economic & demographic...

Sonoma County Economic Development Board

Sonoma County 2012-13 Economic & Demographic Profile

Center for Economic Development at CSU, Chico

Page ii

Acknowledgements

The CED wishes to acknowledge the work of the staff who produced this profile:

Warren Jensen, Project ManagerDave Armstrong, Research AssistantNick Billeci, Research AssistantCollin Blower, Research AssistantDanny Greenwood, Research Assistant Everett Straus, Research Assistant

Dan Ripke, CED DirectorJ. Joshua Brown, CED Information TechnologyAndria Gilbert, CED Administrative Manager

Special thanks go out to the Sonoma County Economic Development Board for providing the sponsorship that made this profile possible.

Jeff Boland, Program ManagerAl Lerma, Program ManagerBen Stone, EDB Director

Sponsors

Executive

RE PUBLIC

CALIFORNIA

A G R I C U LT U R EI N D U S T R Y

R E C R E A T I O N

SONOMA COUN

TY

With acknowledgement and appreciation to local key businessessupporting Sonoma County Economic Development:

Director

■ County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors Sonoma County Health Services

Economic Development Board401 College Avenue, Suite DSanta Rosa, CA 95401(707) 565-7170www.sonomaedb.org


Page iii

Introduction

Welcome to the 2012 Sonoma County Economic and De-mographic Profile. The data and information contained in this profile is the latest available as of October 15, 2011, and shows a history of change back to 2000, where data is avail-able.

The document was produced by the Center for Economic De-velopment at California State University, Chico. We special-ize in providing the most recent, reliable, relevant information for your communities and businesses. Please visit our Web-site at www.cedcal.com for more information.

Linkages Between Indicators

Most indicators in this document are, in some way, linked with most of the others. For example, poverty is linked with teen-age pregnancy, urban land consumption is linked with agricul-tural production, and age distribution is linked with compo-nents of personal income. These are just a few examples of hundreds of indicator linkages that can be documented. We

encourage the user to think about indicator linkages and how work to improve the status of one indicator can affect both positive and negative change in other indicators. Doing this, we effectively work to improve the quality of our commu-nity’s environment, economy, and society.

Austin CreekSRA

AnnadelState Park

Salt PointState Park

SugarloafRidgeStatePark

Sonoma CoastState Beach

Robert Louis Stevenson SP

Jack London State Park

Berkeley Music Camp

Gualala Point County Park

Fort Ross State Hist Park

Kruse RhododendronRSV St Park

Dry CreekRancheria

Stewarts Point Rancheria

Mendocino County

Sonoma County

LakeCounty

Napa County

Marin County

City of Sonoma

City ofSanta Rosa

City ofPetaluma

Town of Windsor

City ofRohnert Park

City of Healdsburg

City of Cloverdale

City of Cotati

City of Sebastopol

116

175

12

121

37

221

1212

101

101

1

128

116

29

12

128

1

29

1

37

116

101

LakeSonoma

Pacific Ocean

Freeways

Major Highways

Other Highways

Major Roads

Cities

Railroad

Water

American Indian Areas

Built Areas >2,500 Pop.

Natl, State Parks/Forests


Page iv

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this document used? This document is used to easily collect, use, and report the latest demographic, environmental, economic, social, and in-dustry data on Sonoma County. The data can be used for grant writing, market analysis, community promotion, business planning, community planning, or simply to satisfy general curiosity.

How is this document organized? The 2012 Economic and Demographic Profile Series was reorganized to reflect trends in five core community aspects: population, environment, economy, society, and industry. Increasingly, community analysts evaluate performance based on one or more of these five core subjects. Therefore, the 2012 Profile Series was designed to make finding data on these subjects easier. The subjects are based on concepts behind sustainable economic development. The basic idea is that growth in one core aspect is not beneficial if it comes at a cost to other aspects. For example, economic growth coupled with environmental decline may not produce a net benefit for the community. Similarly, environmental improvement at a high economic or social cost can result in net benefits declining. Therefore, organization of data into these core categories not only helps analysts find relevant community data more easily, but also and also helps frame the evaluation of the data.

What are statistical indicators? Indicators are bits of information that highlight what is happening in a larger system. They are small windows that together provide a glimpse of the “big picture.” Indicators provide feedback on the overall health of our community in the same way that body temperature and blood pressure tell us about our personal health. From these indicators, we seek more detailed information or a diagnosis as well as identify coordinated actions. They tell us whether a community is working well and give some initial direction as to where to look to fix problems. They tell us which direction a critical aspect of our community, economy, or environment is going: forward or backward, increasing or decreasing, improving or deteriorating, or staying the same.

How was the data selected this year? Data selected for presentation this year was based on spon-sor requests and feedback, availability of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other data providers of interest to the general public, and the availability of annual data for every county in California. If you are looking for a specific piece of data on the county or any of its communities, please feel free

to contact the Center for Economic Development at 530-898-4598 and our research staff will gladly direct you to the most recent and reliable measure.

Why was the Sonoma County profile produced and not other California Counties? The Sonoma County Economic and Demographic Profile was made possible by a generous sponsorship from the Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB). The EDB has two major functions that are supported by the Sonoma County Economic and Demographic Profile:

� To provide information and referral services to help local businesses to start up, succeed, and grow.

� To develop and disseminate factual data regarding signifi-cant economic activities, trends and projections for Sonoma County. In addition, the EDB Executive Director performs numerous activities on behalf of the Board of Supervisors ranging from coordination to analysis of issues impacting Sonoma County.

The EDB uses this information to provide assistance ser-vices directed toward encouraging the startup, retention and expansion of Sonoma County businesses and jobs, particularly with small businesses; creation of new jobs and employment opportunities; and diversification of economic activity and strengthening the County’s tax base.

Can I copy the tables and charts in this report and insert them in my own documents? Yes, certainly! Adobe Acrobat allows you to copy images and paste them into your own documents. If you are using Acro-bat Reader version 10, go to the edit menu and select “Take a Snapshot.” Click and drag to create a box around the graphic you wish to copy. Reader will copy the image in the box au-tomatically. Simply paste the graphic in your word processor or graphic design software. If you want to improve the quality of the image, zoom in to the document in Acrobat a level of at least 100%.

If you copy and paste images from this document, please be sure to include or cite the source of the data as indicated in the data tables. We also request that you credit the Center for Eco-nomic Development at CSU, Chico for providing the research and formatting, and our sponsor, the Sonoma County Eco-nomic Development Board, for making the graphics possible. Thank you in advance!


Page v

Table of Contents

1 Demographic Indicators �� 1

1.1 Total Population 21.2 Components of Population Change 31.3 Daytime Population 41.4 Migration Patterns 51.5 Age Distribution 61.6 Population by Race and Ethnicity 7

2 Environmental Indicators �� 9

2.1 Land Area & Population Density 102.2 Urban Land Consumption 112.3 Harvested Acreage 122.4 Climate Data 132.5 Air Quality 142.6 Travel Time to Work 152.7 Means of Transportation to Work 162.8 Commute Patterns 172.9 Traffic Volume 182.10 Electricity Use 192.11 Natural Gas Use 20

3 Economic Indicators �� 21

3.1 Labor Force 223.2 Employment 233.3 Unemployment 243.4 Seasonal Employment 253.5 Jobs By Industry 263.6 Employers By Employment Size and Industry 283.7 Total Personal Income 303.8 Components of Personal Income 313.9 Per Capita Income 333.10 Earnings By Industry 343.11 Median Household Income 353.12 Poverty Rates 363.13 Fair Market Rent 37

3.14 Jobs and Wages By Occupation 383.15 Median Home Price 403.16 Housing Affordability Index 413.17 Commercial Vacancy Rates 42

4 Social Indicators �� 43

4.1 Leading Causes of Death 444.2 Teenage Pregnancy 464.3 Infant Mortality 474.4 Low Birth Weight Infants 484.5 Late Prenatal Care 494.6 TANF-CalWORKS Caseload 504.7 Medi-Cal Caseload 514.8 School Free and Reduced Meal Program 524.9 Educational Attainment 534.10 High School Dropout Rate 544.11 Graduates Eligible For UC and CSU Systems 554.12 Average SAT Scores 564.13 English Learners Enrollment 574.14 Crime Rates 594.15 Voter Registration and Participation 61

5 Industry Indicators �� 63

5.1 Agricultural Including Forestry and Fishing 645.2 Energy and Utilities 685.3 Construction 705.4 Manufacturing 755.5 Travel and Recreation 775.6 Retail 795.7 Government 82


Page vi


Page 1

Section 1: Demographics

1 Demographic Indicators

Demographic indicators describe the volume of the human population in the community. Basic demographic characteris-tics such as age and ethnicity provide a framework from which most other community indicators are based.

The population is growing in Sonoma County, but slower than in the state. Growth since 2000 is due primarily to major in-creases to net migration. In- and out-migration is largely with neighboring Marin County and San Francisco County as well as other bay area counties. Age groups that have increased since 2000 are 18 to 24, 55 to 74, and 85 and over. Sonoma County shows a more dominant older population then Cali-fornia, with greater percentages in all age groups. All race and ethnicities increased in Sonoma County except for the white population between 2000 and 2010.

In This Section:1.1 Total Population ............................................... 21.2 Components of Population Change .................. 31.3 Daytime Population .......................................... 41.4 Migration Patterns ............................................ 51.5 Age Distribution ............................................... 61.6 Population by Race and Ethnicity .................... 7


Page 2

1�1 Total Population

What is it? Total population is the number of people who consider the area their primary residence. It does not include persons who are here temporarily, unless they consider this area their primary residence. It also does not include the incarcerated population. The data is estimated annually by the California Department of Finance and reflects population estimates on January 1 of that year. The data is released annually on May 1.

How is it used? Population represents a general overview of the size of the consumer market, labor availability, and the potential impact of human habitation on the environment. The data is often required for grant applications and business and community development plans.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County is currently home to 487,011 people as of January 1st 2012. Population growth has been positive for the last ten years, with an annual average increase of 2,509 people (0.9 percent). Between 2001 and 2012, population grew by 7 percent.

Sonoma County Population, Nonincarcerated

YearSonomaCounty

1-year change

CA 1-yearchange

2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012

456,899462,958465,726467,139469,103469,734469,751471,479474,819478,622482,961485,082487,011

n/a1.3 %0.6 %0.3 %0.4 %0.1 %0.0 %0.4 %0.7 %0.8 %0.9 %0.4 %0.4 %

n/a1.6 %1.4 %1.3 %1.2 %0.8 %0.7 %0.8 %0.8 %0.7 %0.7 %0.8 %0.4 %

Source: California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit

440,000

450,000

460,000

470,000

480,000

490,000

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

County Population Sonoma County

0.0%0.2%0.4%0.6%0.8%1.0%1.2%1.4%1.6%1.8%

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

Population Annual Percent Change Sonoma County

California

City Population, Sonoma County2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Santa Rosa 146,871 149,691 152,461 154,855 156,245 157,175 158,365 159,716 162,657 165,405 167,302 168,856 168,841Petaluma 53,896 55,340 55,557 55,587 55,785 55,973 55,991 56,230 56,792 57,344 57,791 58,319 58,165Rohnert Park 42,209 42,046 41,710 41,687 41,284 40,985 41,290 40,997 41,000 40,938 40,952 41,194 40,846Windsor 22,529 23,498 24,048 24,327 24,760 25,212 25,710 26,121 26,325 26,565 26,751 26,936 27,003Healdsburg 10,896 11,316 11,504 11,414 11,361 11,305 11,222 11,161 11,133 11,203 11,249 11,475 11,442Sonoma 9,232 9,531 9,560 9,712 9,912 10,029 10,135 10,245 10,337 10,471 10,605 10,711 10,665Cloverdale 6,697 7,073 7,319 7,465 7,940 8,169 8,371 8,397 8,484 8,542 8,594 8,665 8,629Sebastopol 7,772 7,748 7,697 7,616 7,541 7,470 7,368 7,321 7,244 7,250 7,380 7,423 7,405Cotati 6,480 6,469 6,649 6,663 6,834 7,065 7,085 7,219 7,219 7,232 7,258 7,308 7,276

Source: California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit


Page 3


1�2 Components of Population Change

What is it? The California Department of Finance releases annual estimates on how births, deaths, and net migration influence annual population change at the county level. The number of births and deaths is from the California Department of Public Health. The natural rate of population change is calculated by subtracting births from deaths. The remaining change in popu-lation is due to net migration. Net migration is in-migration minus out-migration. In- and out-migration are not indepen-dently estimated by the Department of Finance.

How is it used? If growth is primarily due to natural increase, then the commu-nity may be a place where families are growing. If natural rate of change is negative (more deaths than births), then gener-ally age distribution is weighted towards older populations. Migration can occur for several reasons. People may migrate either in or out primarily due to employment opportunities, housing prices, and quality of life, although migration has de-creased significantly in recent years due to the lagging national

-4,000

-2,000

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Components of Population Change,Sonoma County

Natural IncreaseNet MigrationTotal Change

economy.

How is Sonoma County doing? During 2009, there was a net migration of 4,379 people in Sonoma County. There were 5,629 births and 3,919 deaths, resulting in a natural increase of 1,710 people. Although the sum of natural increase from 2000 to 2009 was greater than the sum of net migration by nearly three times (19,340 to 6,722), net migration has been the biggest factor in population growth overall since 2007.

Components of Population Change, Sonoma CountyNatural Net Total

Year Births Deaths Increase Migration Change2000 5,629 3,919 1,710 4,349 6,059 2001 5,697 3,914 1,783 985 2,768 2002 5,793 3,792 2,001 - 588 1,413 2003 5,903 3,859 2,044 - 80 1,964 2004 5,743 3,627 2,116 - 1,485 631 2005 5,763 3,745 2,018 - 2,001 17 2006 5,795 3,698 2,097 - 369 1,728 2007 5,809 3,831 1,978 1,362 3,340 2008 5,652 3,862 1,790 2,013 3,803 2009 5,696 3,893 1,803 2,536 4,339 Source: California Department of Public Health and CaliforniaDepartment of Finance, Demographic Research Unit


Page 4

1�3 Daytime Population

What is it? The daytime population is calculated using total population, workers working in the area, and workers living in the area. The data is provided by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for the years 2005-2010. This indicator represents the number of people within the area during busi-ness hours which includes those working but living outside of the county.

How is it used? Workers who commute are more likely to shop in a commu-nity other than the one where they live, making daytime popu-lation a better estimate of market potential for some industries serving residents.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County has experienced substantial increases in daytime population since 2005. The largest one year change occurred from 2009 to 2010 which increased by 3.62 percent. In 2009 the daytime population increase is due to increasing population as the local workforce shrunk after 2008.

Daytime Population, Sonoma County

Estimated

YearTotal

PopulationWorkforce

Commuting InWorkforce

Commuting OutDaytime

Population2002 465,726 39,896 67,300 438,322 2003 467,139 40,831 65,460 442,510 2004 469,103 43,813 66,156 446,760 2005 469,734 46,798 66,371 450,161 2006 469,751 46,933 66,022 450,662 2007 471,479 52,167 65,371 458,275 2008 474,819 50,152 72,275 452,696 2009 478,622 50,237 69,676 459,183 Source: California Dept. of Finance, U.S. Census Bureau's Longitudinal Employment Data

425,000

430,000

435,000

440,000

445,000

450,000

455,000

460,000

465,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Daytime Population Sonoma County


Page 5


1�4 Migration Patterns

What is it? This indicator includes migration patterns between this county and those with the highest levels of migratory interaction. It includes the top ten counties in terms of out-migration and in-migration. Collected from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), these numbers are based on income taxes paid by all people in households. Migrants to and from group quarters, such as col-lege dormitories, nursing homes, or correctional institutions, are not included.

How is it used? Migration data can indicate changes in the economic, political, and social structure of an area based on these characteristics in the area from which the migrants originate. For example, migrants coming from large cities bring with them a particu-lar set of characteristics and values that may affect the local political and social climate. They also bring their patterns of consumer spending that create opportunities for businesses to provide the kinds of products and services these individu-als are accustomed to receiving at their urban place of origin. Neighboring counties, as well as those with higher population totals, generally show the most migration activity. However,

if a non-neighboring county, even one with a smaller total population, is present among the top few counties in terms of migration, there may be a unique interaction that is worth further evaluation.

The portion of population growth driven by in-migration is the product of some economic factor or amenity attracting new residents. The attraction could be an increase in employment opportunities, the recognition of the environmental advantages of the area, or expanding business opportunities. In general, new residents do not move to an area without good reason, and when they do, they fuel economic expansion.

How is Sonoma County doing? More people migrate between Sonoma County and Marin County than any other county, with San Francisco County rounding out second in both in- and out-migration. Migration origins and destinations are mostly the same, except for in-migration from Mendocino County and out-migration to Santa Clara County.

Top 10 In-Migration by County 2008-09 - Sonoma, CACounty NumberMarin, CA 1,531San Francisco, CA 683Los Angeles, CA 561Lake, CA 560Alameda, CA 553Napa, CA 471Contra Costa, CA 459Mendocino, CA 452Sacramento, CA 441Solano, CA 392

Source: Internal Revenue Service, 2009

Top 10 Out-Migration by County 2008-09 - Sonoma, CACounty NumberMarin, CA 1,101San Francisco, CA 595Alameda, CA 531Sacramento, CA 498Solano, CA 450Contra Costa, CA 432Lake, CA 407Los Angeles, CA 375Napa, CA 374Santa Clara, CA 369

Source: Internal Revenue Service, 2009


Page 6

1�5 Age Distribution

What is it? Population by age is the number of permanent residents of the area categorized by age as of April 1 of the given year. The data is from the Decennial Census of 2000 and 2010. The data includes the incarcerated population.

How is it used? Age distribution information is valuable to companies that target specific age groups. It is used for revenue projections, business plans, and for marketing. Age distribution affects the area’s school system, public services, and overall economy. It is also an important measure of diversity within a com-munity. A large older teen and young adult demographic has a greater need for higher education and vocational training facilities, while a large middle-aged group creates more focus on employment opportunities. An area with a large mature or retired population typically has fewer employment concerns, but a greater need for medical and social services. A county with a large number of young children is attractive to day care centers, and other family-related services. Age distribution information is also used in conjunction with components of

population change in order to project population growth in the future.

How is Sonoma County doing? The greatest population change in the county came from the older generations with 55 to 64 year olds increasing 70.8 per-cent, 65 to 74 year olds by 29.8 percent and 85 and older by 35.8 percent. The age group with the most residents is the 40 to 54 year olds, at 105,153 persons.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Under5

5 to17

18 to24

25 to39

40 to54

55 to64

65 to74

75 to84

85 andover

Percent of Population by Age, 2010 Sonoma CountyCalifornia

Non-Incarcerated Population by Age, Sonoma CountyAge Range 2000 2010Under 5 years 27,597 28,1995 to 17 years 84,556 78,27218 to 24 years 40,548 46,08125 to 39 years 95,244 90,26540 to 54 years 112,554 105,15355 to 64 years 40,138 68,54465 to 74 years 27,394 35,54475 to 84 years 22,329 20,61485 years and over 8,254 11,206

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 and Census 2010

Population by Age Compared to California, Sonoma CountyPercent of total 2000 to 2010

in 2010 10-year ChangeAge Range County California County CaliforniaUnder 5 years 5.8 % 6.8 % 2.2 % 1.8 %5 to 17 years 16.2 % 18.2 % - 7.4 % 0.0 %18 to 24 years 9.5 % 10.5 % 13.6 % 16.5 %25 to 39 years 18.7 % 21.2 % - 5.2 % - 1.9 %40 to 54 years 21.7 % 21.1 % - 6.6 % 12.3 %55 to 64 years 14.2 % 10.8 % 70.8 % 54.4 %65 to 74 years 7.3 % 6.1 % 29.8 % 20.5 %75 to 84 years 4.3 % 3.7 % - 7.7 % 6.9 %85 years and over 2.3 % 1.6 % 35.8 % 41.2 %


0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

Under5

5 to17

18 to24

25 to39

40 to54

55 to64

65 to74

75 to84

85 andover

County Population by Age 2000

2010

-20%-10%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Under5

5 to17

18 to24

25 to39

40 to54

55 to64

65 to74

75 to84

85 andover

Population Change by Age, 2000-2010 Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 7


1�6 Population by Race and Ethnicity

What is it? While sometimes difficult to classify, race and ethnicity of a population is self-determined, meaning that individuals iden-tify their own race or ethnicity in the census. There are seven major race/ethnic categories: American Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, White, and other. Alternative names for these classifications are also used to address matters of social sensitivity, although the people classified in each of these categories remains the same. The CED uses these classifications only because these are the names used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data in the table is sorted by size of race/ethnic category in 2010.

How is it used? Population by race statistics are used by advertisers to market products to a particular ethnic group and to determine whether investments in businesses with race specific target markets are likely to be lucrative. For example, investing in a start-up Spanish radio station may be a better investment in a predomi-nantly Hispanic area. Advertising companies use race/ethnicity data in order to make their advertisements appealing to the dominant ethnic groups in a given area. Grant writers use race/ethnicity data to create arguments to acquire funding for pro-grams targeted toward specific groups, or to show population disparities that are favorable in grant priority scoring. Govern-ment officials and political candidates also use race/ethnicity data in order to tailor their campaigns to distinct ethnic groups in certain locations.

How is Sonoma County doing? Approximately 70 percent of residents in Sonoma County classified themselves as White in 2010, compared to 40 percent of Californians. Hispanics represented the next largest group, with 26 percent of the population, compared to 38 per-cent in California. At close to 4 percent, Asians were the third largest ethnicity. Over the past ten years, the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population has increased the fastest at 73 percent. However, the demographic represents less than half a percent of the population. Conversely, the Hispanic population had the greatest numerical increase of 40,919 more residents. At negative 6.3 percent, Whites were the only race to decrease in this time period.

County Population by Race/Ethnicity

400,000350,000300,000250,000200,000150,000100,00050,000

0White Hispanic American Black or

or Latino Indian AfricanAmerican

Asian

2000

2010

NativeHawaiian

and PacificIslander

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

White Hispanic orLatino

AmericanIndian

Black orAfrican

American

Asian NativeHawaiian

and PacificIslander

Percent of Population by Race/Ethnicity, 2010

Sonoma CountyCalifornia

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

White Hispanic orLatino

AmericanIndian

Black orAfrican

American

Asian NativeHawaiian

and PacificIslander

Population Change by Race/Ethnicity,2000-2010



Page 8

Sonoma County Population by Race/Ethnicity Compared to CaliforniaPercent of Total in 2010 2000 to 2010 10-year Change

2000 2010 County California County CaliforniaWhite 341,686 320,027 66.1 % 40.1 % - 6.3 % - 5.4 %Hispanic or Latino 79,511 120,430 24.9 % 37.6 % 51.5 % 27.8 %American Indian 3,477 3,584 0.7 % 0.4 % 3.1 % - 9.3 %Black or African American 6,116 6,769 1.4 % 5.8 % 10.7 % - 0.8 %Asian 13,786 17,777 3.7 % 12.8 % 28.9 % 30.9 %Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 828 1,434 0.3 % 0.3 % 73.2 % 23.9 %



Page 9

Section 2: Environment

2 Environmental Indicators

Environmental indicators describe the quality of the physical places with which humans interact, especially land, air, and water resources. The indicators include measures linked with land consumption for development and air pollution.

The physical environment of Sonoma County is healthier and subject to fewer pressures than average in California, although some environmental pressures are on the rise locally. Harvest-ed farmland acreage has seen an increase over the past year. Climate change has led to declining average temperatures in both January and July, although precipitation has been increas-ing. Travel time to work is much lower than the state average, leading to less pressure on air pollution, although commute times have increased since 2000, especially in 45-59 minute drives. More people do drive to work than the state average, although alternate means of transportation to work is on the rise, including bicycling and working at home. Along these lines, more people are commuting out of Sonoma County to work since 2002, although workforce commuting in has been increasing as well. Still, traffic volumes have not risen sig-nificantly since 1999, with the exception of U.S. Highway 101 north of the Central Windsor exit, which saw a 22.4 percent increase in traffic. Daytime population has been increasing since 2005 from 453,850 to 485,120 in 2010. County residents use much more electricity per capita than the state average, as well as more natural gas per capita than the state. Non-residential gas consumption per capita is much lower than the state.

In This Section:2.1 Land Area & Population Density ..................102.2 Urban Land Consumption .............................112.3 Harvested Acreage .........................................122.4 Climate Data ..................................................132.5 Air Quality .....................................................142.6 Travel Time to Work ......................................152.7 Means of Transportation to Work ..................162.8 Commute Patterns .........................................172.9 Traffic Volume ...............................................182.10 Electricity Use .............................................192.11 Natural Gas Use ...........................................20


Page 10

2�1 Land Area & Population Density

What is it? Population density is determined by dividing the total popula-tion (non-incarcerated) of the area by its land area in square miles. It indicates the degree to which the county is more urban or rural. Urban and rural are relative concepts. For example, people living in San Francisco may consider Santa Rosa to be rural, while residents of Sebastopol may refer to Santa Rosa as “the city.” How is it used? Economic use for land includes the production of raw mate-rials, factories and other production facilities, office space, housing, food production, recreation, and transportation of goods and people. As population density rises, certain ac-tivities become more expensive to maintain. Farming can be crowded out by more profitable industrial or residential development. This structural change is likely to be associated with increasing area economic activity, but can also lead to ad-verse impacts on the quality of life including the mental health (stress) and physical well-being (increased exposure to toxins) of a community.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County’s total land area is 1,576 square miles. Be-cause population has increased while land area has remained constant, the county’s population density has risen steadily over time. As of January 1, 2011, the population density in the county was 309 residents per square mile, putting it above the average California population density of 241 residents per square mile.

Land Area and Population Density, Sonoma County

Land area TotalPopulation density

(per sq. mile)Year (sq. miles) population County State20012002200320042005200620072008200920102011

1,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,5761,576

462,958465,726467,139469,103469,734469,751471,479474,819478,622482,961487,125

293.8295.5296.4297.7298.1298.1299.2301.3303.7306.5309.1

220223225228230232233235237239241

Source: California Department of Finance

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Population Density (per sq. mile) CaliforniaSonoma County


Page 11


2�2 Urban Land Consumption

What is it? Every two years, the California Department of Conservation conducts aerial land surveys in agricultural areas to determine the extent to which farmland may or may not be replaced by other uses over time. Generally, the most common land use conversion is from agriculture to urban developed land. There-fore, in this process, the amount of urban land is recalculated every two years. Urban land acreage values are shown as persons per urban acre to measure the efficiency of housing population in new urban lands.

How is it used? Urban land use efficiency in terms of persons per urban acre is a measure of land use sustainability. More compact devel-opment allows the housing of more people on fewer acres of land, which means less land is taken from agriculture and other potentially productive land uses.

How is Sonoma County doing? Since 2000, Sonoma County has observed urban land growth and declining total farmland. Farmland saw its biggest de-crease from 2000 to 2002 with a loss of 11,898 acres.

Land Use in Acres, Sonoma CountyUrban and Grazing Water Other

Year Built-Up Land Farmland Land Area Land2000 70,137 173,906 432,724 17,354 331,9372002 72,847 162,008 421,166 17,354 352,6852004 72,935 162,110 420,322 17,354 353,3342006 74,231 160,339 420,022 17,532 353,9312008 74,231 160,342 420,022 17,533 353,931Source: California Department of Conservationn/a: Data not reported by source

-14,000-12,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000-2,000

02,0004,000

2000-02 2002-04 2004-06 2006-08

Urban Land Consumption, TwoYear Change in Land Use (Acres)

FarmlandUrban


Page 12

2�3 Harvested Acreage

What is it? This indicator reports agricultural land in production every year. Harvested acreage of agricultural land is reported by the County Agricultural Commissioner to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, there is no consistent methodol-ogy for estimating harvested acreage from county to county, or from year to year. Commissioners are required to base their estimate on a local survey, which makes these figures the most reliable, consistent, and continuous measure available.

Total Harvested Acreage, Sonoma CountyTotal Acres Percent of

Year Harvested Total Land Area2000 446,796 44.3 %2001 448,964 44.5 %2002 446,900 44.3 %2003 604,726 60.0 %2004 476,602 47.3 %2005 441,555 43.8 %2006 425,270 42.2 %2007 422,788 41.9 %2008 420,317 41.7 %2009 421,029 41.7 %

Source: California Agricultural Statistics Service, California Department ofFinance

How is it used? Agriculture is often a dominant land use in rural landscapes. In addition to being a major economic engine, agriculture has become a major social factor (a source of community and re-gional identity) as well as an environmental factor (productive land must be sustainably maintained). The amount of land in agricultural production can be affected by annual water avail-ability and long-term urban land conversion.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County harvested acreage has averaged around 455,500 acres over the last ten years with its peak in 2003 at 604,726 and a low of 420,317 in 2008. In 2009, total harvested

Top Crops Harvested Acreage, Sonoma CountyCrop 2009 Percent of TotalPasture Range 341,819 81.2 %Grapes Wine 56,306 13.4 %Pasture Irrigated 6,927 1.6 %Silage 5,219 1.2 % Hay Grain 4,090 1.0 %Apples All 2,862 0.7 %Hay Green Chop 1,223 0.3 %Hay Wild 1,190 0.3 %Vegetables Unspecified 701 0.2 %Oats Grain 442 0.1 %

Source: California Agricultural Statistics Service, California Department ofFinance

acreage was 41.7 percent of total land area at 421,029 acres.

NOTE: Estimates of harvested acreage can fluctuate primar-ily due to fluctuations in range pasture acreage. New county Agricultural Commissioners sometimes employ different methods for estimating range pasture than their predecessors. This is the chief reason for the large jump in total harvested acreage in 2003.

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Total Harvested Acreage Sonoma County

Pasture Range, 80.4%

Grapes Wine, 13.4%

Pasture Irrigated,

1.6%

Silage, 1.5%

Hay Grain, 1.2%

All Others, 1.8%

County Top Crops by Acreage Harvested


Page 13


2�4 Climate Data

What is it? Climate readings are reported for many weather stations throughout the county. CED selected stations in the largest populated places that had consistent readings from 1961 to 2010. Climate data is collected on an ongoing basis and is reported by the Western Regional Climate Center.

How is it used? It is important to know what types of weather an area may experience to help determine its attractiveness, especially for workers, visitors, or retirees. Climate change data, first pre-sented as a time-series starting in 2011, provides an overview of how temperature and precipitation changes are experienced locally, if at all.

How is Sonoma County doing? Data for this section was taken from the Santa Rosa climate station. Climate has shifted somewhat in Sonoma County over the past 40 years. From 1961-2010, Sonoma County has seen a 1.6° F decrease in July mean maximum temperature and a 2.2° F increase in July mean minimum temperature. From 1961-2010, average January mean maximum temperature has decreased by 0.2° F and January mean minimum has increased by 1.3° F. Average annual precipitation is greater in the most current 30 year period than the 1961-1990 period by 2.0 inches with an average of 31.2 inches a year.

Climate Readings, Sonoma County1961- 1971- 1981-1990 2000 2010

Average July Maximum Temp. (deg.) 90.0 89.6 88.4Average January Maximum Temp. (deg.) 58.1 58.5 57.9Average July Minimum Temp. (deg.) 50.5 52.0 52.7Average January Minimum Temp. (deg.) 36.4 37.4 37.7Average July Precipitation (in.) 0.1 0.1 0.0Average January Precipitation (in.) 6.1 6.5 6.1Average Annual Precipitation (in.) 29.2 31.1 31.2Average January Snowfall (in.) 0.0 0.0 0.0Average Annual Snowfall (in.) 0.0 0.0 0.0

Source: Western Regional Climate Center

56.5

57.0

57.5

58.0

58.5

59.0

59.5

87.5

88.0

88.5

89.0

89.5

90.0

90.5

1961-1990 1971-2000 1981-2010

30 year AverageTemperatures inSanta Rosa

Average July Maximum Temp.(deg.) (<== left axis)Average January MaximumTemp. (deg.) (==> right axis)


Page 14

2�5 Air Quality

What is it? Air quality is the general term used to describe various aspects of the air that plant, animal, and human populations are ex-posed to in their daily lives. There are four main contaminants that decrease air quality: particulates (PM10 and PM 2.5), tropospheric ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOX). Air quality is reported by the California Air Resources Board. The data is reported by site which is grouped into counties and air basins. Air quality standards are set at both state and federal levels. Here, the California 8-hr ozone standard is used as the indicator for air quality and is reported by the California Air Resources Board.

How is it used? Standards for air pollutant are established to protect human health, avoid damage to sensitive vegetation, and preserve aesthetic values. If a region exceeds one or more standards of the four pollutants described above, the state may limit the type of new industrial facilities that can be built in the area and place more restrictions on existing operations in the future. As industry, agricultural production, and traffic continues to increase across Sonoma County, air quality may decrease if certain actions or policies are not in place. Air quality affects all populations, especially the young, the elderly, and those with heart or lung problems. Ultimately, a county with high levels of pollutants will also see an increased need for health services. Air quality can be an important factor in determining where people are willing, or able, to live as well.

How is Sonoma County doing? The air in Sonoma County has consistently met the state health standards for clean air in both ozone and particulate matter since 2007.

Air Quality, Sonoma County

YearDays Above

State 8 hour Ozone AverageDays Above

State PM2.5 Average199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

1011011000000

365510010000

Source: California Air Resource Board

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Number of Days Above StateParticulate Matter 2.5 Average

Sonoma County

0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Number of Days Above State8 Hour Ozone Average

Sonoma County


Page 15


2�6 Travel Time to Work

What is it? Travel time to work is the amount of time, in minutes, workers estimate it takes them to get to work on a normal workday. Travel time can be influenced by distance to work, traffic lev-els, and the means of transportation utilized (evaluated in the following indicator). It was measured every ten years by the decennial census until 2005. The American Community Sur-vey now asks about travel time to work and data is reported for one-, three-, or five-year periods depending on the popula-tion size of the county.

How is it used? As the U.S. economy heads toward a broader global market, the dynamics of transportation to and from work change as well. For many, commuting has become a way of life. People spend an increasing number of hours on the road traveling to and from work at the expense of time that otherwise might be spent working, at home, or in recreation. Increasing commute is linked with air pollution because most commuting occurs in private vehicles. The increasing use of the Internet to conduct

business has had an impact on the number of people work-ing from their homes or nearby offices, although this may not reduce total commute times because people who telecommute tend to accept employment that is further from their home. Commuting has had a tremendous effect on local economies, increasing the need for alternative forms of transportation, including public transit.

How is Sonoma County doing? For almost half of residents in Sonoma County, commuting to work is a 5 to 24 minute drive in a personal car, truck, or van. As of the 2010 American Community Survey, 60,701 residents in the county, which is 30 percent of total employed residents, commuted to their place of employment in 5 to 14 minutes. 29 percent faced a commute of 15 to 24 minutes which is similar to the state average of 30.6 percent. Sonoma County commute times closely resembles the state averages with the biggest differences coming in the 5 to 14 and 25 to 34 minute commutes at 7.3 percentage points and negative 5.2 percent-age points respectfully.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

0-5 5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-59 60-89 90+

Travel Time to Work (Minutes)Percent of Total, 2010

Sonoma County

California

-20%-15%-10%-5%0%5%

10%15%20%

0-5 5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-59 60-89 90+

Travel Time to Work (Minutes)Percent Change, 2000 to 2010

Sonoma County

California

Travel Time to Work, Sonoma CountyPercent of Total in 2010 Change from 2000 to 2010

Travel Time to Work 2000 2010 County California County CaliforniaLess than 5 minutes 7,785 6,406 3.2 % 2.2 % - 17.7 % 1.7 %5 to 14 minutes 60,701 60,240 29.9 % 22.6 % - 0.8 % 5.1 %15 to 24 minutes 62,617 58,033 28.8 % 30.6 % - 7.3 % 9.6 %25 to 34 minutes 34,251 30,911 15.3 % 20.5 % - 9.8 % 8.7 %35 to 44 minutes 10,136 10,718 5.3 % 6.5 % 5.7 % 8.1 %45 to 59 minutes 12,428 14,493 7.2 % 7.9 % 16.6 % 2.3 %60 to 89 minutes 14,202 12,130 6.0 % 6.8 % - 14.6 % 8.3 %90 or more minutes 10,581 8,820 4.4 % 3.0 % - 16.6 % - 7.9 %Total not working at home 212,701 201,751 100.0 % 100.0 % - 5.1 % 6.8 %

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 and 2010 American Community Survey


Page 16

2�7 Means of Transportation to Work

What is it? Means of transportation to work is the type of vehicle or mode used to get from home to work on most work days. As with travel time, it was measured every ten years by the decen-nial census until 2005. The American Community Survey now asks about means of transportation to work and data is reported for one-, three-, or five-year periods depending on the population size of the county.

How is it used? Commuting is a necessary and regular part of life for most people in the workforce. The means by which the population travels to and from work can be used to analyze the need and importance of public transportation in a county. Change in means of transportation, especially conversion from driving alone to carpooling or public transportation, is an indicator of environmental conservation because the latter modes produce less air pollution.

How is Sonoma County doing? As of 2010 American Community Survey, 76.5 percent of county residents drove to work alone compared to 73.1 per-cent throughout California. The biggest change in means of transportation from 2000 to 2010 was in those who worked at home, which increased by 41 percent. In the survey time span, 10.3 percent of county workers carpooled and was the second highest means of transportation to work.

Means of Transportation to Work, Sonoma CountyPercent of Total in 2010 Change from 2000 to 2010

Means of Tansportation 2000 2010 County California County CaliforniaDrove Alone 168,134 167,438 76.5 % 73.1 % - 0.4 % 8.5 %Carpooled 28,283 22,622 10.3 % 11.5 % - 20.0 % - 15.8 %Public Transportation 5,507 4,077 1.9 % 5.3 % - 26.0 % 10.9 %Bicycle 1,744 1,818 0.8 % 1.0 % 4.2 % 31.2 %Walked 6,929 4,406 2.0 % 2.7 % - 36.4 % 0.2 %Motorcycle, Taxicab, and Other 2,104 1,390 0.6 % 1.3 % - 33.9 % 31.8 %Worked at Home 12,246 17,264 7.9 % 5.1 % 41.0 % 42.7 %

Total 224,947 219,015 100.0 % 100.0 % - 2.6 % 6.6 %

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000 and 2010 American Community Survey

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Drove Alone Carpooled Public Transportation Bicycle Walked Motorcycle, Taxicab,and Other

Worked at Home

Means of Transportation to Work, Percent of Total Sonoma County California


Page 17


2�8 Commute Patterns

What is it? Knowing how long people take to get to work and what means of transportation they used (previous two sections) are part of the story to understand the structure of commuting in Sonoma County, how to utilize it in business marketing, and how to make commuting more efficient and environmentally friendly. The third critical link is to see where commuters are going and from where they are coming. As of 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employment and Household Dynam-ics system is starting to produce a useful time-series to better evaluate changing commute patterns for America’s communi-ties. The data includes all jobs reported to the IRS by busi-nesses, with Social Security Numbers matched to the locations of residential tax returns.

How is it used? Commute data is used to determine sales markets for business-es (especially retail stores), labor market catchment areas, and for retail transportation planning of both highways and mass transportation.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County’s overall workforce migrating in has in-creased 25.9 percent from 2002 to 2009 while the amount of county jobs available decreased 4.5 percent in the same time span. This was a loss of nearly 8000 county jobs. In response, roughly 37 percent of the local workforce leaves the county to work, which is a 3.5 percent increase from 2002. In addition, the size of the local workforce has decreased. From 2008 to 2009, the workforce dropped about 6 percent from 201,204 to 189,968.

Year2002 178,514 138,618 205,918 39,896 22.3 % 67,300 32.7 %2003 177,046 136,215 201,675 40,831 23.1 % 65,460 32.5 %2004 176,187 132,374 198,530 43,813 24.9 % 66,156 33.3 %2005 178,870 132,072 198,443 46,798 26.2 % 66,371 33.4 %2006 176,813 129,880 195,902 46,933 26.5 % 66,022 33.7 %2007 178,678 126,511 191,882 52,167 29.2 % 65,371 34.1 %2008 179,081 128,929 201,204 50,152 28.0 % 72,275 35.9 %2009 170,529 120,292 189,968 50,237 29.5 % 69,676 36.7 %

Source: U.S. Census Bureau's Longitudinal Employment Data

Sonoma County Workforce Commute Patterns

Commuting InPercent

Commuting OutWorkforce

WorkforceEmployed Local

JobsCounty

WorkforceTotal Local

Commuting inWorkforce

Commuting OutPercent

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Sonoma County Workforce Commute Patterns Commuting in Commuting Out


Page 18

2�9 Traffic Volume

What is it? Highway traffic occurs for many more reasons than just com-muting to work This indicator shows the change in actual highway traffic from all reasons and need for travel. Traffic volumes on California State Highways are estimated annually and measured periodically by the California Department of Transportation. The data is collected to help the state under-stand where traffic volume is growing and for planning traffic improvements. In addition, county departments of public works will have traffic counts for local roads, although typi-cally these are not collected as often for state highways. The table includes traffic counts going both directions on each side of the given intersection. How is it used? Most traffic growth over a ten-year period reflects increases in commute patterns, although other factors include increased shopping trips and commercial traffic. Changes in traffic volume can reflect population increases, although if traffic volume grows at a slower pace than population growth, then more efficiencies land use and transportation may be occur-ring, resulting in less environmental impact.

How is Sonoma County doing? Northbound traffic on Highway 101 at the junction of Asti Road shows the largest increase in traffic between 1999 and 2010, at 22.4 percent. Highway 12, west of Mac Arthur Street, has seen the greatest decrease of traffic volume since 1999, falling 23.1 percent.

Average Annual Daily Traffic Volumes, Sonoma CountyPercent

Highway Location 1999 2010 ChangeSR 1 North of Jct. RTE. 116 East 2,950 2,700 - 8.5 %SR12 West of Mac Arthur St., Sonoma 15,600 12,000 - 23.1 %

SR 101 South of 116 East 73,000 76,000 4.1 %SR 101 North of Rohnert Park Expy 97,000 94,000 - 3.1 %SR 101 North of Jct. RTE. 12, 3rd St. 100,000 117,000 17.0 %SR 101 North of Steele Lane, Santa Rosa 98,000 107,000 9.2 %SR 101 North of Windsor River Road 38,000 46,500 22.4 %SR 101 North of ASTI 19,600 22,300 13.8 %

Source: California Department of Transportation

- 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

100,000 120,000 140,000

SR 1 SR12 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101

North of Jct. RTE.116 East

West of MacArthur St.,Sonoma

South of 116 East North of RohnertPark Expy

North of Jct. RTE.12, 3rd St.

North of SteeleLane, Santa Rosa

North of WindsorRiver Road

North of ASTI

1999-2010 Average Annual Daily Traffic Volumes, Sonoma County 1999 2010

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

SR 1 SR12 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101 SR 101

North of Jct. RTE.116 East

West of MacArthur St.,Sonoma

South of 116 East North of RohnertPark Expy

North of Jct. RTE.12, 3rd St.

North of SteeleLane, Santa Rosa

North of WindsorRiver Road

North of ASTI

1999-2010 Traffic Count Percent Change


Page 19


2�10 Electricity Use

What is it? The California Energy Commission estimates annual electric-ity use by county based on electricity delivered to local pro-viders and data submitted by larger providers like Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison. Here, electricity consumption is calculated on a per-person basis. This includes both residential and commercial electricity consumption.

How is it used? Energy consumption per capita can indicate greater efficien-cies in energy consumption over time. The measure includes both residential and commercial consumption, so it also serves

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Electrical Consumption(Millions of kWh)

Residential Non-Residentialas a measure of industrial sustainability—some areas have a

disproportionate share of industries with high electricity use. That affects this indicator. New industries can be built around the improvement of energy efficiency which can improve both short-run and long-run economic health by reducing energy costs and creating jobs, as opposed to paying higher electricitybills to non-local providers.

How is Sonoma County doing? Residential per capita consumption in Sonoma County has consistently been higher than in the state mainly due to a more

extreme climate than highly-populated areas with more direct marine influence from the ocean. In 2010, Sonoma’s residents consumed 2,804 kWh per person annually compared to the California average of 2,383 kWh. Non-residential electrical consumption accounts for 53 percent of total county consump-tion, although the per capita use is considerably less than the state average. The average state per capita use of non-residen-tial electricity is 5,034 kWh, contrasted to the county average of 3,148. Sonoma County uses 37 percent less electricity per capita.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Residential Electrical Consumptionper Capita in kWh

Sonoma County

California

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Non-Residential ElectricalConsumption per Capita in kWh

Sonoma County

California

Sonoma County Electrical ConsumptionResidential Sector Non-Residential Sector Both Sectors

Consumption in Consumption Consumption in Consumption Total ConsumptionYear Millions of kWh per Capita in kWh Millions of kWh per Capita in kWh In Millions of kWh2006 1,288.26 2,742.42 1,553.64 3,307.36 2,841.892007 1,267.18 2,687.66 1,670.25 3,542.57 2,937.432008 1,320.24 2,780.51 1,650.22 3,475.47 2,970.462009 1,305.48 2,727.58 1,476.59 3,085.09 2,782.072010 1,354.34 2,804.25 1,520.57 3,148.43 2,874.91

Source: California Energy Commission


Page 20

2�11 Natural Gas Use

What is it? Natural gas use is calculated by the California Energy Com-mission based on end use data. Natural gas use indicates both the level of growth in natural gas energy demand and the ef-ficiency of use as populations have increased.

How is it used? Although natural gas is a cleaner alternative fuel, an increase in consumption can cause environmental impacts. Another important indicator derived from the total consumption is the amount consumed per capita or the rate of efficiency of natural gas use. Since natural gas is a scarce resource, any improve-ments in efficiency are progress. Less natural gas use can also indicate that the use of better alternative fuels, such as solar or wind, may be increasing.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County residential natural gas consumption averaged 77.7 million therms from 2006 to 2010. Per capita residential

use of natural gas is consistently higher than the state in all years recorded. Conversely, non-residential per capita use is significantly lower than the state average. Sonoma County uses more than twice as much natural gas per person in the residential sector than non-residential.

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Natural Gas Consumption(Millions of Therms)

Residential

Non-Residential

020406080

100120140160180

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Residential Natural Gas Consumptionper Capita in Therms

Sonoma County

California

0

50

100

150

200

250

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Non-Residential Natural GasConsumption per Capita in Therms

Sonoma County

California

Sonoma County Natural Gas ConsumptionResidential Sector Non-Residential Sector Both Sectors

Consumption in Consumption Consumption in Consumption Total ConsumptionYear Millions of Therms per Capita in Therms Millions of Therms per Capita in Therms In Millions of Therms2006 77.90 165.82 37.61 80.07 115.512007 76.16 161.52 37.27 79.06 113.432008 79.02 166.43 38.12 80.29 117.152009 77.93 162.82 37.15 77.63 115.082010 77.72 160.92 37.48 77.60 115.20

Source: California Energy Commission


Page 21

Section 3: Economy

3 Economic Indicators

Economic indicators describe available financial capital and financial growth in the community. Adequate finances are required for people to afford to buy not only the necessities of life, but also some the luxuries that make life rewarding.

Sonoma County has experienced high levels of economic prosperity up to the economic recession in 2007. Following the recession the County has taken drastic hits to major sectors of its economy much more so than the state. There are how-ever signs of recovery in 2011.

The available workforce in Sonoma County is sporadic but declining. Employment grew through 2008, then declined drastically though 2010. This pattern made the unemployment rate skyrocket to 10.5 percent in 2010, compared to a histori-cal average of around 5 percent. There is seasonality to the county’s employment with labor force greater in fall months. Important industries include government, health care and social assistance, and retail trade. Small employers dominate the economic landscape; the number establishments with 1-4 employees represents more than 50 percent of employment in 2009.

On the income side of the economy, personal income declines during the recessionary period much as it did throughout the state. Since 2001, the county’s unemployment benefits and medical benefits increased faster than in the state. So-noma County has a far lower percentage of county income from work earnings; however, it has a slightly larger share of income from returns on investment (dividends, interest, and rent) and commuter income. This is the typical pattern of a county that has a higher per capita income than the state; Sonoma County’s has been significantly greater than the state since before 2001. Poverty levels are also much lower in the county than in the state; however increases have been occur-ring since 2008. Another indicator of economic health is the cost of rental housing which has been increasing since 2006. A decline in rental values expected for 2012 will hopefully provide some respite.

In This Section:3.1 Labor Force .....................................................223.2 Employment ....................................................233.3 Unemployment ................................................243.4 Seasonal Employment .....................................253.5 Jobs By Industry ..............................................263.6 Employers By Employment Size and Industry ................................................................................283.7 Total Personal Income .....................................303.8 Components of Personal Income .....................313.9 Per Capita Income ...........................................333.10 Earnings By Industry .....................................343.11 Median Household Income ............................353.12 Poverty Rates .................................................363.13 Fair Market Rent ...........................................373.14 Jobs and Wages By Occupation .....................383.15 Median Home Price .......................................403.16 Housing Affordability Index ..........................413.17 Commercial Vacancy Rates ...........................42


Page 22

3�1 Labor Force

What is it? The labor force is the number of people living in the area who are willing and able to work. It is the sum of employment (per-sons currently working) and unemployment (persons actively seeking work). Therefore, changes in both employment and unemployment affect the labor force. The labor force is esti-mated monthly by the California Employment Development Department. Annual data is the average of the twelve months of the year.

How is it used? An increasing labor force indicates a growing economy only if it is the result of increasing employment. If the labor force is growing due primarily to increasing unemployment, then population growth may be occurring in excess of the ability of the economy to provide jobs for new workforce entrants.

How is Sonoma County doing? In 2011, 257,300 residents, or 53 percent of Sonoma County’s population were members of the labor force compared to 49 percent for California. However, Sonoma County’s labor force has been affected much more than the state due to the most recent recession. The county’s labor force experienced a decrease in 2010. Although the county’s labor force increased by 1.2 percent in 2011, there still has been a decrease of one percent between the years 2008 and 2011.

Total Labor Force, Sonoma CountyLabor Force 1-Year Change

Year County State County State2000200120022003

20042005200620072008200920102011

253,300257,900258,100254,800

255,000253,900254,600257,800259,900256,500254,200257,300

16,857,60017,152,10017,343,60017,390,700

17,444,40017,544,80017,686,70017,928,70018,191,00018,204,20018,176,20018,384,900

n/a 1.8 %0.1 %

- 1.3 %

0.1 %- 0.4 %

0.3 %1.3 %0.8 %

- 1.3 %- 0.9 %

1.2 %

n/a 1.7 %1.1 %0.3 %

0.3 %0.6 %0.8 %1.4 %1.5 %0.1 %

- 0.2 %1.1 %

Source: California Employment Development Department, Labor MarketInformation Division

250,000

252,000

254,000

256,000

258,000

260,000

262,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Labor Force Sonoma County

-1.5%

-1.0%

-0.5%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Labor Force AnnualPercent Change

Sonoma County

California


Page 23

Section 3: Economy

3�2 Employment

What is it? Employment includes all individuals who worked at least one hour for a wage or salary, or were self-employed, or were working at least 15 unpaid hours in a family business or on a family farm, during the week including the 12th of the month. The annual average is the mean average of the twelve months in the calendar year. Those who were on vacation, on other kinds of leave, or involved in a labor dispute were also counted as employed.

How is it used? Employment is the primary indicator of the economic situation of workers living in the area. Increasing employment means more jobs for workers, and workers have an easier time find-ing work.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma had experienced an increase in employment from 2003 to 2007 of 2 percentage points, then fell from 2007 to 2010 by 7.7 percent. In 2010, 227,600 residents were em-ployed in the county, over 19,000 less than 2007 and the lowest level of employment in the last decade. Similar to labor force employment has recovered remarkably well in 2011 by an increase of 4,500 employees from 2010.

Total Employment, Sonoma CountyEmployed 1-year change

Year County State County State200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011

244,800248,400244,900240,900242,300242,600244,500246,700245,100231,800227,600232,100

16,024,30016,220,00016,180,80016,200,10016,354,80016,592,20016,821,30016,970,20016,883,40016,141,50015,916,30016,226,600

n/a 1.5 %

- 1.4 %- 1.6 %

0.6 %0.1 %0.8 %0.9 %

- 0.6 %- 5.4 %- 1.8 %

2.0 %

n/a 1.2 %

- 0.2 %0.1 %1.0 %1.5 %1.4 %0.9 %

- 0.5 %- 4.4 %- 1.4 %

1.9 %

Source: California Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division

215,000

220,000

225,000

230,000

235,000

240,000

245,000

250,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Employment Sonoma County

-6.0%-5.0%-4.0%-3.0%-2.0%-1.0%0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Employment AnnualPercent Change



Page 24

3�3 Unemployment

What is it? Unemployment is the estimated number of people who are ac-tively seeking work and are not working at least one hour per week for pay and who are not self-employed. The data is esti-mated at the place of residence and reported by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) primarily from data collected by the U.S. Current Population Survey (CPS).

Unfortunately, through the CPS, the government has a difficult time determining exactly how many people meet the techni-cal definition of “unemployed” at the county level, as opposed to those with unreported jobs or those who are not seriously looking for work. That makes this indicator an inexact mea-sure of whether or not people have a difficult time finding a job.

How is it used? The unemployment rate is often used as a primary measure of economic health. Sustained high unemployment rates typically indicate the presence of structural economic and/or social issues within the community, although what is considered “high” may vary from one community to the next. The unem-ployment rate can also indicate a change in potentially-qual-ified workers available in the community. As unemployment falls, employers have a more difficult time attracting qualified employees at the same rates of pay.

How is Sonoma County doing? The unemployment rate for Sonoma County follows the state trend, but is slightly lower than the state because less people dropped out of the labor force. Sonoma’s unemployment rate reached a ten-year high of 14 percent in 2010. The unemploy-ment rate fell from 2003 to 2006 then increased sharply with the biggest increase coming in 2009 with a one-year change of 67 percent.

Total Unemployment, Sonoma CountyCounty Unemployment Rate 1-year change

Year Unemployed County State County State200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011

8,5009,500

13,10013,90012,70011,30010,20011,20014,80024,70026,60025,100

5.7 %5.6 %6.4 %7.0 %6.6 %6.2 %5.7 %6.1 %8.0 %

12.4 %14.0 %13.3 %

4.9 %5.4 %6.7 %6.8 %6.2 %5.4 %4.9 %5.3 %7.2 %

11.3 %12.4 %11.7 %

n/a 11.8 %37.9 %

6.1 %- 8.6 %

- 11.0 %- 9.7 %

9.8 %32.1 %66.9 %

7.7 %- 5.6 %

n/a 11.9 %24.8 %

2.4 %- 8.5 %

- 12.6 %- 9.2 %10.8 %36.4 %57.7 %

9.6 %- 4.5 %


0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Unemployment Sonoma County

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Unemployment Rate Sonoma County

California


Page 25

Section 3: Economy

3�4 Seasonal Employment

What is it? The California Employment Development Department es-timates labor market data (labor force, employment, unem-ployment, and the unemployment rate) for each month. The department uses the week including the twelfth of each month to calculate a person’s employment status. Mid-month time periods are less sensitive to changes in the overall business climate and are more representative of average conditions. For specific definitions of each measure, please see the previous three indicators in this section.

How is it used? Average monthly labor statistics are used to evaluate sea-sonal trends in employment. Areas dependent on agriculture, forestry, or seasonal recreation tend to experience fluctuations in employment over the course of the year that cannot be observed in the annual average. The employment difference in the low and high months can be used to evaluate the degree to which an economy is dependent upon seasonal employment. Many seasonal employees locate temporarily (at winter ski re-sorts or some types of farms) and leave during the off-season, but some remain year-round and are unemployed during this period.

How is Sonoma County doing? Between 2000 and 2011, the unemployment rate was low-est during the months of January and June. Moreover, the months of February, August, and September saw the highest unemployment rates. In 2011, the unemployment rate peaked at 10.5 percent in January. For six months out of the year, the unemployment rate crept over ten percent, but ended the year at its lowest level of 8.9 percent in December. Historically, Sonoma County has had a lower unemployment rate than the state.

Sonoma County Average Monthly Labor Statistics2000-2011Month Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemp. RateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

256,000254,183254,742254,858254,425255,033256,792254,692256,433258,017259,150256,067

241,782238,767239,450239,292239,892240,842241,317238,792240,875243,342244,383240,992

14,22715,44215,30815,55814,54214,17515,45815,89215,56714,67514,75815,075

5.6%6.1%6.0%6.1%5.7%5.6%6.0%6.2%6.1%5.7%5.7%5.9%


0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%6.0%7.0%8.0%9.0%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Average Monthly UnemploymentRate, 2000-2011



Page 26

3�5 Jobs By Industry

What is it? Published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), this measure of jobs is by place of work; that is, where the job is being performed regardless of where its worker lives. The BEA uses business tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service to calculate jobs by indus-try. Therefore, each person who worked for a company for pay or profit over the course of a year is counted. That means if a person changed jobs once over the course of a year, they are counted twice—once for each company at which they worked. The same holds true for part-time and seasonal employees who hold more than one job over the course of a year. Self-employed proprietors and members of business partnerships are counted as well. A person with a full-time job who owns or co-owns a business on the side is counted for each job. Unpaid family workers and volunteers, however, are not included

How is it used? Job growth by industry sector is a measure of the economic di-versity and stability of the local economy. A healthy economy will create a balance between industries. If too many jobs are concentrated in one sector, a downturn in that sector could eas-ily and rapidly weaken the economy. Job growth is an impor-tant indicator for business and government planning, allowing for a better understanding of which sectors are the major generators of jobs in the area and which sectors are continuing to grow. This can provide insight into which industries have the greatest potential for growth in the near future.

How is Sonoma County doing? Government, health care, retail trade, professional/scientific/technical Services, and manufacturing had the largest share of employment in 2009 with an 11 percent, 10.5 percent, 10.4 percent, 8.9 percent and 8.6 percent share respectively. In addition, these industries are the only ones to employ over 20,000 employees. As a percentage of total jobs by industry Sonoma County was greater than the state in farming by 26.5 percent, construction by 38.3 percent and manufacturing by 26.5 percent. However, industries that were less in terms of percentage of total compared to the state were information by 42.3 percent, transportation by 37.9 percent, and Government jobs by 20.9 percent.

Sonoma County Jobs by Industry, 2009

IndustrySonomaCounty

CountyPercentof Total

CaliforniaPercentof Total

Farm employment

Forestry, fishing, and related activitiesMiningUtilitiesConstructionManufacturingWholesale tradeRetail tradeTransportation and warehousingInformationFinance and insuranceReal estate and rental and leasing

Professional, scientific, and technicalservices

Management of companies and enterprisesAdministrative and waste servicesEducational servicesHealth care and social assistanceArts, entertainment, and recreationAccommodation and food services

Other services, except publicadministrationGovernment and government enterprises

Value of withheld "(D)"employment

5,979

2,416

720781

17,14122,656

8,54227,520

4,8383,899

13,21913,611

23,571

1,917

13,2224,340

27,7677,957

19,228

16,270

29,265

(D)

2.3 %

0.9 %

0.3 %0.3 %6.5 %8.6 %3.2 %

10.4 %1.8 %1.5 %5.0 %5.1 %

8.9 %

0.7 %

5.0 %1.6 %

10.5 %3.0 %7.3 %

6.1 %

11.0 %

n/a

1.1 %

1.0 %

0.3 %0.3 %4.7 %6.8 %3.7 %9.5 %2.9 %2.6 %5.7 %5.1 %

8.6 %

1.0 %

6.0 %2.1 %9.2 %2.7 %6.9 %

6.0 %

13.6 %

n/a

Total Jobs 264,859 100.0 % 100.0 %

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis


Page 27

Section 3: Economy

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

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Jobs by Industry Sector, 2009 Sonoma County California


Page 28

3�6 Employers By Employment Size and Industry

What is it? Each year, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau tabulates the number of employers with employees on which taxes are paid. Estimates are based on counts of employees covered by unemployment insurance. Establish-ments without payroll are not included. Most businesses are non-employers, although most jobs are employee positions.

How is it used? The stability of a local economy is dependent upon a diverse mix of businesses, both in terms of size and industry sector. A diverse employer mix allows an economy to weather econom-ic downturns more easily than one that is dependent on a few types of businesses. For example, during the 2001 recession, the Bay Area was heavily dependent upon computer tech-nology employers when the dot-com crisis hit. The national economy experienced a small recession during a few months in 2001, but the Bay Area suffered from a much deeper eco-nomic downturn that lasted several years.

How is Sonoma County doing? In 2009, employers with one to four employees were the most common in the county, and made up 56.4 percent of all reported establishments. 19.6 percent of the reported employ-ers in the county consisted of only five to nine employees, sug-gesting a strong trend of small local employers in the county. Sonoma County closely mimics the statewide distribution of industry size with nearly identical percentages for the different size establishments. In 2009, the four private industries com-prising half of all employer establishments were construction, retail trade, professional, scientific & technical services, and healthcare & social assistance. Construction had the highest share of employers at 13.6 percent with retail trade coming in second with 13.5 percent. The two industries that had the most growth from 2000 to 2009 were agriculture and manage-ment which grew 23 and 26 percent respectfully, despite the down economy in 2009.

Sonoma County - Number of Establishments by Employment Size and Industry, 2000

Industry 1 to 4Number of Employees

5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 or moreAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing and HuntingMining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas ExtractionUtilitiesConstructionManufacturingWholesale TradeRetail TradeTransportation and WarehousingInformationFinance and InsuranceReal Estate and Rental and LeasingProfessional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesManagement of Companies and EnterprisesAdministrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation ServicesEducational ServicesHealth Care and Social AssistanceArts, Entertainment, and RecreationAccommodation and Food ServicesOther Services (except Public Administration)Public AdministrationUnclassified

3439

1,272307311765145129398415993

20

383

76767

90397698

5295

1132

352153115468

4228

138106207

8

109

24349

31200247

213

772

192115

98296

46307440

12511

78

28180

29192104

40

130

93130

80143

2123491849

9

50

199821

21061

71

200

34581647111413

491

21

633113812

00

1008

338

49237132

18

219

77200

0000505031012

9

0801020

0010200011000

0

0400000

0000300001000

1

0200000

Total Establishments 7,512 2,608 1,658 1,086 330 172 37 9 7

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns


Page 29

Section 3: Economy

Sonoma County - Number of Establishments by Employment Size and Industry, 2009

Industry 1 to 4Number of Employees

5 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 or moreAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing and HuntingMining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas ExtractionUtilitiesConstructionManufacturingWholesale TradeRetail TradeTransportation and WarehousingInformationFinance and InsuranceReal Estate and Rental and LeasingProfessional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesManagement of Companies and EnterprisesAdministrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

Educational ServicesHealth Care and Social AssistanceArts, Entertainment, and RecreationAccommodation and Food ServicesOther Services (except Public Administration)Public AdministrationUnclassified

4239

1,281359330855125112463477

1,06525

398

86746113379647

036

913

280164146453

5128

12095

2138

110

32380

30263234

01

841

174121

88255

31279050

13017

66

19195

29263

9900

720

65119

61137

292750206211

50

209522

19643

00

300

12461852

81216

513

3

21

845133915

00

0006

271038

443051

13

323

813

200

0001356011002

2

0510000

0010200001000

0

0111000

0000200000000

0

0300000

Total Establishments 7,551 2,621 1,667 1,016 329 160 27 7 5

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-249

250-499

500-999

1,000+

Establishments by Employment Size, 2000 and 2009

Sonoma County 2000Sonoma County 2009

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-249

250-499

500-999

1,000+

Establishments by Employment Size, 2009

Sonoma County 2009California 2009


Page 30

3�7 Total Personal Income

What is it? Total personal income is calculated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. It is the sum of all income collected by individuals, including but not limited to earned income, government payments, and returns on invest-ment. It does not include personal contributions for social insurance (such as payments to Social Security or Medicare). The data is tabulated from individual and corporate tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service, and so it is only available after all tax returns have been processed, which usually takes more than a year.

How is it used? Total personal income is the basis for several other income indicators in this section. Growing personal income indicates a growing economy, as long as the growth is greater than the annual average inflation rate. The annual average inflation rate from 2000 to 2010 was 2.4 percent. The growth may be due to increasing incomes, increasing population, or some com-bination. See the demographics section (section one) and the indicator for per capita personal income later in this section to see which factor is more prominent.

How is Sonoma County doing? The nominal total personal income in Sonoma County was over $21 Billion in 2009, a 4.2 percent decrease from the pre-vious year. Total personal income has only grown faster then the state in fiscal year 2006.

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Inflation-Adjusted TotalPersonal Income (in Millions)

Sonoma County

-5.0%-4.0%-3.0%-2.0%-1.0%0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%6.0%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Inflation-Adjusted TotalPersonal Income, 1-Year Change


Total Personal Income, Sonoma CountySonoma County California

Nominal Personal Income 1-Year Inflation Adjusted Personal 1-Year 1-YearYear in Millions of Dollars Change Income in Millions of Dollars Change Change2001 $ 17,542 n/a $ 21,246 n/a n/a2002 $ 17,601 0.3 % $ 20,986 - 1.2 % 0.0 %2003 $ 17,983 2.2 % $ 20,964 - 0.1 % 1.5 %2004 $ 18,715 4.1 % $ 21,251 1.4 % 3.7 %2005 $ 19,537 4.4 % $ 21,458 1.0 % 2.3 %2006 $ 21,133 8.2 % $ 22,485 4.8 % 4.4 %2007 $ 22,062 4.4 % $ 22,824 1.5 % 1.8 %2008 $ 22,078 0.1 % $ 21,995 - 3.6 % - 1.4 %2009 $ 21,142 - 4.2 % $ 21,142 - 3.9 % - 2.0 %



Page 31

Section 3: Economy

3�8 Components of Personal Income

What is it? Personal income is earned from many sources including employment, retirement, returns on investment, or transfer payments such as supplemental social security, medical, and unemployment. The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis reports annual income broken down by component for counties.

How is it used? Personal income is earned from many sources including employment, retirement, returns on investment, or transfer payments such as supplemental security, medical, and un-employment. The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis reports annual income broken down by component for counties.

How is Sonoma County doing? Approximately 67 percent of the income of Sonoma County residents came from work earnings in 2009, either from county jobs or commuting elsewhere. In comparison, work earnings accounted for 73 percent of total personal income for the entire state. A higher percent of income in the county came from dividends, interest, and rent; 25 percent compared to 10 percent for California. Commuter income accounted for 9 percent of total income, which means residents are commut-ing out of the county for work. Another eight year change of note was the amount of paid unemployment benefits, which had increased by 27.6 percent on average each year mostly during the current recession. Other government benefits and medical benefits each grew about eight percent over the same time period.

Change Components of Total Personal Income,Sonoma County

Percent of totalin 2009

2001 to 2009 AverageAnnual Change

County California County CaliforniaWork EarningsContributions to SSICommuter IncomeDividends, Interest,& RentRetirement/DisabilityBenefitsMedical BenefitsIncome Maintenance BenefitsUnemployment BenefitsOther Government BenefitsNon-Government Benefits

58.5 %- 6.5 %

8.9 %

24.8 %

5.6 %

5.4 %

0.9 %

1.2 %

0.9 %

0.3 %

73.1 %- 7.8 %- 0.0 %

19.6 %

4.5 %

6.4 %

1.8 %

1.2 %

1.0 %

0.3 %

1.4 %2.3 %

- 1.2 %

3.9 %

5.8 %

8.1 %

5.7 %

27.6 %

8.0 %

- 3.9 %

2.8 %3.3 %

- 17.1 %

4.8 %

5.7 %

7.8 %

5.4 %

23.6 %

10.1 %

- 3.3 %

Total Personal Income 100.0 % 100.0 % 2.4 % 3.7 %


Sonoma County Components of Total Personal Income (Millions of Dollars)2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Work Earnings 11,028 11,320 11,518 12,141 12,686 13,141 13,323 13,214 12,360Contributions to SSI, etc. - 1,141 - 1,186 - 1,219 - 1,316 - 1,384 - 1,412 - 1,416 - 1,431 - 1,374Commuter Income 2,060 1,965 2,004 1,975 2,025 2,104 2,220 2,111 1,874Dividends, Interest, and Rent 3,880 3,674 3,775 3,930 4,124 5,031 5,532 5,569 5,250Retirement/ Disability Benefits 756 792 828 874 922 968 1,017 1,075 1,185Medical Benefits 614 647 688 748 784 919 985 1,051 1,142Income Maintenance Benefits 129 137 147 155 161 167 173 177 200Unemployment Benefits 37 86 89 63 55 53 58 101 258Other Government Benefits 103 110 112 119 125 129 124 154 190Non-Government Benefits 76 55 41 27 41 33 47 56 56Total Personal Income 17,542 17,601 17,983 18,715 19,537 21,133 22,062 22,078 21,142



Page 32

-20.0%-10.0%

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%

WorkEarnings

Contributionsto SSI, etc.

CommuterIncome

Dividends,Interest,and Rent

Retirement/DisabilityBenefits

MedicalBenefits

IncomeMaintenance

Benefits

UnemploymentBenefits

OtherGovernment

Non-Government

Components of Total Personal Income, Percent of Total Income in 2009 Sonoma County California

-20.0%-15.0%-10.0%-5.0%0.0%5.0%

10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%

WorkEarnings

Contributionsto SSI, etc.

CommuterIncome

Dividends,Interest,and Rent

Retirement/DisabilityBenefits

MedicalBenefits

IncomeMaintenance

Benefits

UnemploymentBenefits

OtherGovernment

Non-Government

Components of Total Personal Income, Change from 2001 to 2009 Sonoma County California

$0

$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

$12,000

$14,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Top Three Components of Total PersonalIncome, 2001 to 2009 in Millions of Dollars

WorkEarnings

Dividends,Interest,and RentCommuterIncome

Sonoma County Economic Developmen

Page 33

t Board

Section 3: Economy

3�9 Per Capita Income

What is it? Per capita income is calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis by dividing its estimate of total personal income by the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate of total population.

How is it used? Per capita income is one of the primary measures of economic well-being in a community. Changes can indicate trends in a county’s standard of living, or the availability of resources to an individual, family, or society. Per capita income tends to follow the business cycle, rising during expansions and falling during recessions. Income influences buying power and there-fore affects consumer choice and local retail sales. Income is one measure of the benefits to people provided by employ-ment, government, or their own investments.

How is Sonoma County doing? Per capita income in Sonoma County was $44,174 in 2009, which was $1,607 more than the state average. Since 2001, Sonoma has experienced consistently higher per capita incomes than the state. However, since the recession started in 2007, the per capita income has fallen to lessen the gap between the state average.

$36,000

$38,000

$40,000

$42,000

$44,000

$46,000

$48,000

$50,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Inflation-Adjusted Per Capita Income(2009 Dollars in Thousands)


-6.0%

-4.0%

-2.0%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Annual Change in Inflation-Adjusted Per Capita Income


Per Capita Income, Sonoma CountySonoma County Inflation-adjusted Inflation-adjustedCurrent-dollar Sonoma County Per Capita Income (2009) 1-Year Change

Year Per Capita Income 1-Year Change Sonoma County California Sonoma County California2001 $ 37,890 n/a $ 45,892 $ 41,501 n/a n/a2002 $ 37,792 - 0.3 % $ 45,061 $ 40,916 - 1.8 % - 1.4 %2003 $ 38,497 1.9 % $ 44,878 $ 41,049 - 0.4 % 0.3 %2004 $ 39,895 3.6 % $ 45,302 $ 42,069 0.9 % 2.5 %2005 $ 41,592 4.3 % $ 45,681 $ 42,673 0.8 % 1.4 %2006 $ 44,987 8.2 % $ 47,865 $ 44,252 4.8 % 3.7 %2007 $ 46,794 4.0 % $ 48,409 $ 44,718 1.1 % 1.1 %2008 $ 46,497 - 0.6 % $ 46,323 $ 43,729 - 4.3 % - 2.2 %2009 $ 44,174 - 5.0 % $ 44,174 $ 42,567 - 4.6 % - 2.7 %



Page 34

3�10 Earnings By Industry

What is it? Earnings by industry is the total personal earnings from jobs in individual industries. It is not the total revenue an industry generates. The total earnings of an industry are calculated by taking the sum of three components: wage and salary disburse-ments, supplements to wages and salaries, and proprietor income. Earnings by industry are the components of earnings by place of work from the section on components of personal income. The symbol “(D)” is used for information withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies. The withheld numbers are included in higher level totals.

How is it used? Earnings by industry allows comparisons between industries or geographic areas because sales by industry are not reliably available annually at the county level. Growth in earnings by industry can provide some insight into the relative competi-tiveness of an industry in a local economy, as well as which industries have the potential for expansion. Growth in one industry may indicate potential for expansion in related indus-tries. The indicator can also be used to determine economic diversity.

How is Sonoma County doing? The highest earning industry in Sonoma County was govern-ment and government enterprises at 1.9 billion dollars (15.5 percent of earnings). The second highest industry was health care and social assistance at 1.6 billion (11.3 percent of earn-ings). Compared to the state, Sonoma County had a greater share of income in construction by 64 percent followed by healthcare by 42 percent and retail trade by 27 percent. Indus-tries that performed worse than the state in terms of earnings were information by 65 percent, finance and insurance by 32 percent, and professional/scientific/technological services by 15.5 percent.

Sonoma County Earnings by Industry, 2009 (Millions)

SonomaCounty Percent

California Percent

Industry Sector County of Total of TotalFarm earnings $ 116 0.9 % 1.1 %Forestry, fishing, and related activities $ 73 0.6 % 0.5 %Mining $ 25 0.2 % 0.4 %Utilities $ 106 0.9 % 0.9 %Construction $ 1,095 8.9 % 5.4 %Manufacturing $ 1,610 13.0 % 10.4 %Wholesale trade $ 566 4.6 % 4.8 %Retail trade $ 927 7.5 % 5.9 %Transportation and warehousing $ 229 1.9 % 2.8 %Information $ 215 1.7 % 4.9 %Finance and insurance $ 489 4.0 % 5.9 %Real estate and rental and leasing $ 328 2.7 % 2.6 %Professional, scientific, and tech services $ 1,268 10.3 % 12.2 %Management of companies & enterprises $ 200 1.6 % 2.2 %Administrative and waste services $ 398 3.2 % 3.7 %Educational services $ 101 0.8 % 1.4 %Health care and social assistance $ 1,642 13.3 % 9.4 %Arts, entertainment, and recreation $ 147 1.2 % 1.7 %Accommodation and food services $ 438 3.5 % 3.0 %Other services, except public admin $ 586 4.7 % 3.6 %Government and government enterprises $ 1,917 15.5 % 17.9 %Value of withheld "(D)" employment - $ 116 - 0.9 % 0.0 %Total Earnings by Place of Work $12,360 100 % 100 %


0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%

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Earnings by Industry Sector, 2009 Sonoma County California


Page 35

Section 3: Economy

3�11 Median Household Income

What is it? Median household income is the income level at which half of the area’s households earn more and the other half earn less. It can be conceptualized as the income midpoint and is estimated annually for counties by the U.S. Census Bureau.

How is it used? Median household income is a better measure of average in-come than per capita income when evaluating income growth among all economic classes. Changes in per capita income may be driven by growth increases in the high income ranges only, whereas growth in median household income usually indicates expansion across the full range of incomes.

How is Sonoma County doing? In Sonoma County, median household income peaked in 2008 at $62,314. The following year, median household income fell 0.5 percent to $61,985. Sonoma County’s median household income has consistently been greater than the state average since 2000, but the difference has been less since the start of the recession in 2007.

Sonoma County Median Household Income (Nominal)Year County California2000 $ 53,193 $ 46,8362001 $ 52,873 $ 47,0642002 $ 53,230 $ 47,3232003 $ 52,088 $ 48,4402004 $ 53,645 $ 49,8942005 $ 58,110 $ 53,6272006 $ 60,656 $ 56,6462007 $ 62,279 $ 59,9282008 $ 62,314 $ 61,0172009 $ 61,985 $ 58,9252010 $ 58,703 $ 57,664Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

-6%-4%-2%0%2%4%6%8%

10%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Percent Change in MedianHousehold Income


$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Median Household Income Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 36

3�12 Poverty Rates

What is it? Poverty status is defined for each household; either every-one in the household is considered to be living in poverty, or no one. The characteristics of the family used to determine poverty status include number of people, number of children under 18, and whether the head of household is over age 65. If a household’s total income is less than the poverty threshold, then that family is considered to be impoverished. The poverty thresholds do not change geographically, although they are updated annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. The official poverty definition includes income before taxes and does not include capital gains or non cash benefits, such as public housing, Medi-Cal, or food stamps. This indicator shows the number and percent of all persons living below the poverty line.

How is it used? A high poverty rate in an area can indicate economic and social issues among persons living in the community. It may also indicate a scarcity of available employment, or a dearth of skilled labor capable of earning higher wages.

How is Sonoma County doing? The percentage of persons in Sonoma County below the pov-erty line is persistently and significantly lower than California by an average of 4.6 percentage points. However, the gap has closed somewhat in the last decade, with rates increasing to 12.8 percent in 2010, only 3 percentage points below the state.

Poverty Rates, Sonoma CountyYear County California2000 7.1 % 12.7 %2001 7.3 % 12.9 %2002 7.5 % 13.3 %2003 8.8 % 13.7 %2004 8.4 % 13.2 %2005 8.9 % 13.3 %2006 9.6 % 13.1 %2007 8.9 % 12.4 %2008 10.4 % 13.3 %2009 9.5 % 14.2 %2010 12.8 % 15.8 %Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census

0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Poverty Rates Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 37

Section 3: Economy

3�13 Fair Market Rent

What is it? Fair market rent acts as a proxy for monthly rent values. It is calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development using surveys of privately-owned dwellings with standard sanitary facilities. Fair market rent is set at the fortieth percentile, which means that 40 percent of the units in a given area rent for less than the fair market rent and 60 percent rent for more. It is calculated for various numbers of bedrooms in the house or apartment. Fair market rental values are gross rent estimates and they include shelter, rent, and the cost of utilities, except telephone.

How is it used? Most wealthy households can afford a home. Fair market rent is an indicator of housing costs for poorer households in a county and is used to determine whether families or indi-viduals qualify for rent and utility assistance. Fair market rent figures are descriptive of the local rental housing market in the region and are useful for individuals or businesses contemplat-ing a move to the area.

How is Sonoma County doing? From 2011 to 2012, Sonoma County fair market rent prices are expected to fall 8.9 percent. Between 2001 and 2011, fair market rent prices had increased on average by 37.1 percent in the county. The trend of fair market rents in Sonoma County closely follows the state from 2000 to 2011.

Fair Market Rent, Sonoma County Year 0-Bedroom 1-Bedroom 2-Bedroom 3-Bedroom 4-Bedroom2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

603644694767792751749758740844850842767

$ 684$ 730$ 787$ 869$ 897$ 914$ 912$ 923$ 901

$ 1,026$ 1,034$ 1,024

$ 933

$ 886$ 946

$ 1,020$ 1,126$ 1,163$ 1,154$ 1,151$ 1,165$ 1,137$ 1,296$ 1,306$ 1,293$ 1,178

$ 1,232$ 1,315$ 1,418$ 1,566$ 1,617$ 1,638$ 1,633$ 1,653$ 1,613$ 1,839$ 1,853$ 1,835$ 1,672

$ 1,454$ 1,552$ 1,673$ 1,849$ 1,909$ 1,914$ 1,910$ 1,933$ 1,886$ 2,150$ 2,167$ 2,145$ 1,954

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Fair Market Rent, 2-Bedroom Units Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 38

3�14 Jobs and Wages By Occupation

What is it? Wages and jobs by occupation is estimated by California Em-ployment Development Department. These estimates repre-sent the mean average wages and are determined by the most recent state occupational survey. Occupations are a calculation of all jobs in the area regardless of the jobholders place of residence.

How is it used? Wages by occupation help analysts understand which occu-pational categories are more likely to produce livable wages. Also wages help compare the progress of occupations in the region as compared with that of the state. Jobs by occupation help workforce development organizations plan appropriately as well as provide job planning for individuals.

How is Sonoma County doing? Annual mean wages in Sonoma County were much higher than the state in 2011. Sonoma County has the greatest dif-ference in wages than the state for healthcare technicians and practitioners, legal professionals, and managers. Jobs by occupation have decreased in total from 2004 to 2011 by 9.3 percent. Similarly all but five occupations have experienced job decreases since 2004 in Sonoma County.

Sonoma County Wages by Occupation, 2011Mean

Hourly WageMean Annual

2011 Pay CaliforniaArchitecture and Engineering Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, Media Building,Grounds Cleaning, and Maintenance Business and Financial Operations Community and Social Services Computer and Mathematical Construction and Extraction Education, Training, and Library Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Food Preparation and Serving-Related Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Healthcare Support Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Legal Life, Physical, and Social Science Management Office and Administrative Support Personal Care and Service Production Protective Service Sales and Related Total all

$39.28$24.55$14.31$32.26$23.20$41.42$28.00$25.05$12.60$11.23$42.53$16.23$23.97$48.32$36.32$51.72$18.56$14.33$17.53$28.99$18.22$23.58

$81,688$51,062$29,758$67,102$48,257$86,156$58,253$52,093$26,220$23,345$88,463$33,776$49,845

$100,506$75,541

$107,578$38,611$29,804$36,473$60,293$37,888$49,046

$66,196$50,147$24,303$59,147$37,519$75,641$45,548$47,920$23,650$19,876$60,464$28,521$39,613$77,926$55,721$92,649$32,567$23,735$30,450$45,848$34,432$40,072

Source: California Employment Development Department


Page 39

Section 3: Economy

Sonoma County Jobs by Occupation, 20112004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Architecture and Engineering 3,980 3,850 3,630 3,810 3,870 3,620 2,710 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2,250 2,320 2,660 2,500 2,250 1,960 2,070 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 6,900 6,770 6,780 6,640 6,610 6,480 6,410 Business and Financial Operations 7,690 8,560 9,310 9,390 8,080 9,280 10,440 Community and Social Services 3,440 3,640 4,100 3,850 3,010 2,250 2,020 Computer and Mathematical 3,360 3,460 3,760 4,000 3,230 2,900 3,130 Construction and Extraction 11,120 11,300 12,560 12,520 11,160 8,960 7,190 Education, Training, and Library 12,750 12,910 12,420 14,290 12,830 12,050 11,480 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 2,660 2,590 2,600 2,450 2,280 2,200 2,390 Food Preparation and Serving-Related 17,290 16,390 16,570 17,530 18,090 17,120 16,690 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 9,660 9,150 10,070 9,760 9,180 9,440 10,130 Healthcare Support 4,820 4,740 4,500 4,680 4,790 4,740 4,670 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 6,670 6,290 6,100 5,660 5,440 5,610 5,460 Legal 960 980 910 830 770 570 580 Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,280 1,400 1,560 1,720 1,710 1,870 1,310 Management 9,550 9,490 10,210 10,960 10,410 9,930 9,380 Office and Administrative Support 31,800 31,400 32,110 34,540 30,560 28,190 26,380 Personal Care and Service 4,770 4,570 4,760 4,550 5,040 4,810 4,770 Production 12,290 11,140 11,940 11,640 11,580 11,280 10,880 Protective Service 2,930 3,080 3,220 3,030 2,960 3,630 3,420 Sales and Related 20,870 21,780 20,580 20,580 20,310 19,230 19,380 Total all 188,510 186,080 191,490 196,520 185,790 176,960 170,960

Source: California Employment Development Department


Page 40

3�15 Median Home Price

What is it? Median home prices are calculated by the California Asso-ciation of Realtors using the market data for the number of homes sold in a particular area and the prices associated with those sales. Unlike the average price of homes sold, which can be skewed by extremely high sales or very low sales, median home price indicates the price which separates the larger half of median home values from the lower half. This is usually a more reliable indicator compared to others.

How is it used? This indicator can be used to track the health of a regions real estate market as a whole. This information is important for home buyers as well as investors to make decisions on buying or selling of residential real estate.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County has followed a similar yearly change in median home prices as the state. However, the county has had slightly greater median home values than the state every year except for 2007. From 2010 to 2011 Sonoma County experi-enced a 9.1 percent decrease in median home values. The av-erage days of home on the market has dramatically increased since 2007, reaching a ten year high of 447 days in 2010.

Median Home Price, Sonoma County

Year

Sonomamedian

home price1-year change

Units sold

Averagedays onmarket

California median price*

200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011

$ 283,000$ 333,000$ 357,500$ 400,000$ 474,925$ 550,000$ 557,975$ 525,000$ 369,940$ 310,195$ 330,800$ 300,750

n/a 17.7 %

7.4 %11.9 %18.7 %15.8 %

1.5 %-5.9 %

-29.5 %-16.1 %

6.6 %-9.1 %

6,677 5,268 7,161 7,292 7,672 8,344 5,206 4,005 4,929 5,696 5,060 5,473

42 86

84 66

57 63

86 105

102 67

447 331

$ 241,350$ 262,350$ 316,130$ 371,520$ 450,770$ 522,670$ 556,430$ 560,270$ 348,490$ 274,960$ 305,010$ 285,950

Source: Bay Area Real Estate Information Services* Source: California Association of Realtors

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Median Price of Homes Sold Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 41

Section 3: Economy

3�16 Housing Affordability Index

What is it? The housing affordability index is a ratio indicating the percentage of households in an area that can afford a median priced home as a first-time home buyers. A reading of 100 means a family earning the area’s median family income (reported by the Census Bureau) can qualify for a mortgage on a typical median-priced existing single-family home. Values above 100 indicate that housing is generally affordable, while values below 100 typically signal unaffordable conditions. The calculation assumes a 20 percent down payment. There-fore, an increase in the Housing Affordability Index shows that a family is more able to afford the median priced home.

How is it used? The housing affordability Index tracts the health of the hous-ing market as well as family household progress. Home own-ership is a definite priority for social prosperity and financial stability among families.

How is Sonoma County doing? With home devaluation throughout the United States due to the current housing crises, housing affordability has increased across America. Sonoma County has traditionally had a slight-ly greater affordability index than the state but much lower than the nation as a whole. Since 2007 housing prices have fallen, which has closed the affordability gap between the na-tion and Sonoma County. In 2010 Sonoma county reached its greatest affordability index of 112.8.

Housing Affordability Index, Sonoma CountyYear County California National2000 82 79 1052001 77 79 1112002 76 73 1132003 78 68 1202004 66 58 1092005 58 52 1022006 54 48 982007 60 50 1022008 89 87 1182009 118 115 1332010 113 110 139

Source: Bay Area Real Estate Information Services

020406080

100120140160

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Housing Affordability Index, Sonoma County

Sonoma CountyCaliforniaU.S.


Page 42

3�17 Commercial Vacancy Rates

What is it? Vacancy rates are calculated by dividing average square footage of available space for retail, office, and industrial use by the total square footage in the county dedicated to the specified use. Vacancy rates can be seen one of two ways. County officials see high or raising vacancy rates as a negative because it means that there must have been business closures or relocations outside the county. From a business standpoint, high vacancy rates often mean lower rent due to the abundant supply.

How is it used? Vacancy indicates how business is moving. More vacancy in office and retail may indicate that businesses are struggling in the area. How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma county has seen a slight decrease in office, retail and industrial vacancy space from 2010 to 2011. This is a posi-tive sign considering that the county has experienced rising vacancy rates since 2004.

0500,000

1,000,0001,500,0002,000,0002,500,0003,000,0003,500,0004,000,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Vacant Space Vacant Office SpaceVacant Retail SpaceVacant Industrial Space

Industrial Space Vacancy Rate

YearVacant Office

Sq FtTotal Office

Sq FtVacancy

Rate2004 2,327,210 22,749,058 10.2 %2005 1,741,559 22,764,710 7.7 %2006 2,019,806 24,108,854 8.4 %2007 2,475,934 23,891,970 10.4 %2008 2,840,121 24,005,676 11.8 %2009 3,564,386 24,150,198 14.8 %2010 3,541,432 24,176,083 14.6 %2011 3,159,098 24,107,054 13.1 %

Source: Keegan & Coppin Company, Inc.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Vacancy Rate Vacant Office RateVacant Retail RateVacant Industrial Rate

Office Space Vacancy RateVacant Office Total Office Vacancy

Year Sq Ft Sq Ft Rate2004 1,973,121 11,499,569 17.2 %2005 2,363,107 11,395,304 20.7 %2006 2,759,871 12,893,250 21.4 %2007 2,578,805 13,614,714 18.9 %2008 2,771,328 13,840,683 20.0 %2009 3,205,161 14,041,299 22.8 %2010 3,209,552 13,785,598 23.3 %2011 3,132,821 13,796,301 22.7 %


Retail Space Vacancy RateVacant Office Total Office Vacancy

Year Sq Ft Sq Ft Rate2004 562,945 16,681,472 3.4 %2005 636,946 16,534,006 3.9 %2006 613,317 16,705,782 3.7 %2007 585,911 16,809,111 3.5 %2008 820,096 16,978,517 4.8 %2009 1,553,354 17,302,925 9.0 %2010 1,487,037 17,402,783 8.5 %2011 1,264,046 17,453,977 7.2 %



Page 43

Section 4: Society

4 Social Indicators

Social indicators describe the capacity for community systems to achieve adequate human health, education, safety, and so-cial participation. Functioning social systems increase human capacity for growth and improvement, including the capacity to earn more income and improve the physical environment. These are often called “quality-of-life” measures because they include many of the non-economic community attributes many people seek.

Sonoma County performs remarkable well in many social indicators as compared with the state, especially in health and education. The indicators show that the people of Sonoma County are, by-and-large, responsible based on their crime, education, medical care, and voter participation rates.

Sonoma County has higher rates of death from cancer, pul-monary disease, and Alzheimer’s, although it has lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and accidents. Teen pregnancy is much lower than in California, reaching a nine year low in 2009 . Infant mortality is persistently lower than in the state, however, births with late or no prenatal care have been rising since 2003.

TANF, CalWORKs and Medi-Cal caseloads in the county are much lower per capita than in the state which are lead-ing indicator of social health. School free and reduced-price meal enrollment has risen since 2006, although it still is much lower than the state. Educational performance in the county is doing well. Dropout rates are slightly lower than the state average, but have increased since 2004. Average SAT scores are greater than in the state and the number of English learn-ers enrolled in county schools increased through the 2010-11 school year, but has been at a declining rate.

Overall, the county’s social indicators are very positive. Al-most every indicator showed better conditions than the state, except for prenatal care and high school graduates eligible for UC and CSU system, which were on par with the state aver-age.

In This Section:4.1 Leading Causes of Death .................................444.2 Teenage Pregnancy ..........................................464.3 Infant Mortality ...............................................474.4 Low Birth Weight Infants ................................484.5 Late Prenatal Care ...........................................494.6 TANF-CalWORKS Caseload ..........................504.7 Medi-Cal Caseload ..........................................514.8 School Free and Reduced Meal Program ........524.9 Educational Attainment ...................................534.10 High School Dropout Rate ............................544.11 Graduates Eligible For UC and CSU Systems ................................................................................554.12 Average SAT Scores ......................................564.13 English Learners Enrollment .........................574.14 Crime Rates ...................................................594.15 Voter Registration and Participation ..............61


Page 44

4�1 Leading Causes of Death

What is it? Each death in the county is reported with certain characteris-tic information, including age and race/ethnicity of decedent, place of residence at time of death, and cause of death, among

Cause of Death as a Percentage of Total Deaths, 2009Sonoma County California

Heart Disease 23.9 % 25.4 %Cancer 26.1 % 24.1 %Stroke 6.5 % 5.8 %Pulmonary Disease 6.4 % 5.6 %Accidents 4.4 % 4.6 %Alzheimers 5.8 % 4.3 %Diabetes 2.3 % 3.0 %Pneumonia & Influenza 1.8 % 2.7 %Cirrhosis 1.7 % 1.8 %Suicide 1.7 % 1.6 %All other causes 19.5 % 21.2 %

Source: California Department of Public Health

other characteristics. The tables show the number of deaths inSonoma County and in California in order of California’s topten most common causes of death between 2000 and 2009. The data is collected and reported by the California Depart-ment of Public Health.

How is it used? Cause of death statistics indicates the health of a commu-nity. If death rates for preventable causes are greater than the regional average, there may be a health or safety issues that can be addressed locally. If death rates for environmentally-influenced factors, such and cancer and influenza, are high, this may indicate an environmental issue in the county worth investigating.

How is Sonoma County doing? The leading cause of death in Sonoma County was cancer in 2009 which was 8 percent greater than the state followed by heart disease. In the last ten years, the number of deaths caused by heart disease and cancer has fluctuated between 49 and 55 percent. In 2009, they accounted for half the deaths in the county. 0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Top Four Leading Causes of Death,Sonoma County

HeartDiseaseCancer

Stroke

PulmonaryDisease

Leading Causes of Death, Sonoma CountyCause of Death 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009All Causes 3,735 3,835 3,872 3,864 3,949 3,620 3,697 3,703 3,778 3,754 3,770Heart Disease 1,109 1,084 983 1,038 1,032 899 947 934 942 896 900Cancer 929 909 960 929 914 899 949 886 981 904 985Stroke 333 363 351 324 350 361 314 292 281 291 245Pulmonary Disease 216 215 223 213 224 206 174 201 195 205 242Accidents 144 127 132 168 169 157 199 156 156 159 164Alzheimers 115 89 110 120 152 140 158 176 180 245 218Diabetes 75 81 83 89 100 93 98 89 94 89 87Pneumonia & Influenza 68 130 128 127 105 97 93 107 98 101 66Cirrhosis 37 47 58 42 61 53 59 70 60 57 65Suicide 47 54 41 58 69 64 51 50 58 76 63All other causes 662 736 803 756 773 651 655 742 733 731 735



Page 45

Section 4: Society

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%H

eart

Dis

ease

Canc

er

Stro

ke

Pulm

onar

yD

isea

se

Acc

iden

ts

Alz

heim

ers

Dia

bete

s

Pneu

mon

ia &

Influ

enza

Cirrh

osis

Suic

ide

All

othe

rca

uses

Leading Causes of Death as Percent of Total, County and State Sonoma County California


Page 46

4�2 Teenage Pregnancy

What is it? Teen births are reported as births to mothers under the age of twenty. It is a subset of the birth data published by the Cali-fornia Department of Public Health.

How is it used? Teen pregnancy is a major national and state concern because teen mothers and their babies face increased risks to their health and economic status. For example, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, teen mothers are more likely than mothers over age twenty to give birth prematurely (before thirty-seven completed weeks of pregnancy). Many factors contribute to the increased risk of health problems of babies born to teenage mothers.

How is Sonoma County doing? The percentage of live births by teen mothers in Sonoma County has consistently been lower than California’s aver-age for the past decade. There were 347 teen births in 2009, a decrease of 121 births from the previous year. Only once in 2008 did the percentage of live births to teenage mothers sur-pass eight percent. In comparison, the state average has never fallen below nine percent.

Total Teen Births, Sonoma County

Year NumberPercent of live births

Sonoma County California 2000 452 8.0 % 10.4 % 2001 423 7.4 % 10.0 % 2002 449 7.9 % 9.5 % 2003 424 7.3 % 9.1 % 2004 472 7.9 % 9.1 % 2005 403 7.2 % 9.1 % 2006 438 7.4 % 9.4 % 2007 392 6.8 % 9.4 % 2008 468 8.1 % 9.4 % 2009 347 6.1 % 9.1 %


050

100150200250300350400450500

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Births to Teen Mothers Sonoma County

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Live Births to Teenage Mothersas Percent of Live Births

Sonoma County

California


Page 47

Section 4: Society

4�3 Infant Mortality

What is it? Infant mortality rates are calculated as deaths of infants less than one year old divided by total births. It is reported by the California Department of Public Health.

How is it used? Infant mortality is used to compare the health and well-being of populations internationally. Infant mortality represents many factors surrounding birth, including but not limited to the health and socioeconomic status of the mother, prenatal care, quality of the health services delivered to the mother and child, and infant care. In addition, high infant mortality rates are often considered preventable and can be influenced by various education and care programs.

How is Sonoma County doing? There were a total of 14 infant deaths in Sonoma County in 2009, a decrease of seven deaths from the previous year, and the lowest count in the last ten years. Sonoma County’s infant death rate has consistently been lower than the state average for the past ten years. However, the ten year trend is erratic, jumping from a high of 29 deaths to a near low of 15 the fol-lowing year.

Number

Year 2000

of Infant Death

Number27

s, Sonoma CountyPercent of live births

Sonoma County California4.8 5.4

2001 21 3.7 5.3 2002 29 5.1 5.4 2003 24 4.1 5.2 2004 15 2.5 5.2 2005 28 5.0 5.3 2006 20 3.4 5.0 2007 28 4.9 5.2 2008 21 3.6 5.1 2009 14 2.5


4.9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Infant Deaths Sonoma County

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Infant Deaths per1,000 Live Births



Page 48

4�4 Low Birth Weight Infants

What is it? Births of infants with a low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams, about 5.5 pounds) are reported by the California De-partment of Public Health as a subset of total births.

How is it used? Low birth weight is a major cause of infant mortality. Birth weight is also an important element in child development. Low birth weight babies are at a higher risk to be born with underdeveloped organs. This can lead to lung problems, such as respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding of the brain, vision loss, and/or serious intestinal problems. Low birth weight babies are more than twenty times more likely to die in their first year of life than babies born at a normal weight.

How is Sonoma County doing? In 2009, the total number of low birth weight births was 336 in Sonoma County, 5.9 percent of the total number of births in the same year. The number of low birth weight births as a percent of live births has been lower than the state by an aver-age by about one percentage point. The state average is 6.6 percent and the county average is 5.6 percent.

Low Birth Weight Infants, Sonoma County

Year NumberPercent of Live Births

Sonoma County California 2000 320 5.7 % 6.2 % 2001 313 5.5 % 6.3 % 2002 259 4.6 % 6.4 % 2003 317 5.4 % 6.6 % 2004 322 5.4 % 6.7 % 2005 358 6.4 % 6.9 % 2006 322 5.5 % 6.9 % 2007 327 5.7 % 6.9 % 2008 334 5.8 % 6.8 % 2009 336 5.9 % 6.8 %Source: California Department of Public Health

050

100150200250300350400

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Low Birth Weight Infants(Under 2,500 Grams)

Sonoma County

0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%6.0%7.0%8.0%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Low Birth Weight Infants (Under 2,500Grams) as Percent of Live Births



Page 49

Section 4: Society

4�5 Late Prenatal Care

What is it? Late prenatal care is a count of births where the mother first saw a physician about her pregnancy after her third trimester began. Data is collected by county health departments from surveys of every birth and reported to the California Depart-ment of Public Health. The survey includes a question about when the mother first sought medical care during her preg-nancy.

How is it used? Late prenatal care is one of the more prominent risk factors for many medical complications later in pregnancy, during childbirth, or among the children themselves. Early medical care can help expectant mothers with lifestyle and medication changes that might otherwise affect their child.

How is Sonoma County doing? In 2009, the percent of live births with late prenatal care in Sonoma County was 3.4 percent compared to 3.1 percent in the state. In ten years of data, Sonoma County has exceeded the state in percent of live births four times (2004-2006, 2009). The long-term trend for this indicator is that it has been in-creasing over time.

Births With Late or No Prenatal Care, Sonoma County

Year NumberPercent of Live Births

Sonoma County California 2000 120 2.1 % 3.0 % 2001 146 2.6 % 2.9 % 2002 128 2.3 % 2.6 % 2003 109 1.9 % 2.5 % 2004 164 2.7 % 2.6 % 2005 188 3.3 % 2.7 % 2006 185 3.1 % 2.8 % 2007 154 2.7 % 3.2 % 2008 167 2.9 % 3.2 % 2009 196 3.4 % 3.1 %


0

50

100

150

200

250

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Births with Late orNo Prenatal Care

Sonoma County

0.0%0.5%1.0%1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%4.0%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Births with Late or No Prenatal Care as Percent of Live Births



Page 50

4�6 TANF-CalWORKS Caseload

What is it? This indicator shows the annual average number of California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) recipients (persons) and cases (families or households). Cal-WORKs is California’s implementation of the federal Tempo-rary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program. CalWORKs is a welfare program that gives cash aid and services to eligible needy California families. If a family has little or no cash and needs housing, food, utilities, clothing, or medical care, they may be eligible to receive immediate short-term help. Families eligible for cash aid are those with needy children who are deprived because of a disability, absence or death of a parent, or unemployment of the principal earner. The assistance is intended to encourage work, enable families to become self-sufficient, and provide financial support for children who lack the proper support and care.

How is it used? Information about these programs is useful in determining which areas need the most assistance and which areas have the greatest number of people utilizing assistance programs. Higher incidence of CalWORKs enrollment may indicate a lack of job opportunities for lesser skilled workers, or addi-tional health or social issues that keep people from holding on to adequate employment.

How is Sonoma County doing? In Sonoma County, the number of TANF/CalWORKs cases and recipients has steadily increased since 2002. However, average recipients as a percent of total population is signifi-cantly less than the state’s average of 3.5 percent.

TANF/CalWORKs Caseload, Sonoma County

Average Number Recipients per Recipients perYear of recipients Capita, County Capita, State2002 5,161 1.1 % 3.9 %2003 5,451 1.2 % 3.6 %2004 6,100 1.3 % 3.5 %2005 6,196 1.3 % 3.4 %2006 6,249 1.3 % 3.2 %2007 6,310 1.3 % 3.1 %2008 6,878 1.4 % 3.3 %2009 7,866 1.6 % 3.6 %2010 8,369 1.7 % 3.8 %

Source: California Department of Social Services

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Average Number of Recipients Sonoma County

0.0%0.5%1.0%1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%4.0%4.5%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Average Recipients as aPercent of Total Population

Sonoma County

California


Page 51

Section 4: Society

4�7 Medi-Cal Caseload

What is it? Medi-Cal is California’s program that replaces the federal Medicaid program in the state. It was created before Medicaid and, therefore, California legislators successfully requested that the federal government exclude this state from their program. It covers people who are disadvantaged physically or financially. Some examples of Medi-Cal eligible groups are people aged 65 or older, those who are blind or disabled, those who receive a check through the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payments program, children and parents who receive financial assistance through the Cal-WORKs program, and women who are pregnant or diagnosed with cervical or breast cancer.

How is it used? Information on Medi-Cal programs is helpful in determining the need for public medical assistance in a particular commu-nity. As with CalWORKs and food stamps, the relative need for assistance is also an indicator of the social and/or econom-ic status of area residents.

How is Sonoma County doing? In 2010, 12.6 percent of the county population received Medi-Cal benefits (60,646 people). In comparison, 20 percent of the population throughout California received benefits. The amount of beneficiaries in the county has increased each year since 2003.

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Medi-Cal Beneficiares Sonoma County

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Medi-Cal Beneficiares as Percent of Total Population


Medi-Cal Users, Sonoma CountyPercentage of California Percentage of

Year Beneficiaries Region Population Beneficiaries California Population2003 46,053 9.9 % 6,478,049 18.5 %2004 46,652 9.9 % 6,489,774 18.3 %2005 47,844 10.2 % 6,560,346 18.4 %2006 49,535 10.5 % 6,534,983 18.2 %2007 50,288 10.7 % 6,553,258 18.1 %2008 51,592 10.9 % 6,721,003 18.4 %2009 55,798 11.7 % 7,094,877 19.3 %2010 60,646 12.6 % 7,397,966 20.0 %

Source: California Department of Healthcare Services


Page 52

4�8 School Free and Reduced Meal Program

What is it? This indicator is the count of K-12 students enrolled in the free or reduced-priced meal program. The program provides meals to students from income-qualifying families. Families only have to claim a certain income level to enroll their children in the program, and no evidence or auditing is required. Periodi-cally, schools will actively promote the program, which can temporarily boost enrollment.

How is it used? The data can be used to emphasize the degree to which fami-lies need assistance within an area. It can also be used as a means to encourage more support for reduced lunches if the demand is increasing, or to justify support from the commu-nity to continue the assistance program. The data can also be used as a proxy for change in child poverty rates; the Census Bureau’s new American Community Survey now provides annual child poverty estimates at the neighborhood level, although the reliability of these estimates can be low.

How is Sonoma County doing? The percent of students enrolled in the free and reduced price meal program has been trending upward since 2000. In 2010, nearly 45 percent of students were enrolled in the program with a decade high number of 30,512 students. This develop-ment is exacerbated by the declining numbers of total enroll-ment in the county. The percent of Sonoma County students enrolled in the program has historically been less than the state, but has been progressing towards the state average in recent years.

School Free and Reduced Meals, Sonoma CountyTotal Free and Total Percent of Students

Year2000

Reduced Meals17,951

Enrollment77,080

County California23.3 % 47.4 %

2001 18,250 71,811 25.4 % 47.7 %2002 19,012 70,781 26.9 % 48.7 %2003 18,947 72,800 26.0 % 49.0 %2004 21,210 70,728 30.0 % 49.9 %2005 21,958 70,868 31.0 % 51.1 %2006 23,355 70,031 33.3 % 51.0 %2007 23,497 68,329 34.4 % 51.2 %2008 26,503 68,209 38.9 % 53.8 %2009 28,609 68,461 41.8 % 55.9 %2010 30,512 67,987

Source: California Department of Education

44.9 % 54.7 %

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

County Percent of Students UsingFree and Reduced Meals Program



Page 53

Section 4: Society

4�9 Educational Attainment

What is it? Educational attainment is the highest level of education attained by individuals living in the region. The American Community Survey collects data on educational attainment and produces estimates annually for counties with more than 65,000 people, three-year estimates in counties larger than 20,000, and five-year estimates in all other counties.

How is it used? An educated workforce is an important factor for economic development. Educational attainment is linked with the skill level of the workforce. Greater portions of the popula-tion with higher educational attainment are linked to higher incomes and lower unemployment. Generally, people with college degrees have an easier time finding jobs. In addition, higher education is linked with higher incomes.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County had a higher percentage of adults with some college or higher education degrees than the state. A major-ity of county residents have some college education at 28.6 percent. Those with an Associates, Bachelors, or Gradu-ate degrees combine to make up 36.5 percent of the adult population. Positive changes in the last decade are found in Bachelors and Graduate degree holders, which increased 21.3 percent and 26.8 percent respectfully; however, these increases were lower than in the state. Another positive change is in adults with a 9th to 12th grade education and no diploma. This level of educational attainment has decreased 18.7 per-cent in the last ten years.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

< 9thGrade

9-12thGrade

H.S.Grad

Somecollege

Assoc.Degree

BachelorsDegree

Grad.Degree

Educational Attainment as a Percent of Population, Persons 18 and Over


-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

< 9thGrade

9-12thGrade

H.S.Grad

Somecollege

Assoc.Degree

BachelorsDegree

Grad.Degree

Percent Change in EducationalAttainment, Persons 18 and Over


Sonoma County Population by Educational Attainment, Population 18 and OverPercent of total in 2010 Change from 2000 to 2010

Educational Attainment 2000 2010 County California County CaliforniaLess than 9th grade 23,791 23,930 6.3 % 9.5 % 0.6 % - 2.4 %9th to 12th grade, no diploma 34,003 27,653 7.3 % 9.6 % - 18.7 % - 18.2 %High school graduate or equivalent 73,610 80,605 21.3 % 21.7 % 9.5 % 15.3 %Some college, no degree 96,694 108,052 28.6 % 25.0 % 11.7 % 15.5 %Associate's degree 29,770 28,023 7.4 % 7.2 % - 5.9 % 19.7 %Bachelor's degree 59,336 71,964 19.0 % 17.5 % 21.3 % 26.0 %Graduate or professional degree 29,963 38,002 10.0 % 9.6 % 26.8 % 28.9 %Total Persons Age 18 and Over 347,167 378,229 100.0 % 100.0 % 8.9 % 12.1 %

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2010, 2007-2009 & 2005-2009 ACS


Page 54

4�10 High School Dropout Rate

What is it? High school dropout rates are calculated by the California Department of Education, and are based on the National Cen-ter for Education Statistics definition. The data is derived by adding the number of dropouts from the 12th grade that year, the 11th grade the previous year, the 10th grade two years ago, and the 9th grade three years ago; divided by that sum plus the number of graduates.

How is it used? This rate is an indicator of how well youth are prepared to enter the workforce or to obtain higher levels of education. Lower dropout rates are directly related to lower levels of poverty and higher incomes, which improves economies and diversifies the workforce.

How is Sonoma County doing? In Sonoma County, dropout rates have varied between 1.2 per-cent in 2001-2002 to 5.8 percent in 2008-2009. The number of high school dropouts increased in the second half of the decade with the county dropout rate increasing to match the state averages in 2005-2006 and following closely henceforth.

High School Dropouts, Sonoma County

YearNumber of dropouts

1-yeardropout rate

CA 1-yeardropout rate

1993-19941994-19951995-19961996-19971997-19981998-19991999-20002000-20012001-20022002-20032003-20042004-20052005-20062006-20072007-20082008-20092009-2010

496 507 498 497 614 510 600 430 271 567 559 450 762 1,258 1,005 1,325 1,000

2.8 %2.8 %2.7 %2.6 %3.1 %2.4 %2.8 %1.9 %1.2 %2.5 %2.4 %1.9 %3.3 %5.4 %4.4 %5.8 %4.4 %

4.9 %4.4 %3.9 %3.3 %2.9 %2.8 %2.8 %2.8 %2.7 %3.1 %3.2 %3.0 %3.3 %5.5 %4.9 %5.7 %4.6 %


0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Number of High School Dropouts Sonoma County

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

High School Dropout Rate Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 55

Section 4: Society

4�11 Graduates Eligible For UC and CSU Systems

What is it? This indicator is the count of high school graduates who have completed coursework required by either the California State University or the University of California postsecondary edu-cation systems. Historic data was reported by schools to the California Department of Education in their annual California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) reports. This sys-tem has now been replaced with the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). It is not yet known if the change to the new system will create a break in time-series data. Further eligibility based on SAT or other col-lege entrance exams are not included here.

How is it used? A college education is critical for most students looking for higher-wage employment. Also, this is an indicator of the sup-port provided to K-12 students from a combination of the local school system, parents, and the community.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County had mirrored the state average in percent of graduates eligible for a University of California or California State University system until 2007-2008. From that point on, the percentages of county graduates dropped significantly to finish in 2008-2009 with only 25 percent eligible for UC or CSU submission.

Graduates Eligible for UC or CSU System - Sonoma CountyCounty Graduates CA Graduates

Year Count Percentage Percentage2001-02 1,570 37.6 % 34.6 %2002-03 1,426 32.2 % 33.6 %2003-04 1,638 37.1 % 33.8 %2004-05 1,650 35.8 % 35.2 %2005-06 1,571 35.8 % 36.1 %2006-07 1,587 35.1 % 35.5 %2007-08 1,222 26.1 % 33.9 %2008-09 1,119 24.9 % 35.3 %2009-10 1,297 27.4 % 36.3 %2010-11 1,257 27.6 % 40.3 %


0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Percentage of County GraduatesEligible for UC or CSU System


0200400600800

1,0001,2001,4001,6001,800

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

Graduates Eligible forUC or CSU System

Sonoma County


Page 56

What is it? The SAT is designed to measure verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities that are related to successful performance in college, according to the California Department of Educa-tion. Academic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors are thought to affect the results of the test scores. Students are re-quired to take the test only if they plan on attending a college that requires it for admission. This is the primary reason the SAT is not an accurate measure of the effectiveness of school curriculum or teaching. SAT scores can be affected by the percentage of eligible students taking the test; as the number of test takers increases, scores tend to fall. If a small percent-age of students from a school take the test, then the average score could reflect selective testing; a school may encourage only those students who are identified as high achievers to par-ticipate. For this reason, the percentage of students who took the exam is provided. The highest possible score a student can receive is 2400.

How is it used? SAT scores are usually an indicator of academic performance for children in local schools, except where an exceptionally low or high percentage of students took the test. The measure is commonly used to compare student performance nationally. Scores can also be affected by the social and economic fabric of the community.

4�12 Average SAT Scores

How is Sonoma County doing? Average SAT scores in Sonoma County are significantly high-er than those in California. During the 2009-2010 school year, the average score was 1618 compared to 1512 in the state as a whole. However, a lower percentage of county students take the test, 27.6 percent in the county compared to 33.4 percent in the state during 2009-10. The higher scores may not reflect average performance among all high school students.

1,400

1,450

1,500

1,550

1,600

1,650

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Average SAT Scores (out of 2400) Sonoma County

California

Average SAT Scores (out of 2400) - Sonoma CountyCounty California

Percent of Students Average Percent of Students AverageSchool Year who took SAT SAT Scores who took SAT SAT Scores2005-06 34.8 % 1591 36.7 % 14982006-07 33.5 % 1595 36.9 % 14892007-08 32.2 % 1584 35.9 % 14932008-09 29.5 % 1588 34.7 % 1492

2009-10 27.6 % 1618 33.4 % 1512



Page 57

Section 4: Society

4�13 English Learners Enrollment

What is it? This is the count of K-12 students enrolled in English lan-guage learning (ELL) programs. These programs were once referred to as “English as a second language” (ESL). The California Department of Education tabulates enrollment by school district.

How is it used? ELL programs require additional school resources per student, although enrollment in the program does not increase school funding, so this can be a measure of hardship for local school districts. It is also a measure of community culture – children and families who continue to primarily use a non-English lan-guage can indicate adherence to native culture and may have less access to high paying employment opportunities.

How is Sonoma County doing? The total English learner enrollment has steadily increased over the past decade; however, the increase is becoming less severe over time, as can clearly be seen in the downward slop-ing percentage change graph. English learners enrollment as a percent of total enrollment has progressively increased each year to level off around 24 percent in 2010-2011. Sonoma County has been on par with the state averages of English learners since 2007-2008.

02,0004,0006,0008,000

10,00012,00014,00016,00018,000

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

English Learners Enrollment Sonoma County

-4%-2%0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

Percentage Change in EnglishLearners Enrollment


0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

Percent of Students Enrolledin English Learners

Sonoma County

California


Page 58

English Learners Enrollment - Sonoma County

YearEnrolled EnglishLearner Students

Percentage Changein E.L. Enrollment

Total EnrolledStudents K-12

Percent of EnrolledStudents in E.L.

Percent of Enrolled E.L.Students in California

1999-20002000-20012001-20022002-20032003-20042004-20052005-20062006-20072007-20082008-20092009-20102010-2011

10,08711,14312,34813,24914,27415,09015,67516,35716,58216,61716,79916,978

n/a10.5 %10.8 %

7.3 %7.7 %5.7 %3.9 %4.4 %1.4 %0.2 %1.1 %1.1 %

77,08071,81170,78172,80070,72870,86870,03168,32968,20968,46167,98770,867

13.1 15.5 17.4 18.2 20.2 21.3 22.4 23.9 24.3 24.3 24.7 24.0

%%%%%%%%%%%%

24.8 24.8 25.2 25.5 25.5 25.7 25.3 25.5 25.4 24.6 24.7 23.2

%%%%%%%%%%%%



Page 59

Section 4: Society

4�14 Crime Rates

What is it? Crime rate is the number of reported crimes per 100,000 people. It is reported by the California Department of Justice and represents misdemeanor and felony reports, but not infrac-tions.

How is it used? Crime is an important factor in terms of an area’s perceived quality of life. An area with a high crime rate is often seen as a much less attractive place to live than one with a low rate. While it is impossible to predict when or where a crime will occur, individuals and communities can help with prevention by taking note of patterns and trends collected by legitimate agencies. Crime rates can rise and fall with increasing or decreasing incidence of crime, but rates could also change if more or fewer crimes are reported to local law enforcement agencies. Another issue is where crime rates are calculated in areas with low population and lots of commercial area – crime rates for these areas are artificially high because most crime occurs in commercial areas. Therefore, careful analysis is needed when evaluating change in crime rates.

How is Sonoma County doing? Crime rates have generally been lower in Sonoma County than California. The property crime rate has been falling since 2002. In the last two years of available data, the rate was only nine crimes per one thousand persons. The violent crime rate peaked in 2005, even though homicides were at a ten year low. The prime reason of the increase was an abnormal frequency in aggravated assault that year. From 2005 and beyond, the violent crime rate decreased to four per one thousand persons.

Property Crimes - Sonoma County

Year BurglaryMotor Vehicle

TheftLarceny

Over $400 Total 2000 2,679 929 2,034 5,642 2001 2,875 1,064 2,548 6,487 2002 3,101 1,494 2,540 7,135 2003 2,380 1,543 1,980 5,903 2004 2,552 1,582 2,124 6,258 2005 2,340 1,310 2,061 5,711 2006 2,209 971 1,789 4,969 2007 2,154 932 1,568 4,654 2008 2,060 815 1,496 4,371 2009 1,993 786 1,758 4,537

Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center

Violent Crimes - Sonoma County

Forcible AggravatedYear Homicide Rape Robbery Assault Total 2000 11 168 239 938 1,356 2001 12 173 223 885 1,293 2002 16 188 294 970 1,468 2003 12 169 225 1,400 1,806 2004 17 214 272 1,739 2,242 2005 5 168 288 1,946 2,407 2006 11 173 300 1,679 2,163 2007 8 153 270 1,543 1,974 2008 12 145 274 1,600 2,031 2009 9 163 318 1,427 1,917


Crime Rate per 1,000 Population - Sonoma CountyProperty Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Total Crime Rate

Year County California County California County California 2000 12.1 16.7 2.9 6.1 15.1 22.8 2001 13.8 17.9 2.8 6.0 16.6 24.0 2002 15.2 18.8 3.1 5.9 18.3 24.7 2003 12.5 19.2 3.8 5.7 16.3 24.9 2004 13.1 19.4 4.7 5.4 17.8 24.7 2005 11.9 19.4 5.0 5.1 17.0 24.5 2006 10.3 18.8 4.5 5.2 14.8 24.0 2007 9.7 18.0 4.1 5.1 13.8 23.0 2008 9.0 17.1 4.2 4.8 13.2 22.0 2009 9.3 15.4 3.9 4.5 13.2 19.9



Page 60

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Property Crime Rateper 1,000 Population


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Violent Crime Rateper 1,000 Population



Page 61

Section 4: Society

4�15 Voter Registration and Participation

What is it? Voter information includes voter registration and political party affiliation. It is reported by the California Secretary of State.

How is it used? People typically choose a political party representing social and economic values close to their own. Therefore, political party membership may allow a business or organization to evaluate whether the community may or may not support par-ticular proposals for development or regulation. The choice of a party generally reflects certain attitudes towards government including relative tolerance for higher taxes, land preservation, and allocation of local government funds.

In 2010, California voters approved an open primary system where any voter can choose any candidate in the primary election, regardless of party registration. It remains to be seen how this will affect evaluation of voter registration data.

How is Sonoma County doing? As of 2010, 339,466 Sonoma County residents were eligible to vote with a registration rate of 73.1 percent. The highest participation rate since 2000 was recorded in 2008, a presiden-tial election year, with 93.4 percent participation. In 2010, the participation rate was 75.3 percent, which was much higher than the state average of 59.6 percent.

Voter Participation in General Elections - Sonoma CountyEligible to Registered Total Registration Participation

Year Register Voters Voters Rate Rate2000 327,034 248,181 198,562 75.9 % 80.0 %2002 324,623 232,808 149,663 71.7 % 64.3 %2004 323,999 248,998 222,538 76.9 % 89.4 %2006 328,374 234,891 177,328 71.5 % 75.5 %2008 332,700 248,122 231,817 74.6 % 93.4 %2010 339,466 248,273 186,920 73.1 % 75.3 %

Source: California Secretary of State, Elections Divisions

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Voter Registration Rate Sonoma CountyCalifornia

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Voter Participation Rate Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 62


Page 63

Section 5: Industry

5 Industry Indicators

Industry indicators show the status and growth of key indus-tries linked to economic growth in Northern California. Most economic development efforts in Northern California focus on some if not all of these industries. Their growth is linked with the environmental, economic, and social improvement of Northern California communities.

Sonoma County’s industry profile is dominated by imported government spending and resulting government income and employment. The county is also heavily influenced by manufacturing and construction. Agriculture, energy and utili-ties, and travel and recreation make up a small percentage of worker earnings and employment as a whole. Travel and rec-reation has experienced a 7 percent decrease in expenditures from 2008 - 2009, not as great or as severe as the state but a large blow to a significant source of county revenue.

In This Section:5.1 Agricultural Including Forestry and Fishing ...645.2 Energy and Utilities .........................................685.3 Construction ....................................................705.4 Manufacturing .................................................755.5 Travel and Recreation ......................................775.6 Retail ...............................................................795.7 Government .....................................................82


Page 64

5�1 Agricultural Including Forestry and Fishing

What is it? The agricultural sector of the economy has a vast affect on the entire economy as a whole, especially in rural areas. When there is a change in agricultural production, it leads to an effect on overall jobs and income. The impact of the agricul-tural sector is not limited to itself and shocks to the market will also influence other industries as well. The United States Department of Agricultural releases a summary of the agricul-tural commissioner’s reports to track the changes in overall agricultural production. Farm income is separated by livestock and crop measurements, government payments and other payments. The distribution of farm income represents farm wages separated by proprietor and corporate farm income. Top crops by value shows the top ten crops by total revenue within the county. Agriculture jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from the agriculture industry.

How is it used? Agriculture is typically a base industry, that is, it is responsible for bringing in revenues from outside the county to support the local economy. Values for agricultural production are impor-tant to monitor because they indicate how much agriculture is contributing year-to-year. Agriculture tends to be a volatile industry, subject to annual fluctuations based on weather, crop prices, and other factors, and so the sustainability of the agricultural sector depends on stability over a longer period of time.

How is Sonoma County doing? Overall agriculture is a more important part of the local economy than average in the state. Total jobs throughout the county have been steadily declining in Sonoma County, and have decreased 27 percent since 2002. Although there is a long term trend in agricultural job loss, Sonoma County did add 50 agricultural jobs from 2008-2009. Agricultural earned income in Sonoma County increased from 2001 to 2007 to $785 million but has decreased to $771 million in 2009. The total value for agriculture production fell in 2009 to $38,135,000 compared to $47,467,000 in 2008. The most valuable crops in Sonoma County in 2009 were wine grapes, milk, and poultry with values of $465,036,400, $64,524,700, and $ 41,034,600 respectively. Proprietary farm income for Sonoma County in-creased 139 percent from 2008-2009 to $19 million. Corporate farm income decreased 19 percent between 2008 and 2009 to $-51 million. The greatest increase of farm income from 2008 to 2009 has been in farm worker wages which increased $15.5 million dollars.

Agriculture Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

County CaliforniaYear Jobs County California2001 10,836 n/a n/a 3.9 % 2.5 %2002 11,598 7.0 % 5.1 % 4.3 % 2.6 %2003 10,178 - 12.2 % - 1.2 % 3.8 % 2.6 %2004 9,501 - 6.7 % - 6.7 % 3.5 % 2.4 %2005 8,833 - 7.0 % - 4.9 % 3.2 % 2.2 %2006 8,327 - 5.7 % - 4.5 % 3.0 % 2.1 %2007 8,567 2.9 % 5.0 % 3.0 % 2.1 %2008 8,345 - 2.6 % - 1.6 % 3.0 % 2.1 %2009 8,395 0.6 % - 4.4 % 3.2 % 2.1 %


0.0%0.5%1.0%1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%4.0%4.5%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Agriculture Jobs, Percent of Total Sonoma CountyCalifornia

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Agriculture Jobs, 1-Year Change Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 65

Section 5: Industry

Agriculture Earnings (Thousands), Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

County CaliforniaYear Earnings County California2001 $ 628,911 n/a n/a 3.6 % 1.9 %2002 $ 654,548 4.1 % 5.3 % 3.7 % 2.0 %2003 $ 693,652 6.0 % 9.0 % 3.9 % 2.1 %2004 $ 724,792 4.5 % 11.4 % 3.9 % 2.2 %2005 $ 757,611 4.5 % - 4.9 % 3.9 % 2.0 %2006 $ 762,998 0.7 % 3.4 % 3.6 % 1.9 %2007 $ 785,654 3.0 % 9.6 % 3.6 % 2.0 %2008 $ 771,036 - 1.9 % - 1.0 % 3.5 % 1.9 %2009 $ 771,916 0.1 % 1.1 % 3.7 % 2.0 %


Value of Agricultural and Timber Production (in Thousands), Sonoma County

Agricultural Timber Timber as a Percent Total Year Value Value of Total Value Value2000 $ 585,039 $ 19,494 3.2 % $ 604,5332001 $ 584,049 $ 5,218 0.9 % $ 589,2672002 $ 564,767 $ 3,483 0.6 % $ 568,2502003 $ 514,697 $ 7,291 1.4 % $ 521,9882004 $ 528,232 $ 5,749 1.1 % $ 533,9812005 $ 637,333 $ 4,984 0.8 % $ 642,3172006 $ 590,618 $ 6,324 1.1 % $ 596,9422007 $ 639,056 $ 5,498 0.9 % $ 644,5542008 $ 593,407 $ 6,806 1.1 % $ 600,2132009 $ 653,783 $ 512 0.1 % $ 654,295Source: California Ag Statistics Service, California Department of Finance

0.0%0.5%1.0%1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%4.0%4.5%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Agriculture Earnings,Percent of Total


$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Value of Agricultural and Timber Production (Thousands of Dollars)

Agricultural Timber

-6%-4%-2%0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Agriculture Earnings,1-Year Change



Page 66

Top Crops by Value, 2009 - Sonoma CountyCrop ValueGrapes Wine $ 465,036,400Milk Market Fluid $ 64,524,700Poultry Unspecified $ 41,034,600Livestock Products Misc. $ 26,398,700Nursery Woody Ornamentals $ 10,214,900Cattle & Calves Unspecified $ 9,290,400Vegetables Unspecified $ 8,066,600Nursery Products Misc. $ 6,037,800APPLES ALL $ 5,117,800Nursery Plants Bedding $ 4,697,000All Other Crops $ 13,364,200Total Value of Agriculture $ 653,783,100

Source: California Agricultural Statistics Service, California Departmentof Finance

Grapes Wine, 71.1%

Milk Market Fluid, 9.9%

Poultry Unspecified,

6.3%

All Others, 12.7%

Top Crops by Value, 2009

Source of Farm Income (in Thousands),Sonoma County

Cash Receipts Government Other Misc.Livestock Crops Payments Income

2000 $ 147,740 $ 391,838 $ 3,501 $ 17,1912001 $ 163,644 $ 390,717 $ 2,039 $ 22,6662002 $ 138,785 $ 397,464 $ 7,391 $ 22,2332003 $ 157,307 $ 334,742 $ 4,312 $ 28,7422004 $ 185,831 $ 347,309 $ 2,103 $ 35,7882005 $ 181,199 $ 396,483 $ 2,713 $ 34,8712006 $ 137,820 $ 454,537 $ 2,207 $ 45,2562007 $ 217,292 $ 433,067 $ 685 $ 36,1982008 $ 218,871 $ 410,981 $ 2,869 $ 50,3692009 $ 166,740 $ 416,984 $ 6,734 $ 44,404


Distribution of Farm Income (in Thousands),Sonoma County

Farm Corporate FarmworkerProprietors Farm Income Wages

2000 $ 33,747 $ 10,538 $ 144,0962001 $ 16,089 $ 7,968 $ 152,4132002 $ 16,851 $ 9,296 $ 141,1132003 $ 446 - $ 3,998 $ 116,0712004 $ 5,614 $ 8,181 $ 123,8952005 $ 4,087 $ 3,209 $ 130,3462006 $ 2,123 - $ 6,298 $ 130,6452007 $ 6,896 $ 6,014 $ 120,9602008 $ 8,277 - $ 41,489 $ 132,2592009 $ 19,751 - $ 51,359 $ 147,792


$0$50,000

$100,000$150,000$200,000$250,000$300,000$350,000$400,000$450,000$500,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source of Farm Income in Thousands of Dollars Livestock Crops Government Payments Other Misc. Income


Page 67

Section 5: Industry

-$100,000

-$50,000

$0

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Distribution of Farm Income in Thousands of Dollars Farm Proprietors Corporate Farm Income Farmworker Wages


Page 68

5�2 Energy and Utilities

What is it? Electricity use and generation is reported by the California Energy Commission. Electricity generation capacity is the amount of energy that power plants with more than 0.1 mega-watts of capacity are capable of producing. Actual production is somewhat less than capacity, especially for plant types that use less reliable sources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelec-tric. Energy and utilities jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from the industry.

How is it used? Changes in electrical generation capacity allow planners an estimate of growth and capabilities of electrical capacity. The data can be compared to energy use in the Environment Sec-tion to evaluate whether an area is energy self-sufficient.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County is home to one of the largest geothermal electrical production complexes in the nation, yet energy is no more important to the local economy than the state aver-age. Total jobs in Sonoma County from energy and utilities declined during the first half of the decade, yet increased 53 percent since 2005. Sonoma total earned income for energy and utilities was $127 million in 2009, a 27 percent increase from 2007. Sonoma County currently produces 99 percent of its energy from geothermal. The remainder is shared between hydroelectric, oil/gas, and waste products.

0.0%

0.1%

0.2%

0.3%

0.4%

0.5%

0.6%

0.7%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Energy and Utilities Jobs,Percent of Total

SonomaCounty

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Energy and Utilities Jobs,1-Year Change


Energy and Utilities Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

County CaliforniaYear Jobs County California2001 1,308 n/a n/a 0.5 % 0.5 %2002 1,181 - 9.7 % - 5.3 % 0.4 % 0.5 %2003 1,090 - 7.7 % 3.0 % 0.4 % 0.5 %2004 1,086 - 0.4 % - 0.4 % 0.4 % 0.5 %2005 1,036 - 4.6 % 1.9 % 0.4 % 0.5 %2006 1,166 12.5 % 4.7 % 0.4 % 0.5 %2007 1,368 17.3 % 5.0 % 0.5 % 0.5 %2008 1,463 6.9 % 9.5 % 0.5 % 0.5 %2009 1,581 8.1 % 9.9 % 0.6 % 0.6 %


Energy and Utilities Earnings (in Thousands),Sonoma County

County 1-Year Change Percent of TotalYear Earnings County California County California2001 $ 80,814 n/a n/a 0.46 % 0.61 %2002 $ 68,169 - 15.6 % - 1.3 % 0.39 % 0.60 %2003 $ 71,427 4.8 % 14.1 % 0.40 % 0.65 %2004 $ 76,149 6.6 % 17.7 % 0.41 % 0.72 %2005 $ 77,254 1.5 % 1.3 % 0.40 % 0.69 %2006 $ 91,441 18.4 % 21.6 % 0.43 % 0.78 %2007 $ 99,671 9.0 % - 2.9 % 0.45 % 0.73 %2008 $ 129,928 30.4 % 19.0 % 0.59 % 0.84 %2009 $ 120,389 - 7.3 % 0.8 % 0.57 % 0.87 %



Page 69

Section 5: Industry

0.0%0.1%0.2%0.3%0.4%0.5%0.6%0.7%0.8%0.9%1.0%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Energy and Utilities Earnings,Percent of Total


Electricity Generation Capacity, Sonoma CountyTotal Capacity Percent of Capacity

Facility Type (Megawatts) County CaliforniaCoal 0.0 0.0 % 0.8 %Geothermal 1,159.9 99.0 % 3.7 %Hydroelectric 2.8 0.2 % 20.0 %Nuclear 0.0 0.0 % 6.4 %Oil/Gas 2.7 0.2 % 62.8 %Solar 0.0 0.0 % 0.6 %Wind 0.0 0.0 % 4.0 %Waste Products 6.4 0.5 % 1.6 %

Source: The California Energy Commission

-20.0%

-10.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Energy and Utilities Earnings,1-Year Change


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Coal

Geo

-th

erm

al

Hyd

ro-

elec

tric

Nuc

lear

Oil/

Gas

Sola

r

Win

d

Was

tePr

oduc

ts

Electricity Generation Capacity, LicensedPower Plants Over 0.1 MW Capacity


Residential Utility Base RateYear Natural gas rate per therm Elecricity rate per kWh2000 $ 0.760 $ 0.1102001 $ 0.955 $ 0.1332002 $ 0.626 $ 0.0012003 $ 0.888 $ 0.1422004 $ 0.884 $ 0.1342005 $ 1.163 $ 0.1372006 $ 1.145 $ 0.1592007 $ 1.217 $ 0.1642008 $ 1.350 $ 0.1672009 $ 0.955 $ 0.0022010 $ 1.005 $ 0.1852011 $ 1.026 $ 0.185

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company

$ 0.00$ 0.02$ 0.04$ 0.06$ 0.08$ 0.10$ 0.12$ 0.14$ 0.16$ 0.18$ 0.20

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011$ 0.00

$ 0.20

$ 0.40

$ 0.60

$ 0.80

$ 1.00

$ 1.20

$ 1.40

$ 1.60

Residential Utility Base RatesNatural Gas RatesElectricity Rates


Page 70

5�3 Construction

What is it? New housing units indicate growth in both construction and population. The California Construction Industry Research Board provides statistics that indicate the status of construc-tion in each county, by city. The data is tabulated for single- and multiple-family units and a percentage is provided for comparison. The permitted value of new construction shows the type of growth in new construction. Construction jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from the construction industry.

How is it used? Construction is often a leading indicator of economic growth. Increasing production often requires new or reconstructed facilities. Furthermore, the construction industry provides em-ployment for a large number of blue collar workers. However, the industry statewide has seen a major decrease in activity due to the economic downturn.

How is Sonoma County doing? Construction remains an important part of Sonoma County’s economy, despite the economic recession cause in part by the collapse of the housing market. It’s recessionary decline was no worse than the state’s. Total construction jobs in Sonoma County have been consistently decreasing since 2006. Earned income in construction was $1.09 billion dollars in 2009, representing 5.2 percent of total earnings by industry. In 2010 Sonoma County constructed a total of 280 new housing units, down from 359 in 2009. In Sonoma County the permitted value of new construction was $232.8 million in 2010, a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year.

Construction Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

County CaliforniaYear Jobs County California2001 21,265 n/a n/a 7.7 % 5.5 %2002 20,430 - 3.9 % - 2.6 % 7.5 % 5.5 %2003 20,219 - 1.0 % 3.4 % 7.5 % 5.6 %2004 21,256 5.1 % 7.3 % 7.8 % 5.9 %2005 22,555 6.1 % 7.0 % 8.2 % 6.2 %2006 22,971 1.8 % 2.9 % 8.3 % 6.3 %2007 22,348 - 2.7 % - 3.2 % 7.9 % 6.0 %2008 20,381 - 8.8 % - 9.6 % 7.3 % 5.4 %2009 17,141 - 15.9 % - 16.1 % 6.5 % 4.7 %


0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%6.0%7.0%8.0%9.0%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Construction Jobs,Percent of Total


-20.0%

-15.0%

-10.0%

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Construction Jobs,1-Year Change



Page 71

Section 5: Industry

Construction Earnings (Thousands), Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

County CaliforniaYear Earnings County California2001 $ 1,190,230 n/a n/a 6.8 % 5.2 %2002 $ 1,210,469 1.7 % 2.6 % 6.9 % 5.3 %2003 $ 1,247,115 3.0 % 5.7 % 6.9 % 5.4 %2004 $ 1,376,829 10.4 % 12.1 % 7.4 % 5.7 %2005 $ 1,487,024 8.0 % 9.1 % 7.6 % 5.8 %2006 $ 1,585,174 6.6 % 6.6 % 7.5 % 5.8 %2007 $ 1,543,761 - 2.6 % - 3.4 % 7.0 % 5.3 %2008 $ 1,378,911 - 10.7 % - 8.8 % 6.2 % 4.8 %2009 $ 1,094,958 - 20.6 % - 19.1 % 5.2 % 3.9 %


New Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits, Sonoma County

Newsingle-

Newmultiple-

Total newhousing

Percent of units aresingle-family

Year family units family units units County California

20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

2,0341,6461,2951,3881,3431,6391,361

904546359280

521933540951598

1,364601622

4571

190

2,5552,5791,8352,3391,9413,0031,9621,526

591430470

79.6 %63.8 %70.6 %59.3 %69.2 %54.6 %69.4 %59.2 %92.4 %83.5 %59.6 %

71.1 71.9 73.8 70.9 71.1 74.2 65.8 60.5 50.9 69.9 57.0

%%%%%%%%%%%

Total 2000-2010

12,795 6,436 19,231 66.5 % 69.2 %

Source: California Construction Industry Research Board

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Construction Earnings,Percent of Total


-25%-20%-15%-10%-5%0%5%

10%15%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Construction Earnings,1-Year Change


0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

New Housing Units Authorizedby Building Permits

New single- family units

New multiple- family units

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Percent of Units are Single-FamilyCounty and State



Page 72

Annual Percent Change of New Housing Units Authorized byBuilding Permits, Sonoma County

YearAnnual Percent Change

Sonoma County California2000-01 0.9 % 0.1 %2001-02 -28.8 % 12.8 %2002-03 27.5 % 16.6 %2003-04 -17.0 % 8.8 %2004-05 54.7 % -2.0 %2005-06 -34.7 % -21.3 %2006-07 -22.2 % -31.2 %2007-08 -61.3 % -42.5 %2008-09 -27.2 % -43.9 %2009-10 9.3 % 22.9 %


-60.0%

-40.0%

-20.0%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

'00-01

'01-02

'02-03

'03-04

'04-05

'05-06

'06-07

'07-08

'08-09

'09-10

Annual Percent Change in PermittedValue of New County Housing


Total New Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits, Cities in Sonoma CountyCity/Town 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Cloverdale 124 54 122 177 117 91 63 6 1 1 0Cotati 58 49 44 183 63 53 36 3 3 0 0Healdsburg 137 41 22 16 34 16 47 25 25 81 3Petaluma 296 97 255 305 71 369 272 186 13 30 5Rohnert Park 7 181 21 209 252 205 0 24 0 0 0Santa Rosa 1,081 1,603 752 773 612 1,242 883 862 176 94 224Sebastopol 30 13 25 9 9 31 4 23 10 6 20Sonoma 65 84 78 142 179 76 45 33 12 0 7Windsor 394 118 194 218 210 227 153 64 5 1 0Unincorporated Area 363 339 322 307 394 693 459 300 346 217 211


Percent of New Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits are Single-Family (2000-2010), Sonoma County

City/Town

Newsingle-

family units

Newmultiple-

family units

Total newhousing

units

Percent ofunits are

single-familyCloverdaleCotatiHealdsburgPetalumaRohnert ParkSanta RosaSebastopolSonomaWindsorUnicorp. Area

721333311

1,02694

4,994133489

1,339489

35159136873805

3,30847

232245232

756492447

1,899899

8,302180721

1,584721

95.4%67.7%69.6%54.0%10.5%60.2%73.9%67.8%84.5%67.8%



Page 73

Section 5: Industry

Sonoma County - Value of New Construction (Thousands of Dollars)

YearNew Single-Family Units

New Multiple-Family Units

ResidentialAlterations Offices

RetailStores

OtherCommercial Industrial

OtherConstr.

Nonres.Alterations

TotalValue

20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

$ 470,785$ 307,681$ 295,769$ 322,260$ 302,186$ 398,597$ 328,693$ 219,642$ 142,928

$ 93,260$ 68,353

$ 31,185$ 69,412$ 31,115$ 86,300$ 57,640

$ 128,382$ 65,621$ 86,983

$ 5,915$ 12,433$ 19,869

$ 57,962$ 71,003$ 72,698$ 75,013$ 81,301$ 89,454$ 93,193$ 71,030$ 60,567$ 38,404$ 54,556

$ 21,700$ 26,471$ 50,121$ 11,786$ 23,702

$ 9,617$ 10,489$ 25,492$ 12,032

$ 0$ 0

$ 27,761$ 35,309$ 50,369$ 33,458$ 71,229$ 65,542$ 46,745$ 19,967$ 32,041

$ 3,942$ 1,482

$ 18,406$ 29,074$ 28,732$ 12,631$ 14,800

$ 4,585$ 7,000

$ 14,225$ 9,000$ 1,402

$ 0

$ 29,460$ 22,228

$ 8,861$ 12,448

$ 3,875$ 3,127$ 8,914$ 5,426$ 3,619$ 1,191

$ 0

$ 35,548$ 41,162$ 43,709$ 61,150$ 45,222$ 51,523$ 52,312$ 46,140$ 36,592$ 18,726$ 23,433

$ 75,934$ 57,483$ 62,599$ 67,676$ 81,846$ 88,695

$ 102,629$ 106,301

$ 87,098$ 43,319$ 65,120

$ 768,741$ 659,823$ 643,974$ 682,723$ 681,802$ 839,523$ 715,596$ 595,205$ 389,792$ 212,677$ 232,814

Total 2000-2010

$ 2,950,155 $ 594,856 $ 765,181 $ 191,410 $ 387,845 $ 139,854 $ 99,149 $ 455,518 $ 838,700 $ 6,422,669


0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

New Single- New Multiple- Residential Retail Other Other Nonres.

Family Units Family Units Alterations Offices Stores Commercial Industrial Constr. Alterations

Value of Construction Authroized by Building Permits (Thousands of Dollars, 2000-2010) Sonoma CountyCalifornia

$0$100,000$200,000$300,000$400,000$500,000$600,000$700,000$800,000$900,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Total County Value of NewConstruction (Thousands of Dollars)

Sonoma County


Page 74

Annual Percent Change in Value of New County Housingin Sonoma County

Year

Change in Total Value of NewSingle and Multi-Family Units

County California2000-012001-022002-032003-042004-052005-062006-072007-08

2008-09

2009-10

-24.9%-13.3%25.0%

-11.9%46.5%

-25.2%-22.2%-51.5%

-29.0%

-16.5%

1.7%15.4%17.1%14.8%

4.1%-21.9%-29.0%-42.0%

-37.6%

16.3%


-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

'00-01

'01-02

'02-03

'03-04

'04-05

'05-06

'06-07

'07-08

'08-09

'09-10

Annual Percent Change in Value ofNew County Housing (Single & Multi)


City Permitted Value of New Housing Units (in Thousands), Sonoma CountyCity/Town 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Cloverdale $ 12,699 $ 28,705 $ 38,909 $ 32,500 $ 17,550 $ 10,791 $ 1,378 $ 311 $ 189 $ 0Cotati $ 10,779 $ 5,656 $ 25,640 $ 14,034 $ 7,686 $ 8,416 $ 541 $ 647 $ 0 $ 0Healdsburg $ 8,694 $ 6,679 $ 3,380 $ 7,759 $ 4,400 $ 17,932 $ 7,942 $ 6,447 $ 15,188 $ 774Petaluma $ 15,726 $ 4,410 $ 41,738 $ 18,589 $ 65,053 $ 34,878 $ 26,839 $ 4,380 $ 9,780 $ 1,242Rohnert Park $ 17,366 $ 2,522 $ 19,286 $ 21,749 $ 26,332 $ 0 $ 3,160 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0Santa Rosa $ 180,920 $ 102,883 $ 94,462 $ 97,742 $ 174,626 $ 141,004 $ 134,075 $ 31,642 $ 19,135 $ 32,027Sebastopol $ 1,537 $ 2,539 $ 1,149 $ 1,313 $ 4,575 $ 603 $ 3,635 $ 2,067 $ 883 $ 2,739Sonoma $ 11,885 $ 17,359 $ 34,930 $ 23,684 $ 17,507 $ 8,279 $ 7,339 $ 3,092 $ 0 $ 2,002Unincorporated Area $ 90,002 $ 99,930 $ 86,113 $ 97,954 $ 132,119 $ 119,638 $ 93,050 $ 99,097 $ 60,478 $ 49,439


Permitted Value of New Housing Units (in Thousands), 2000-2010, Sonoma County

New New Total new Percent ofsingle- multiple- housing units are

City/Town family units family units units single-familyCloverdale $ 164,179 $ 4,835 $ 169,014 97.1 %Cotati $ 66,591 $ 10,617 $ 77,208 86.2 %Healdsburg $ 81,514 $ 16,955 $ 98,469 82.8 %Petaluma $ 260,718 $ 76,441 $ 337,160 77.3 %Rohnert Park $ 12,978 $ 77,695 $ 90,674 14.3 %Santa Rosa $ 950,328 $ 297,074 $ 1,247,401 76.2 %Sebastopol $ 20,259 $ 5,306 $ 25,566 79.2 %Sonoma $ 114,855 $ 22,338 $ 137,194 83.7 %Unincorp. $ 962,510 $ 48,636 $ 1,011,146 95.2 %


$0$200,000$400,000$600,000$800,000

$1,000,000$1,200,000$1,400,000

Total Value of New Housing Units in Thousands of Dollars by City (2000-2010)


Page 75

Section 5: Industry

5�4 Manufacturing

What is it? Manufacturing is defined in the President’s Office of Manage-ment and Budget’s North American Industrial Classification System as the mechanical, physical, or chemical transforma-tion of materials, substances, or components into new prod-ucts. Manufacturing jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from the manufacturing industry.

How is it used? Manufacturing is usually an economic base industry, making it an important local economic indicator. Certain manufactur-ing industries are affected either positively or negatively to economic shocks. If an industry is showing growth during this current economic downturn, that industry may be critical to the county’s economic recovery. Counties that experience limited decline or show growth in manufacturing during the downturn have a competitive advan-tage when attracting related industries.

How is Sonoma County doing? Manufacturing is responsible for more jobs as a percent of total than the state, although average pay is less than the state average because earnings as a percent of total are no higher than California. As with the state, recent losses of manufactur-ing jobs and income are hurting the county. There were a total of 22,656 manufacturing jobs in Sonoma County in 2009. This represented a 7.7 percent decrease from 2008. Earnings from manufacturing decreased 5.6 percent from the following year with earnings amounting to $1.6 billion in 2009.

Manufacturing Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Jobs County California County California2001 32,517 n/a n/a 11.7 % 9.6 %2002 29,189 - 10.2 % - 8.0 % 10.7 % 8.9 %2003 27,657 - 5.2 % - 6.2 % 10.3 % 8.3 %2004 26,933 - 2.6 % - 0.8 % 9.8 % 8.1 %2005 26,154 - 2.9 % - 1.1 % 9.5 % 7.9 %2006 25,559 - 2.3 % - 0.4 % 9.2 % 7.7 %2007 24,800 - 3.0 % - 1.8 % 8.8 % 7.4 %2008 24,533 - 1.1 % - 2.7 % 8.8 % 7.2 %2009 22,656 - 7.7 % - 9.5 % 8.6 % 6.8 %


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Manufacturing Earnings,Percent of Total


-8%

-6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Manufacturing Earnings,1-Year Change



Page 76

Manufacturing Earnings (Thousands), Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Earnings County California County California2001 $ 1,821,352 n/a n/a 10.4 % 9.9 %2002 $ 1,745,241 - 4.2 % - 4.8 % 9.9 % 9.3 %2003 $ 1,751,672 0.4 % 1.2 % 9.7 % 9.1 %2004 $ 1,702,518 - 2.8 % 4.1 % 9.1 % 8.9 %2005 $ 1,718,320 0.9 % 3.9 % 8.8 % 8.7 %2006 $ 1,691,729 - 1.5 % 3.8 % 8.0 % 8.4 %2007 $ 1,655,910 - 2.1 % 1.1 % 7.5 % 8.1 %2008 $ 1,705,772 3.0 % - 1.6 % 7.7 % 7.8 %2009 $ 1,610,136 - 5.6 % - 4.7 % 7.6 % 7.6 %


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Manufacturing Jobs,Percent of Total


-12%

-10%

-8%

-6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Manufacturing Jobs,1-Year Change



Page 77

Section 5: Industry

5�5 Travel and Recreation

What is it? The travel and recreation industry is the economic activity generated from recreational expenditures and other travel expenditures made in the county by visitors. This section evaluates jobs and earnings for the travel and recreation indus-try from the U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as travel expenditures provided by the California Travel and Tourism Commission. A critical component to travel indicators is pas-senger use of the use of the local Charles M. Schultz - Sonoma County Airport.

How is it used? Travel into a county can show the desirability of the county to attract visitors. Visitor-serving industries are often an impor-tant economic base industry because they attract spending from outside of the area. This makes travel and recreation industry performance an important local economic indicator.

How is Sonoma County doing? Travel remains an economic driver in Sonoma County, al-though it was affected during the recession. Jobs in the travel industry declined from 2008 to 2009 for Sonoma County by three percent compared to 2.7 percent decline in the state. In 2009 the total number of travel and recreation jobs was 27,185. Earnings for travel and recreation was $617,442 in 2009. Travel expenditures decreased from $1.3 billion in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a loss of 7.2 percent. This is less austere than California’s annual percent change from 2008 to 2009 of negative 10.1 percent. This decrease in travel was seen in a falloff in passenger air travel in 2009, although passenger air travel climbed back up above 2008 levels and reached a record of nearly 228,000 enplanements by 2011, so the travel industry may be rebounding.

Travel and Recreation Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Jobs County California County California2001 24,999 n/a n/a 9.0 % 8.8 %2002 26,071 4.3 % 0.3 % 9.6 % 9.0 %2003 26,136 0.2 % 1.8 % 9.7 % 9.1 %2004 26,596 1.8 % 2.2 % 9.7 % 9.1 %2005 27,010 1.6 % 2.3 % 9.8 % 9.2 %2006 27,249 0.9 % 3.0 % 9.8 % 9.3 %2007 27,765 1.9 % 2.8 % 9.9 % 9.3 %2008 28,019 0.9 % 1.0 % 10.1 % 9.5 %2009 27,185 - 3.0 % - 2.7 % 10.3 % 9.6 %


8.0%

8.5%

9.0%

9.5%

10.0%

10.5%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Travel and Recreation Jobs,Percent of Total


-4.0%-3.0%-2.0%-1.0%0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Travel and Recreation Jobs,1-Year Change



Page 78

Total Annual Travel Expenditures (in Millions), Sonoma County

YearExpenditures

in CountyAnnual

percent changeExpenditure in California

Annual percent change

2000 $ 1,005.3 6.6 % $ 76,500 7.9 % 2001 $ 986.6 - 1.9 % $ 73,300 - 4.2 % 2002 $ 990.5 0.4 % $ 72,700 - 0.8 % 2003 $ 1,016.8 2.7 % $ 75,600 4.0 % 2004 $ 1,083.0 6.5 % $ 80,700 6.7 % 2005 $ 1,148.1 6.0 % $ 87,000 7.8 % 2006 $ 1,239.6 8.0 % $ 91,800 5.5 % 2007 $ 1,305.2 5.3 % $ 95,100 3.6 % 2008 $ 1,343.0 2.9 % $ 97,500 2.5 % 2009 $ 1,246.3 - 7.2 % $ 87,700 - 10.1 %

Source: California Travel and Tourism Commission, Dean Runyan Assoc.

Passenger Use of Sonoma County AirportDestination Direction 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Portland

Seattle

Total

ArrivingDepartingTotalArrivingDepartingTotalArrivingDepartingTotalArrivingDepartingTotalArrivingDepartingTotal

n/an/an/a

32,90833,19066,098

3,1483,2366,384

17,50717,35234,85953,56353,778

107,341

12,51713,14825,66542,05242,78684,83818,42619,28537,71126,83925,74352,58299,834

100,962200,796

20,75420,55641,31036,94337,64774,59020,81019,83040,64021,41921,89243,31199,92699,925

199,851

20,77321,36442,13739,47339,17278,64521,36319,32140,68420,36822,14942,517

101,976102,006203,982

21,87121,90943,78045,05745,81690,87323,17823,12946,30723,50723,48946,996

113,613114,343227,956

Source: Charles M. Schultz - Sonoma County Airport

$0$200$400$600$800

$1,000$1,200$1,400$1,600

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Annual TravelExpenditures (in Millions)

Sonoma County

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total Passenger Use by Origin/Destination,Arrivals and Departures,Charles M. Shultz - Sonoma County Airport

Las VegasLos AngelesPortlandSeattle

-15.0%

-10.0%

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Annual Percent Change inTravel Expenditures



Page 79

Section 5: Industry

5�6 Retail

What is it? This section includes taxable retail sales. It also includes non-retail and total taxable sales because goods and services sold by non-retail stores and offices often serve as a substitute for sales at retail stores. Items subject to sales tax are included, which covers any items considered nonessential food items. Items not included in taxable sales include milk, bread, cereal, and other basic foods not prepared for final consumption. Retail jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from the retail industry.

How is it used? Retail is usually a local-serving industry, meaning it primarily sells to people living within the area. Retail activity is usually impacted by changes in traditional base industries like agricul-ture and manufacturing. It is used to help assess the economic impact of changes in base industries. Retail is also typically one of the largest industry sectors in local economies.

How is Sonoma County doing? Retail trade is strong in Sonoma County, which has a popu-lation to support a wide variety of products and services, although it, too, has been hit by the recession. Retail sales jobs declined 1,928 in 2009 to 27,520, the largest decrease in retail sector employment since 2001. Earned income for retail sales decreased to $926.7 million in 2009, an 8.2 percent loss from the previous year. Taxable sales steadily increased from fiscal year 2000-01 to peak at $157.6 million in 2006-07. In 2009, taxable retail sales totaled $4.41 billion, a one year shortfall of 11.9 percent. However, this is less than California which observed 12.9 percent decline over the same period. Similarly, Santa Rosa’s total taxable sales (retail and non-retail) peaked in 2006 at $2.99 billion, only to drop considerably in 2009 to $2.32 billion. Non-retail taxable sales fell sharply in this period and was the chief mechanism that drove down total taxable sales. Taxable retail sales also declined from 2008 to 2009, but not as drastically, which is evident in the increase of retail sales share of total sales. In 2009, retail sales made up 70.4 percent of total sales.

Retail Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Jobs County California County California2001 30,714 n/a n/a 11.1 % 10.1 %2002 30,530 - 0.6 % - 0.5 % 11.2 % 10.2 %2003 30,459 - 0.2 % 1.5 % 11.3 % 10.3 %2004 30,259 - 0.7 % 1.3 % 11.1 % 10.3 %2005 30,596 1.1 % 2.6 % 11.1 % 10.3 %2006 30,466 - 0.4 % 1.1 % 11.0 % 10.3 %2007 30,783 1.0 % 0.5 % 10.9 % 10.1 %2008 29,448 - 4.3 % - 3.2 % 10.6 % 9.8 %2009 27,520 - 6.5 % - 7.0 % 10.4 % 9.5 %


8.5%

9.0%

9.5%

10.0%

10.5%

11.0%

11.5%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Retail Jobs,Percent of Total


-8.0%

-6.0%

-4.0%

-2.0%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Retail Jobs,1-Year Change



Page 80

Retail Earnings (Thousands), Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Earnings County California County California2001 $ 933,329 n/a n/a 5.3 % 5.5 %2002 $ 966,215 3.5 % 3.3 % 5.5 % 5.6 %2003 $ 991,205 2.6 % 4.8 % 5.5 % 5.6 %2004 $ 1,011,154 2.0 % 3.6 % 5.4 % 5.5 %2005 $ 1,045,416 3.4 % 4.3 % 5.4 % 5.4 %2006 $ 1,053,414 0.8 % 2.5 % 5.0 % 5.2 %2007 $ 1,066,075 1.2 % 1.5 % 4.8 % 5.0 %2008 $ 1,009,678 - 5.3 % - 6.5 % 4.6 % 4.6 %2009 $ 926,704 - 8.2 % - 8.4 % 4.4 % 4.3 %


Taxable Sales, Retail and Nonretail - Sonoma County(in Thousands of Dollars)Year Retail Stores Nonretail Total2000 $ 4,633,471 $ 2,190,073 $ 6,823,5442001 $ 4,740,829 $ 2,078,536 $ 6,819,3652002 $ 4,749,946 $ 1,952,919 $ 6,702,8652003 $ 4,898,707 $ 1,897,498 $ 6,796,2052004 $ 5,188,586 $ 2,000,501 $ 7,189,0872005 $ 5,426,633 $ 2,195,466 $ 7,622,0992006 $ 5,500,588 $ 2,394,007 $ 7,894,5952007 $ 5,404,597 $ 2,472,598 $ 7,877,1952008 $ 5,009,164 $ 2,359,945 $ 7,369,1092009 $ 4,413,001 $ 1,850,828 $ 6,263,829

Source: California Board of Equalization

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Retail Earnings,Percent of Total


$0$1,000,000$2,000,000$3,000,000$4,000,000$5,000,000$6,000,000$7,000,000$8,000,000$9,000,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Taxable Sales (Thousands) TotalRetail Stores

-10%-8%-6%-4%-2%0%2%4%6%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Retail Earnings,1-Year Change


Taxable Sales, Annual Change - Sonoma CountyTaxable Retail Sales Total Taxalbe Sales

Year County California County California2000-2001 2.3 % 2.4 % - 0.1 % - 0.0 %2001-2002 0.2 % 2.6 % - 1.7 % - 0.1 %2002-2003 3.1 % 6.2 % 1.4 % 4.4 %2003-2004 5.9 % 9.4 % 5.8 % 8.8 %2004-2005 4.6 % 7.4 % 6.0 % 7.4 %2005-2006 1.4 % 3.5 % 3.6 % 4.2 %2006-2007 - 1.7 % - 0.5 % - 0.2 % 0.3 %2007-2008 - 7.3 % - 7.7 % - 6.5 % - 5.2 %2008-2009 - 11.9 % - 12.9 % - 15.0 % - 14.2 %



Page 81

Section 5: Industry

Taxable Retail Sales - Sonoma County (in Thousands of Dollars)Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Santa Rosa $ 2,305,779 $ 2,242,317 $ 2,273,503 $ 2,398,821 $ 2,495,408 $ 2,478,832 $ 2,429,588 $ 2,216,633 $ 1,944,429Petaluma $ 692,390 $ 696,730 $ 711,576 $ 752,037 $ 773,869 $ 778,792 $ 757,943 $ 693,168 $ 617,928Rohnert Park $ 434,583 $ 473,832 $ 540,846 $ 580,312 $ 595,588 $ 601,105 $ 573,890 $ 530,148 $ 468,381Windsor $ 135,260 $ 168,021 $ 188,024 $ 212,079 $ 227,576 $ 238,632 $ 226,925 $ 213,378 $ 197,169Healdsburg $ 190,900 $ 199,349 $ 204,705 $ 211,751 $ 222,790 $ 223,488 $ 222,706 $ 209,369 $ 183,597


Total Taxable Sales - Sonoma County (in Thousands of Dollars)Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Santa Rosa $ 2,725,863 $ 2,634,323 $ 2,662,373 $ 2,796,110 $ 2,967,250 $ 2,995,739 $ 2,945,933 $ 2,705,824 $ 2,326,477Petaluma $ 939,723 $ 922,657 $ 927,744 $ 979,562 $ 1,016,393 $ 1,064,296 $ 1,054,042 $ 977,480 $ 796,033Rohnert Park $ 559,174 $ 564,259 $ 631,084 $ 668,026 $ 692,353 $ 700,873 $ 677,642 $ 632,234 $ 552,534Windsor $ 230,874 $ 260,039 $ 276,955 $ 301,385 $ 332,729 $ 350,914 $ 335,604 $ 311,212 $ 275,258Healdsburg $ 252,930 $ 259,158 $ 258,652 $ 268,409 $ 289,534 $ 302,406 $ 304,704 $ 309,657 $ 265,605


$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

$3,000,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Taxable Retail Sales, Top Three Cities Santa RosaPetalumaRohnert Park

$0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

$3,000,000

$3,500,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Taxable Sales, Top Three Cities Santa RosaPetalumaRohnert Park

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

Total Taxable Sales, 1-Year Change Sonoma CountyCalifornia

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

Taxable Retail Sales, 1-Year Change Sonoma CountyCalifornia


Page 82

5�7 Government

What is it? This section includes revenue and expenditures to and from county government. It does not include city government revenues and expenditures, or those from special districts such as schools, utility districts, public safety districts, etc. Govern-ment jobs and income are also provided to show how locals benefit from government employment.

How is it used? Local government revenue shows the amount of money gener-ated by sources such as property tax, sales tax and federal and state funding. Expenditures show the amount of money spent on things such as police, fire, public assistance and health. Changes in funding over time can be compared to population growth to assess the degree to which local government can keep pace with the local demand for public services. Local government finance in California is tricky, so state and local officials need to see how changes in public finance methodol-ogy affect government finance at the local level. Because government is often a large portion of the local economy, in-creases or decreases in government spending can have a direct impact on the county’s economy.

How is Sonoma County doing? Sonoma County does not rely as much on government jobs and income than average in the state. This is due to the strength of its private industry sectors. Due to stimulus how-ever, it had not seen a hit from the recession as of 2009. Total government jobs as a percent of total jobs in Sonoma County have fluctuated between 10.6 and 11.4 percent since 2001. Earned income by government employees increased from $1.688 billion in 2008 to $1.917 billion in 2009, a change of 13 percent. In 2009, government workers accounted for 9.1 percent of earnings, up from 8.7 percent in 2008 and 8.4 per-cent in 2007. This increase corresponds with a similar increase in earnings from state workers over the same time period. Local government revenue in fiscal year 2008-09 decreased 11.2 percent. Local government expenditure increased from $689,262,375 in fiscal year 2006-07 to $730,125,430 in fiscal year 2008-09, an increase of $40,863,055, due to the current economic climate. The difference between local government revenues and expenditures in Sonoma County increased from $24,598,723 in fiscal year 2006-07 to $35,069,768 in fiscal year 2008-09.

Government Worker Jobs, Sonoma CountyCounty 1-Year Change Percent of Total

Year Jobs County California County California2001 30,324 n/a n/a 10.9 % 13.3 %2002 30,627 1.0 % 2.6 % 11.2 % 13.8 %2003 30,663 0.1 % - 0.1 % 11.4 % 13.7 %2004 30,195 - 1.5 % - 1.0 % 11.0 % 13.4 %2005 29,503 - 2.3 % - 0.1 % 10.7 % 13.1 %2006 29,618 0.4 % 0.8 % 10.7 % 13.0 %2007 29,889 0.9 % 1.7 % 10.6 % 13.0 %2008 29,788 - 0.3 % 1.5 % 10.7 % 13.2 %2009 29,265 - 1.8 % - 1.1 % 11.0 % 13.6 %


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Government Jobs,Percent of Total


-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

3%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Government Jobs,1-Year Change



Page 83

Section 5: Industry

Government Worker Earnings (in Thousands),Sonoma County

1-Year Change Percent of TotalYear Earnings County California County California2001 $ 1,397,618 n/a n/a 8.0 % 11.6 %2002 $ 1,500,959 7.4 % 7.5 % 8.5 % 12.3 %2003 $ 1,577,644 5.1 % 7.1 % 8.8 % 12.7 %2004 $ 1,630,106 3.3 % 5.1 % 8.7 % 12.5 %2005 $ 1,688,315 3.6 % 4.6 % 8.6 % 12.4 %2006 $ 1,761,759 4.4 % 5.1 % 8.3 % 12.1 %2007 $ 1,855,666 5.3 % 6.9 % 8.4 % 12.3 %2008 $ 1,913,274 3.1 % 5.2 % 8.7 % 12.6 %2009 $ 1,917,238 0.2 % 0.9 % 9.1 % 13.1 %


County Government Revenue, Sonoma CountyCounty California Average

Year Total Percent Change Percent Change2001-02 $ 627,062,008 n/a n/a2002-03 $ 534,466,454 - 14.8 % 1.9 %2003-04 $ 568,612,513 6.4 % 6.5 %2004-05 $ 611,873,001 7.6 % 5.1 %2005-06 $ 636,412,280 4.0 % 2.3 %2006-07 $ 664,663,652 4.4 % - 15.4 %2007-08 $ 782,683,924 17.8 % - 9.3 %2008-09 $ 695,055,662 - 11.2 % - 35.5 %

Source: California State Controllers Office, County Annual Reports

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Government Worker Earnings,Percent of Total


-20%-15%-10%-5%0%5%

10%15%20%

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

County Government RevenueAnnual Percent Change

Sonoma County

California Average

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Government Worker Earnings,1-Year Change


$0$200$400$600$800

$1,000$1,200$1,400$1,600$1,800

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

County Government Revenueper Capita

Sonoma County

California


Page 84

County Government Revenue, Sonoma County - Fiscal Year 2008-2009County California Average

Revenue Source Number Percent of Total Percent of Total State Funding $ 266,513,574 38.3 % 32.4 % Property Taxes $ 189,425,176 27.3 % 23.4 % Charges for Current Services $ 48,058,889 6.9 % 11.6 % Federal Funding $ 60,327,338 8.7 % 19.8 % Misc. and Other Financing Sources $ 33,358,619 4.8 % 2.8 % Taxes, Other than Property $ 26,515,291 3.8 % 2.9 % From Use of Money and Property $ 16,094,087 2.3 % 1.5 % Govt. Other than State or Federal $ 27,876,729 4.0 % 1.7 % Liscenses Permits and Franchises $ 15,510,876 2.2 % 1.1 % Fines Forfeitures and Penalties $ 11,335,270 1.6 % 2.2 % Transfers In $ 25,040 0.0 % 0.6 % Special Benefit Assesments $ 14,773 0.0 % 0.0 % Total Funding $ 695,055,662 100.0 % 100.0 %


0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

State Funding Property Taxes Federal Funding Charges for CurrentServices

Taxes, Other thanProperty

Fines Forfeitures andPenalties

County Government Revenue as a Percent of Total, Top Six Categories, 2008-09 Sonoma County

California Average


Page 85

Section 5: Industry

Sonoma County Government Expenditures,Annual Percent Change

Sonoma County California Year Total Percent Change Percent Change2000-01 $ 463,527,121 n/a n/a2001-02 $ 535,645,902 13.5 % 10.1 %2002-03 $ 540,663,500 0.9 % 3.6 %2003-04 $ 572,401,071 5.5 % 1.9 %2004-05 $ 626,267,378 8.6 % 2.1 %2005-06 $ 655,924,903 4.5 % 6.1 %2006-07 $ 689,262,375 4.8 % 5.8 %2007-08 $ 768,079,464 10.3 % 7.2 %2008-09 $ 730,125,430 -5.2 % 1.5 %


-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

County Government ExpendituresAnnual Percent Change


County Government Expenditures, Sonoma County, Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Expenditure Percent of California Average Percent Function Sonoma County Total Expenditures of Total Expenditures Police, Fire, and Public Protection $ 255,213,271 35.0 % 32.8 % Public Assistance $ 156,766,938 21.5 % 30.3 % Health and Sanitation $ 119,505,395 16.4 % 18.1 % Admin, Personnel, and Other General $ 109,624,866 15.0 % 9.9 % Debt Service $ 37,911,558 5.2 % 3.1 % Transportation $ 35,899,021 4.9 % 3.8 % Recreation and Cultural $ 14,045,569 1.9 % 1.0 % Education and Library $ 1,158,812 0.2 % 1.0 % Total of Expenditures $ 730,125,430 100.0 % 100.0 %


0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%

Police, Fire, and PublicProtection

Public Assistance Health and Sanitation Admin, Personnel, andOther General

Debt Service Transportation

County Government Expenditures as a Percent of Total, Top Six Categories, 2008-09 Sonoma CountyCalifornia Average

Economic Development Board401 College Avenue, Suite DSanta Rosa, CA 95401(707) 565-7170www.sonomaedb.org

With acknowledgement and appreciation to local key businessessupporting Sonoma County Economic Development:

Director

Sponsors

Executive

RE PUBLIC

CALIFORNIA

A G R I C U LT U R EI N D U S T R Y

R E C R E A T I O N

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