Central Valley (California) - Boundaries and Population

Boundaries and Population

The Central Valley is 40 to 60 miles (60 to 100 km) wide, the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay to the west, as far south as the Tehachapi Mountains. The valley is a vast agricultural region drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Counties commonly associated with the valley:

  • North Sacramento Valley (Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Colusa)
  • Sacramento Metro (Sacramento, El Dorado, Sutter, Yuba, Yolo, Placer)
  • North San Joaquin (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced)
  • South San Joaquin (Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern)

About 6.5 million people live in the Central Valley today, and it is the fastest growing region in California. There are 12 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) and 1 Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA) in the Central Valley. Below, they are listed by MSA and μSA population. The largest city is Fresno, followed by the state capital Sacramento.

  • Sacramento Metropolitan Area (2,158,910)
  • Fresno Metropolitan Area (942,904)
  • Bakersfield Metropolitan Area (851,710)
  • Stockton Metropolitan Area (696,214)
  • Modesto Metropolitan Area (518,522)
  • Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area (449,253)
  • Merced Metropolitan Area (259,898)
  • Chico Metropolitan Area (220,266)
  • Redding Metropolitan Area (177,774)
  • Yuba City Metropolitan Area (167,497)
  • Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Area (153,765)
  • Madera Metropolitan Area (152,925)
  • Red Bluff Micropolitan Area (63,601)

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