It's official. Petaluma's population rose 6.2 percent from 54,548 in 2000 to 57,941 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Finance's Demographic Research Unit.
The percentage increase was a small when compared to neighboring cities like Cotati which grew 26.2 percent from 6,831 to 8,616.
In Sonoma county, Santa Rosa had the largest population number increase with 20,220 more residents. In 2000, that number was 147,595 but rose to 167,815 in 2010, a 13.7 percent increase.
Rohnert Park and Sebastopol were the two cities in Sonoma County where the population dropped over the ten year period. Rohnert Park's 2010 population is at 40,971, down 3 percent from its 42,236 number in 2000. Sebastopol's population dropped from 7,774 to 7,379, a 5.1 percent decrease.
There will be much more to come about the U.S. Census data and what it means for Petaluma. Keep your eye out for more analysis from Petaluma Patch.
