History
Santa Clara County was one of the original counties of California, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. Part of the county's territory was given to Alameda County in 1853.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,377 km² (1,304 mi²). 3,343 km² (1,291 mi²) of it is land and 34 km² (13 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.02% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,682,585 people, 565,863 households, and 395,538 families residing in the county. The population density is 503/km² (1,304/mi²). There are 579,329 housing units at an average density of 173/km² (449/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 53.83% White, 2.80% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 25.56% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 12.13% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. 23.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 565,863 households out of which 34.90% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% are married couples living together, 10.00% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% are non-families. 21.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.92 and the average family size is 3.41.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 35.40% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 102.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $74,335, and the median income for a family is $81,717. Males have a median income of $56,240 versus $40,574 for females. The per capita income for the county is $32,795. 7.50% of the population and 4.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.40% are under the age of 18 and 6.40% are 65 or older.