elected offices including the sheriff-coroner, district attorney, tax assessor, auditor-controller, treasurer-tax collector, and clerk-recorder, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the chief executive officer. As of January 2025, the members of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors were: * Buck Condit, District 1, chairman * Vito Chiesa, District 2, vice chairman * Terry Withrow, District 3 * Mani Grewal, District 4 * Channce Condit, District 5

Policing

Sheriff

The Stanislaus County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. The sheriff also provides law-enforcement services by contract to the municipalities of Riverbank, Patterson, Waterford, Salida, and Hughson. These municipalities fund police coverage as specified in the respective sheriff's contract with each city.

Municipal police

Municipal police departments in the county are: Modesto, population 213,000; Turlock, 73,000; Ceres, 46,000; Oakdale, 23,000; Newman 11,000.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

= Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Just like neighboring Merced County, Stanislaus is considered a bellwether county in presidential elections. The last major-party nominee to gain over 60% of the vote was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Furthermore, in 1960, Stanislaus County was one of the most bellwether counties in terms of the popular vote, voting 0.02% more Democratic than the national average. It has voted for the winning candidate for president in every election since

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, except in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

when it voted for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

instead of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. In

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

won the county in a decisive victory, continuing the county's bellwether county status. Trump's win in Stanislaus county made it one of ten counties to flip from Biden to Trump, as well as making Stanislaus one of six counties to vote for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years since

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, although

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

won a plurality in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, as did

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in both

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and 1996, and as Biden did in 2020. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Stanislaus County is in . In the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

, Stanislaus is represented by: * the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil. In the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

, Stanislaus is split between the 22nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Juan Alanis, and the 9th Assembly District, represented by Republican Heath Flora.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

is Stanislaus County's number one industry, with almonds being the primary agricultural product.

Education

Tertiary

The

California State University, Stanislaus California State University, Stanislaus (Stanislaus State, Stan State) is a public university in Turlock, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. It was established in 1957 and offers 45 bachelor's deg ...

is a campus of the California State University located in Turlock. The Yosemite Community College District covers a 4,500-sq-mi area and serves a population over 550,000, encompassing all of two counties (Stanislaus and Tuolumne) and parts of four others ( Calaveras, Merced, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara). It is composed of two colleges: Modesto Junior College in Modesto and Columbia College in

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

in Tuolumne County to the northeast. Kaplan College has a campus in Modesto, ITT Technical Institute has campus in Lathrop in San Joaquin County to the northeast, and San Joaquin Valley College has campus in Modesto.

K-12 education

Media

Stanislaus County is in the Sacramento television market, thus receives Sacramento media. The county also has media outlets that serve the local community:
''The Modesto Press''
is the local online news site for Modesto and the surrounding areas of the Central Valley.
''The Modesto Bee''
is a Modesto-based daily newspaper.

Communities

Incorporated cities

* Ceres * Hughson * Modesto * Newman * Oakdale * Patterson * Riverbank * Turlock *

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

Census-designated places

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

* Bret Harte * Bystrom * Cowan * Crows Landing * Del Rio * Denair * Diablo Grande * East Oakdale *

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

* Grayson * Hickman * Keyes * Knights Ferry * La Grange * Monterey Park Tract * Orange Blossom * Parklawn * Riverdale Park * Rouse * Salida * Shackelford (former) * Valley Home * West Modesto * Westley

Other unincorporated communities

* Hills Ferry * Langworth *McHenry *Montpelier *Mountain View * Oso * Roberts Ferry * Timba (or Orestimba) * Tuolumne * Wood Colony *Eugene

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Stanislaus County. † ''county seat''

Notes

References

External links

*
Connecting StanislausVisit StanislausStanislaus County FairCalifornia State University StanislausModesto Junior CollegeStanislaus PRIDE CenterStanislaus County Farm BureauStanislaus County Free LibraryStanislaus County Law Library
* {{Coord, 37.56, -120.99, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_source:UScensus1990 California counties San Joaquin Valley 1854 establishments in California Populated places established in 1854 Majority-minority counties in California