Politics & Government

Sonoma County Migration: Where Do Residents Come From and Move to?

A new U.S. Census Bureau map of migration patterns between counties shows Sonoma County's net loss of nearly 1,400 residents between 2006 and 2010. You might be surprised where many of them moved.

Are any of your new neighbors from a different California county or from a different state or country? Where did your old neighbors move?

Between 2006 and 2010, Sonoma County stole new residents from far and wide: 206 from Jackson County, Oregon, 121 from Arlington County, Virginia, 83 residents from Barren County, Kentucky, 93 from Missoula County, Montana and 74 residents from Sussex County, Delaware.

During that same period, Sonoma County residents moved far afield, with 146 moving to Terrebonne Parish in Louisiana, 122 to Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, and 41 to Mobile County, Alabama.

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That's just a sliver of the migration patterns to and from Sonoma County between 2006 and 2010, according to a U.S. Census Bureau interactive map that went live last month, emphasizing just how far flung movements are between Sonoma County and the rest of the country.

During the survey period, 6,692 people moved to Sonoma County from elsewhere and 8,080 moved elsewhere from here – for a net loss of 1,388 people.

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Not suprisingly, Sonoma gained the most net residents from Marin County, its neighbor to the south, with 640 Marin residents moving to Sonoma between 2006 and 2010. Santa Clara County wasn't far behind, sending 592 residents here.

Of those who moved here, 3,295 did so from within California, while 3,263 of those who moved away from Sonoma County stayed in state, with most of those heading north. Of those who moved away and stayed in California, 383 residents left for Yolo County, 335 for Butte County and 308 for Lake County.

Beyond California, Sonoma County lost the highest number of residents to Clallam County, Washington, with 200 residents moving there between 2006 and 2010.

Use the search box above to pick a state and county and see how many residents Sonoma County gained from or lost to counties in California or across the country. Click here to use the Census Bureau’s map to investigate migration patterns across the country in greater detail.


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