List of counties in California

See also: List of United States counties and county equivalents

Counties of California
IMP SD RIV ORA SBD LA KER VEN SB SLO MON SBT FRE KIN TUL INY MNO ALP TUO MPA MAD MER SCL SCR SM SF→ ALA CC SJ STA CAL AMA ED SAC SOL YOL NAP MRN SON MEN LAK COL SUT YUB PLA NEV SIE BUT GLE TEH PLU LAS MOD SHA SIS TRI HUM DN
Location	State of California
Created	1850 (27 original counties)
Number	58 counties
Populations	Minimum: Alpine, 1,110 Maximum: Los Angeles, 10,170,292
Areas	Minimum: San Francisco, 47 square miles (120 km2) Maximum: San Bernardino, 20,062 square miles (51,960 km2)
Government	Local government in California
Subdivisions	Charter cities

The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties. The region was first divided into twenty-seven counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen were counties formed through further sub-division from 1861 to 1893. The last, Imperial County, was formed in 1907. California is home to San Bernardino County, the largest county in the contiguous United States, as well as Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States. The most recent county to form was Imperial County, in 1907.

California counties are general law counties by default, but may be chartered as provided in Article XI, Section 3 of the California Constitution. A charter county is granted considerably more home rule authority than a general law county. Of the 58 counties in California, 14 are governed under a charter. They are Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Tehama.

More counties in California are named for saints than in any other state.

List

County	FIPS code	County seat	Established	Formed from	Etymology	General Law or Charter	Population	Area	Map
Alameda County	001	Oakland	1853	Contra Costa and Santa Clara	The oak and other trees, once abundant in the region; alameda is Spanish for "avenue shaded by trees" or "cottonwood grove".	Charter	1,663,190	738 sq mi (1,911 km2)
Alpine County	003	Markleeville	1864	Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Mono and Tuolumne	Location high in the Sierra Nevada; alpine refers to the Alps or other mountains.	General Law	1,120	739 sq mi (1,914 km2)
Amador County	005	Jackson	1854	Calaveras	Jose Maria Amador (1794–1883), a soldier, rancher, and miner who, along with several Native Americans, established a successful gold mining camp near present-day Amador City in 1848.	General Law	38,626	606 sq mi (1,570 km2)
Butte County	007	Oroville	1850	original	Sutter Buttes, which were mistakenly thought to be in the county at the time of its establishment.	Charter	229,294	1,640 sq mi (4,248 km2)
Calaveras County	009	San Andreas	1850	original	Calaveras River; calaveras is Spanish for "skulls".	General Law	45,670	1,020 sq mi (2,642 km2)
Colusa County	011	Colusa	1850	original	Rancho Colus land grant from Mexico.	General Law	21,805	1,151 sq mi (2,981 km2)
Contra Costa County	013	Martinez	1850	original	Location across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco; contra costa is Spanish for "opposite coast".	General Law	1,147,439	720 sq mi (1,865 km2)
Del Norte County	015	Crescent City	1857	Klamath	Location along California's northern border; del norte is Spanish for "northern".	General Law	27,470	1,008 sq mi (2,611 km2)
El Dorado County	017	Placerville	1850	original	El Dorado, a mythical city of gold, owing to the area's significance in the California Gold Rush.	Charter	188,987	1,712 sq mi (4,434 km2)
Fresno County	019	Fresno	1856	Mariposa, Merced and Tulare	The city of Fresno; fresno is Spanish for "ash tree".	Charter	989,255	5,963 sq mi (15,444 km2)
Glenn County	021	Willows	1891	Colusa	Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, a California businessman and politician.	General Law	28,094	1,315 sq mi (3,406 km2)
Humboldt County	023	Eureka	1853	Trinity	Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and explorer.	General Law	136,754	3,573 sq mi (9,254 km2)
Imperial County	025	El Centro	1907	San Diego	Imperial Valley, named after the Imperial Land Company.	General Law	182,830	4,175 sq mi (10,813 km2)
Inyo County	027	Independence	1866	Mono and Tulare	Exact etymology disputed; early settlers believed Inyo to be the native name for area mountains, but it may be the name of a Mono Indian leader.	General Law	18,026	10,192 sq mi (26,397 km2)
Kern County	029	Bakersfield	1866	Los Angeles and Tulare	Edward Kern, cartographer for John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition.	General Law	893,119	8,142 sq mi (21,088 km2)
Kings County	031	Hanford	1893	Tulare	Kings River; original Spanish name Rio de los Santos Reyes ("River of the Holy Kings").	General Law	150,101	1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2)
Lake County	033	Lakeport	1861	Napa	Clear Lake.	General Law	64,246	1,258 sq mi (3,258 km2)
Lassen County	035	Susanville	1864	Plumas and Shasta, and now defunct Lake County, Nevada	Peter Lassen, a Danish naturalist and explorer.	General Law	31,163	4,558 sq mi (11,805 km2)
Los Angeles County	037	Los Angeles	1850	original	The city of Los Angeles, derived from the original Spanish name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula ("The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the River of Porziuncola").	Charter	10,163,507	4,060 sq mi (10,515 km2)
Madera County	039	Madera	1893	Mariposa	The city of Madera, which was named for the forested landscape; madera is Spanish for "wood".	General Law	156,890	2,138 sq mi (5,537 km2)
Marin County	041	San Rafael	1850	original	Exact etymology disputed; probably a corrupted abbreviation of Bahía de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marina, the Spanish name for area headlands along San Francisco Bay.	General Law	260,955	520 sq mi (1,347 km2)
Mariposa County	043	Mariposa	1850	original	The city of Mariposa; mariposa is Spanish for "butterfly".	General Law	17,569	1,451 sq mi (3,758 km2)
Mendocino County	045	Ukiah	1850	original	Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain.	General Law	88,018	3,509 sq mi (9,088 km2)
Merced County	047	Merced	1855	Mariposa	The city of Merced, derived from the original Spanish name El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced ("River of Our Lady of Mercy").	General Law	272,673	1,929 sq mi (4,996 km2)
Modoc County	049	Alturas	1874	Siskiyou	The Modoc people.	General Law	8,859	3,944 sq mi (10,215 km2)
Mono County	051	Bridgeport	1861	Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa	Mono Lake; derived from Monachi, a Yokut name for native peoples of the Sierra Nevada.	General Law	14,168	3,044 sq mi (7,884 km2)
Monterey County	053	Salinas	1850	original	Derived from Monterey Bay, which was named for a Viceroy of New Spain, Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey.	General Law	437,907	3,322 sq mi (8,604 km2)
Napa County	055	Napa	1850	original	Disputed origin; possibly derived from the Patwin word napo, meaning "home".	General Law	140,973	754 sq mi (1,953 km2)
Nevada County	057	Nevada City	1851	Yuba	The phrase Sierra Nevada; nevada is Spanish for "snow-covered," referencing the area's high elevation. The neighboring state was named after the county, which was named after Nevada City.	General Law	99,814	958 sq mi (2,481 km2)
Orange County	059	Santa Ana	1889	Los Angeles	Oranges, which were widely cultivated in the area at the time the county was established.	Charter	3,190,400	948 sq mi (2,455 km2)
Placer County	061	Auburn	1851	Sacramento	California Gold Rush, a reference to the area being a center of the California Gold Rush.	Charter	386,166	1,407 sq mi (3,644 km2)
Plumas County	063	Quincy	1854	Butte	The Feather River; plumas is Spanish for "feathers".	General Law	18,742	2,554 sq mi (6,615 km2)
Riverside County	065	Riverside	1893	San Bernardino and San Diego	The city of Riverside, named for its location on the Santa Ana River.	General Law	2,423,266	7,208 sq mi (18,669 km2)
Sacramento County	067	Sacramento	1850	original	The city of Sacramento, named after the Santisimo Sacramento (Spanish for "Most Holy Sacrament").	Charter	1,530,615	966 sq mi (2,502 km2)
San Benito County	069	Hollister	1874	Monterey	Saint Benedict (Benito is a Spanish diminutive of Benedict).	General Law	60,310	1,389 sq mi (3,597 km2)
San Bernardino County	071	San Bernardino	1853	Los Angeles	The city of San Bernardino, named after Saint Bernardino of Siena (Spanish for Saint Bernardine).	Charter	2,157,404	20,062 sq mi (51,960 km2)
San Diego County	073	San Diego	1850	original	The city of San Diego, from Mission San Diego (Spanish for Saint Didacus).	Charter	3,337,685	4,204 sq mi (10,888 km2)
San Francisco	075	San Francisco	1850	original	The city of San Francisco, from Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asís, named after Saint Francis of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Francis).	Charter	884,363	47 sq mi (122 km2)
San Joaquin County	077	Stockton	1850	original	Spanish for Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary.	General Law	745,424	1,399 sq mi (3,623 km2)
San Luis Obispo County	079	San Luis Obispo	1850	original	The city of San Luis Obispo, from Mission San Luis Obispo, named after Saint Louis of Toulouse (Spanish for Saint Louis, the Bishop).	General Law	283,405	3,304 sq mi (8,557 km2)
San Mateo County	081	Redwood City	1856	San Francisco and Santa Cruz	Spanish for Saint Matthew.	Charter	771,410	449 sq mi (1,163 km2)
Santa Barbara County	083	Santa Barbara	1850	original	The city of Santa Barbara, from Mission Santa Barbara, (Spanish for Saint Barbara).	General Law	448,150	2,738 sq mi (7,091 km2)
Santa Clara County	085	San Jose	1850	original	City of Santa Clara, from Mission Santa Clara de Asís, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Clare).	Charter	1,938,153	1,291 sq mi (3,344 km2)
Santa Cruz County	087	Santa Cruz	1850	original	The city of Santa Cruz, from Mission Santa Cruz (Spanish for "holy cross").	General Law	275,897	446 sq mi (1,155 km2)
Shasta County	089	Redding	1850	original	Mount Shasta; the indigenous Shasta people.	General Law	179,921	3,786 sq mi (9,806 km2)
Sierra County	091	Downieville	1852	Yuba	Sierra is Spanish for "mountain range", a reference to the area's topography.	General Law	2,999	953 sq mi (2,468 km2)
Siskiyou County	093	Yreka	1852	Shasta and Klamath	Siskiyou Mountains; exact etymology of Siskiyou is disputed.	General Law	43,853	6,287 sq mi (16,283 km2)
Solano County	095	Fairfield	1850	original	Chief Solano of the Suisunes.	General Law	445,458	828 sq mi (2,145 km2)
Sonoma County	097	Santa Rosa	1850	original	Exact etymology disputed; probably a Pomo term meaning "valley of the moon," which references a native legend about spiritual activity in the area.	General Law	504,217	1,576 sq mi (4,082 km2)
Stanislaus County	099	Modesto	1854	Tuolumne	Stanislaus River, named after Estanislao, a native of the area when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule.	General Law	547,899	1,495 sq mi (3,872 km2)
Sutter County	101	Yuba City	1850	original	John Sutter, a Swiss pioneer of California associated with the California Gold Rush.	General Law	96,648	603 sq mi (1,562 km2)
Tehama County	103	Red Bluff	1856	Butte, Colusa and Shasta	The city of Tehama, probably a native term describing its location.	Charter	63,926	2,951 sq mi (7,643 km2)
Trinity County	105	Weaverville	1850	original	The city of Trinidad, Spanish for "trinity".	General Law	12,709	3,179 sq mi (8,234 km2)
Tulare County	107	Visalia	1852	Mariposa	Tulare Lake, which is named after the tule rush (Schoenoplectus acutus) that grew in the marshes and sloughs along its shores.	General Law	464,493	4,824 sq mi (12,494 km2)
Tuolumne County	109	Sonora	1850	original	Exact etymology disputed; probably a corruption of the native term talmalamne, which means "cluster of stone wigwams," a reference to local cave dwelling tribes.	General Law	54,248	2,236 sq mi (5,791 km2)
Ventura County	111	Ventura	1872	Santa Barbara	The city of Ventura, derived from Mission San Buenaventura (Spanish for St. Bonaventure).	General Law	854,223	1,846 sq mi (4,781 km2)
Yolo County	113	Woodland	1850	original	The Yolan people, a local Native American tribe.	General Law	219,116	1,012 sq mi (2,621 km2)
Yuba County	115	Marysville	1850	original	Named either by the Maidu people, a local Native American tribe who live on the banks of the Feather and Yuba Rivers, for one of their villages, or by Gabriel Moraga for the wild grapes (Vitis californica) that grow abundantly at the edge of the rivers (uva is Spanish for "grape").	General Law	77,031	630 sq mi (1,632 km2)

Defunct counties

• Klamath County was created in 1851 from the northern half of Trinity County. Part of the county's territory went to Del Norte County in 1857, and in 1874 the remainder was divided between Humboldt and Siskiyou counties.
• Pautah County was created in 1852 out of territory which, the state of California assumed, was to be ceded to it by the United States Congress from territory in what is now the state of Nevada. When the cession never occurred, the California State Legislature officially abolished the never-organized county in 1859.
• Buena Vista County was created in 1855 by the California State Legislature out of the southeastern territory of Tulare County on the west of the Sierra Nevada but was never officially organized. The south of Tulare County was later organized as Kern County in 1866, with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
• Coso County was created in 1864 by the California State Legislature out of territory of Mono County and Tulare County on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada but was never officially organized. The region was later organized in 1866 as Inyo County with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

External links

• California State Association of Counties
• State map showing the county names and linking to county data
• California State Association of Counties- The Creation of Our 58 Counties, with Maps of the 58 Counties Each Decade ca.1850–1900
• California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1907-Present