This Sacramento-area county has become the go-to spot to raise kids in California

Placer County is experiencing some population growth in an unusual group: people under 10 years old.

It’s the only county in California with more than 150,000 residents that saw an increase in children under age 10 between 2020 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau’s newly released 2022 population estimates.

Placer County’s population of under 10-year-olds grew 1.36% from 2020 to 2022. The 0-4 age group grew 0.25% and the 5-9 age group grew 2.29%.

Under 10-year-olds account for just about 10% of Placer County’s total population. Under 25-year-olds account for 48% of the total population.

Some of the growth in this county may be attributed not to the birth rate, but to migration.

Placer County’s birth rate has fallen from 9.8 births per 1,000 residents in 2016 to 8.9 births per 1,000 in 2022. This isn’t uncommon: birth rates everywhere in the U.S. are falling, and California’s rate is the lowest it has been in 100 years, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Placer County’s migration rate surged following the pandemic, and many of those migrants are domestic. In 2021, Sacramento County had the highest number of migrants to Placer County, followed by Santa Clara County, Alameda County and Contra Costa County.

The population of children under age 10 grew in eight other California counties, all of which have populations under 150,000 people.

Though California’s population decreased by 1.29% over the past two years, new data show that Placer County’s population grew 3.22% in the same time period.

There’s been similar population growth in surrounding counties. Yolo County’s population grew 2.64% and El Dorado County’s population grew 0.76%.