The San Joaquin Valley consists of nine counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare. As of January 1st, 2006, the Valley is home to more than 3,860,000 people. 

With a population of 899,500, Fresno is the largest county in the Valley and the tenth largest in California.  Likewise, Fresno with a population of 471,500 is the largest city in the Valley and the sixth largest in the state.  Kern County is the second largest county of the Valley.  With a growth rate of 2.9 annually, Kern is the fastest growing county in the Valley and the fourth fastest in California.  Following Fresno, the largest counties of the Valley are Kern, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus.  The smallest counties of the Valley are Mariposa, Madera, and Kings.

 The Valley’s population is evenly divided according to gender: 50 percent male and 50 percent female.  Nearly one-fourth of the Valley’s population is under 15 years of age.  Individuals between 15 and 64 years of age make up 65 percent of the population and those 65 years and older account for 10 percent of the population.

The majority of the Valley’s population, 47 percent, is classified as White.  The Hispanic population is comprised of 40 percent of the Valley’s population.  People with Asian ethnicity make up 5 percent and people with African American background consist of 4 percent of the Valley’s population.  The remaining 4 percent of people living in the Valley are classified as American Indian, Pacific Islander, and multi-race.

 Source: Rand California, www.ca.rand.org