Solano County () is a county in the northeastern San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield.
Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA combined statistical area.
History Solano County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.
At the request of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the county was named for Chief Solano of the Suisun people, a Native American tribe of the region and Vallejo's close ally. Chief Solano at one time led the tribes between the Petaluma River and the Sacramento River. The chief was also called Sem-Yeto, which signifies "brave or fierce hand". The chief was given the Spanish name Francisco Solano during baptism at the Catholic Mission, and is named after the Spanish Franciscan missionary Father Francisco Solano.
Travis Air Force Base is located just east of Fairfield. Between 2017 and 2023, California Forever purchased over 50,000 acres of land in the county for an estimated $900 million to develop a new city.
Region Solano County is the easternmost county of the North Bay. As such, it is sometimes reported by news agencies as being in the East Bay. Additionally, a portion of the county extends into the Sacramento Valley, geographically.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which , comprising 9.3%, are covered by water.
Solano County had several cinnabar mines that operated in the first half of the 20th century, including the Hastings Mine and St. John's Mine.
Adjacent counties Contra Costa County - south Sonoma County - west Napa County - west Yolo County - north Sacramento County - east
National protected area San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Flora and fauna Solano County has a number of rare and endangered species, including the delta green ground beetle, the wildflower Lasthenia conjugens, commonly known as Contra Costa goldfields, and the annual plant Legenere limosa or false Venus' looking glass.
Transportation
Major highways
Public transportation Solano County is served by several transit agencies: SolTrans, formed as a merger between these two existing transit agencies: Vallejo Transit, which also formerly operated the Baylink Ferry to San Francisco Benicia Breeze San Francisco Bay Ferry, with a terminal in Vallejo Fairfield and Suisun Transit Vacaville City Coach Rio Vista Delta Breeze Each agency interconnects with the others, enabling transit trips throughout the county. Service also connects with BART stations in Contra Costa County. Transit links are provided to Napa, Yolo and Sacramento counties as well.
Greyhound and Amtrak provide long-distance intercity service.
Airports General aviation airports in Solano County that are open to the public include the Nut Tree Airport and Rio Vista Municipal Airport.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 453,491. The median age was 39.0 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 38.8% White, 13.7% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 16.0% Asian, 0.9% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 14.7% from some other race, and 14.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 28.3% of the population.
95.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 155,924 households in the county, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 162,237 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.4% were owner-occupied and 37.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.
Racial and ethnic composition
+Solano County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)163,371207,476194,282168,628155,12569.46%60.95%49.24%40.80%34.21%Black or African American alone (NH)27,37243,85857,59758,74360,05111.64%12.88%14.60%14.21%13.24%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,9812,4692,1941,8641,6240.84%0.73%0.56%0.45%0.36%Asian alone (NH)17,37740,49449,39959,02770,9537.39%11.90%12.52%14.28%15.65%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census2,8593,2433,775xx0.72%0.78%0.83%Other race alone (NH)3296079551,4632,9880.14%0.18%0.24%0.35%0.66%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census17,65821,02030,820xx4.48%5.09%6.80%Hispanic or Latino (any race)24,77345,51769,59899,356128,15510.53%13.37%17.64%24.04%28.26%Total235,203340,421394,542413,344453,491 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2014 A 2014 analysis by The Atlantic found Solano County to be the 5th most racially diverse county in the United States, behind Aleutians West Census Area and Aleutians East Borough in Alaska, Queens County in New York, and Alameda County in California.
2010 The 2010 United States census reported that Solano County had a population of 413,344. The racial makeup of Solano County was 210,751 (51.0%) White, 60,750 (14.7%) African American, 3,212 (0.8%) Native American, 60,473 (14.6%) Asian, 3,564 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 43,236 (10.5%) from other races, and 31,358 (7.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 99,356 persons (24.0%). At 52,641 Filipinos in the county making up 12% of the population, Solano County has the largest percentage Filipino population of any county in the United States.
Population racial makeup reported at 2010 United States census Solano County413,344210,75160,7503,21260,4733,56443,23631,35899,356 Benicia26,99719,5681,5101352,9891028951,7983,248Dixon18,35113,023562184671582,8381,0157,426Fairfield105,32148,40716,58686915,7001,14913,3019,30928,789Rio Vista7,3606,0033725335915288270914Suisun City28,11110,8055,7131965,3483402,8982,8116,753Vacaville92,42861,3019,5108465,6065328,1366,49721,121Vallejo115,94238,06425,57275728,8951,23912,7598,65626,165 Allendale1,5061,23949224227973235Elmira1881501102017847Green Valley1,6251,4124168292055121Hartley2,5101,95670247016248126510 All others not CDPs (combined)13,0058,8237641107091021,7577404,027
2000 At the 2000 census there were 394,542 people, 130,403 households, and 97,411 families in the county. The population density was . There were 134,513 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.4% White, 14.9% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 12.8% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 8.0% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. 17.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.5% were of German, 6.4% Irish and 6.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 75.7% spoke English, 12.1% Spanish and 6.6% Tagalog as their first language. Of the 130,403 households 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.6% of households were one person and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.33.
The age distribution was 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median household income was $54,099 and the median family income was $60,597. Males had a median income of $41,787 versus $31,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,731. About 6.1% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense (2011).
Population and crime rates PopulationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 411,620 Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013. 2,064 5.01 Homicide 20 0.05 Forcible rape 112 0.27 Robbery 810 1.97 Aggravated assault 1,122 2.73 Property crime 8,460 20.55 Burglary 4,168 10.13 Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes. 7,018 17.05 Motor vehicle theft 2,084 5.06 Arson 116 0.28
Cities by population and crime rates
Cities by population and crime rates City PopulationUnited States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013. Violent crimes Violent crime rateper 1,000 persons Property crimes Property crime rateper 1,000 persons Benicia 27,459 37 1.35 390 14.20 Dixon 18,708 53 2.83 315 16.84 Fairfield 107,110 454 4.24 3,317 30.97 Rio Vista 7,485 39 5.21 145 19.37 Suisun City 28,593 57 1.99 558 19.52 Vacaville 93,951 246 2.62 2,031 21.62 Vallejo 117,912 878 7.45 5,844 49.56
Government and politics Government
The Government of Solano County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution and law 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, Assessor/Recorder, Auditor-Controller, and Treasurer/Tax Collector/County Clerk, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator. As of March 2023, the members of the Solano County Board of Supervisors were:
Cassandra James, District 1 Monica Brown, District 2, Vice Chair Wanda Williams, District 3 John Vasquez, District 4 Mitch Mashburn, District 5, Chair
Politics
Voter registration statistics
Population and registered voters Total population 411,620 Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow. 210,453 51.1% Democratic 102,177 48.6% Republican 52,633 25.0% Democratic–Republican spread +49,544 +23.6% Independent 5,940 2.8% Green 878 0.4% Libertarian 1,123 0.5% Peace and Freedom 539 0.3% Americans Elect 12 0.0% Other 905 0.4% No party preference 46,246 22.0%