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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns 5 External links |
History
Contra Costa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county was originally to be called Mt. Diablo County, but the name was changed prior to incorporation as a county. Parts of the county's territory were given to Alameda County in 1853.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,078 km² (802 mi²). 1,865 km² (720 mi²) of it is land and 213 km² (82 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.25% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 948,816 people, 344,129 households, and 242,266 families residing in the county. The population density is 509/km² (1,318/mi²). There are 354,577 housing units at an average density of 190/km² (492/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 65.50% White, 9.36% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 10.96% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 8.06% from other races, and 5.13% from two or more races. 17.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 344,129 households out of which 35.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% are married couples living together, 11.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% are non-families. 22.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.23.
In the county the population is spread out with 26.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $63,675, and the median income for a family is $73,039. Males have a median income of $52,670 versus $38,630 for females. The per capita income for the county is $30,615. 7.60% of the population and 5.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.80% are under the age of 18 and 6.00% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
External links