Little Change In Census Numbers

While California gets more and more crowded, Marin County's population is relatively unchanged, according to the 2010 U.S. Census numbers released Tuesday.

Larkspur's population fell slightly — by just 1 percent — from April 2000 to April 2010. Corte Madera saw similar results. Of the population in Larkspur, 7.7 percent identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino, while 4.7 percent identified themselves as Asian. African Americans account for 1.6 percent of the city's population.

"We're holding our own," Corte Madera Town Manager David Bracken said. "Our sales tax is heading in the right direction and as far as our property tax goes, that's holding steady, which is better than some other cities."

Marin County's population saw a minor increase up to 252,409 residents. The census numbers are used in part to calculate federal funds distributed to cities for road work, local schools and libraries and other programs.

Bracken cited the nation's continuing economic woes as part of the reason for the numbers. Few houses are on the market in the Twin Cities area, he says, and there aren't many new houses being built.

"I expect by 2013 we'll see the economy on the upswing," Bracken said.

The Golden State grew 10 percent, from 33.8 million residents to 37.2 million residents during that decade, the census reported. That isn't enough to give California any more seats in the U.S. Congress, but the numbers will be used to redraw political jurisdictions within the state.

Most of that growth appears to have come in the counties that span the middle of the state. 

Riverside County had the biggest jump, increasing 41 percent from 2000 to 2010. The city of Beaumont in that county leaped 224 percent from 11,384 to 36,887 people.

Next was Placer County with a 40 percent jump. The city of Lincoln skyrocketed 282 percent from 11,205 to 42,819 people.

Other counties that grew more than 20 percent included Imperial, Kern, Madera, Merced and Tulare.

Los Angeles County’s population edged up 3 percent.  San Francisco County’s population also rose 3 percent, while San Diego County jumped 10 percent.

The only counties that saw population decreases were three small regions in the Sierra Nevada. They were Alpine County (down 3 percent), Plumas County (down 4 percent) and Sierra County (down 9 percent).

Associate Regional Editor David Mills contributed to this story.