Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Tuolumne County comprises the Sonora, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is in the Sierra Nevada region.
The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county.
Etymology The name Tuolumne is of Native American origin and has been given different meanings, such as Many Stone Houses, The Land of Mountain Lions, and Straight Up Steep, the latter an interpretation of William Fuller, a native Chief. Mariano Vallejo, in his report to the first California State Legislature, said that the word is "a corruption of the Native American word talmalamne which signifies 'cluster of stone wigwams.'" The name may mean "people who dwell in stone houses," i.e., in caves.
History Tuolumne County Boundaries
One of California's original 27 counties, Tuolumne was organized in 1850.
Prior to the official naming of counties by the state, Tuolumne was sometimes referred to as Oro County.
The original lines of Tuolumne County were not long established. In 1854 and 1855 the portion of Tuolumne County that extended west into the San Joaquin Valley was reorganized as Stanislaus County. In 1864 a number of the original counties including Tuolumne contributed lands that would lead to the establishment of Alpine County to the northeast. With the State's Adoption of the Political Code in 1872 the current boundaries of Tuolumne County were largely established as shown in the maps below.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water. A California Department of Forestry document reports Tuolumne County's include federal lands such as Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Indian reservations. Notable landforms in the county include Table Mountain.
Special Districts Special districts in Tuolumne County include: Belleview Elementary School District Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District Chinese Camp Elementary School District Columbia Fire District Columbia Union Elementary School District Curtis Creek Elementary School District Groveland Community Services District Jamestown Elementary School District Jamestown Fire District Mi-Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District Sonora Elementary School District Sonora Union High School District Soulsbyville Elementary School District Strawberry Fire District Summerville Elementary School District Summerville Union High School District Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District Tuolumne County Water District No. 1 Tuolumne Fire District Tuolumne Regional Water District Tuolumne Utilities District Twain Harte Fire District Twain Harte-Long Barn Union Elementary School District Yosemite Community College District
Adjacent counties Alpine County - north Calaveras County - northwest Stanislaus County - southwest Mariposa County - south Madera County - southeast Mono County - east Merced County - southwest
Geographical features Environmental Red Hills (Tuolumne County) (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) Stanislaus National Forest (National protected area, part) Yosemite National Park (NPA, part)
Valleys Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Lone Gulch Tiltill Valley
Transportation
Major highways California State Route 49 California State Route 108 California State Route 120 California State Route 132
Public transportation Tuolumne County Transit bus routes radiate from Sonora to serve most of the county. In Columbia, a connection can be made to Calaveras County Transit. There is no public transportation into or out of Tuolumne County that connects to any of the closest metropolitan areas.
Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) makes a single daily round trip from Sonora into Yosemite Valley during the summer months.
Airports Columbia Airport and Pine Mountain Lake Airport are both general aviation airports located in the Southwest and Northeast corners of the county respectively.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Population and crime rates PopulationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 55,736 Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013. 158 2.83 Homicide 1 0.02 Forcible rape 25 0.45 Robbery 19 0.34 Aggravated assault 113 2.03 Property crime 669 12.00 Burglary 354 6.35 Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes. 846 15.18 Motor vehicle theft 100 1.79 Arson 11 0.20
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 Sonora 4,804 20 4.07 311 63.33 \
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 55,620 and a median age of 48.9 years. 16.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 79.5% White, 1.8% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.0% from some other race, and 10.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.8% of the population.
52.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 22,711 households in the county, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 31,415 housing units, of which 27.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.7% were owner-occupied and 28.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Tuolumne County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)30,94541,88746,37745,32542,25491.21%86.44%85.09%81.87%75.97%Black or African American alone (NH)3731,5291,1351,1149891.10%3.16%2.08%2.01%1.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5998768648307841.77%1.81%1.59%1.50%1.41%Asian alone (NH)1893623775307700.56%0.75%0.69%0.96%1.38%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 Census8162110xx0.15%0.11%0.20%Other race alone (NH)4176472303130.12%0.16%0.09%0.42%0.56%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,1751,3563,276xx2.16%2.45%5.89%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,7813,7264,4455,9187,1245.25%7.69%8.16%10.69%12.81%Total33,92848,45654,50155,36555,620 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Tuolumne County had a population of 55,365. The racial makeup of Tuolumne County was 48,274 (87.2%) White, 1,143 (2.1%) African American, 1,039 (1.9%) Native American, 572 (1.0%) Asian, 76 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,238 (4.0%) from other races, and 2,023 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,918 persons (10.7%).
Population reported at 2010 United States censusThe County TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race) Tuolumne County55,36548,2741,1431,039572762,2382,0235,918Incorporatedcities and towns TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)Sonora4,9034,4022495791284207542Census-designatedplaces TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)Cedar Ridge1,1321,066365154671Chinese Camp126920700161125Cold Springs1811751310014Columbia2,2972,064272629127123171East Sonora2,2662,1297163213546152Groveland6015422992172049Jamestown3,4332,9482096274135203511Long Barn15514013005613Mi-Wuk Village94187151730113471Mono Vista3,1272,79665838861160300Phoenix Lake4,2693,991154050351119305Pine Mountain Lake2,7962,596182524721105183Sierra Village456421373171436Soulsbyville2,2152,0383411323880206Strawberry86820000137Tuolumne City1,7791,54713831215073206Tuttletown66861351451121848Twain Harte2,2262,0265343144680171Otherunincorporated areas TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)All others not CDPs (combined)21,70817,735985459211281,6166742,847
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,501 people, 21,004 households, and 14,240 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 28,336 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 94.7% spoke English and 3.5% Spanish as their first language.
There were 21,004 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 111.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,725, and the median income for a family was $44,327. Males had a median income of $35,373 versus $25,805 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,015. About 8.1% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government and policing County government The Government of Tuolumne County is established and defined by the California Constitution and is a five-member elected Board Of Supervisors who serve four year elected terms. The government provides services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. The Board is the government for all unincorporated areas. Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County.
Sheriff and police The Tuolumne 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.
Within the city limits of Sonora, patrol and detective services are served by the Sonora Police Department.
Politics
Voter registration statistics