Solano County One of Slowest Growers in State, Census Says

Solano County One of Slowest Growers in State, Census Says
By Ben Antonius

FAIRFIELD - Solano County added less than 1,000 residents between July 2005 and July 2006, making it one of the slowest-growing of California's 58 counties, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The data, released March 22, shows the county population growing by 894 people during those 12 months - from 410,786 to 411,680. That is an increase of 0.2 percent, 45th of the 58 counties and well below the 0.8 average statewide.

Solano County has added 17,167 residents since the 2000 census, according to the bureau estimates. That's a 4.4 percent growth rate, good for 35th in the state. The figures are a surprise, said Mike Ammann, Solano Economic Development Corp. president.

"You don't see a lot of the developments that have been put up not securing households," he said. "If you look at our unemployment rates, it's always been in the 5, maybe 6 percent range. If there were a lot of people who were unemployed, you could understand why people might not want to stay . . . but that hasn't been the case."

Yuba and Plumas counties were the fastest- and slowest-growing counties by percentage, with Yuba County growing by 4.8 percent and Plumas County losing 0.7 percent in the year. In terms of sheer numbers, Riverside County added the most residents - more than 80,000 - and Monterey lost the most - just over 2,000.

Of Solano's neighboring counties, Yolo County grew by 1.6 percent in 2005-2006, Napa County grew by 0.8 percent, Contra Costa County grew by 0.7 percent and Sonoma County was virtually unchanged.

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.