Glenn County, California

Glenn County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,917.^[4] The county seat is Willows.^[5] It is located in the Sacramento Valley, in the northern part of the California Central Valley. The Grindstone Rancheria, reservation of the Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians, is located in Glenn County.

Glenn County, California
County
County of Glenn
Images, from top down, left to right: A view from Interstate 5 in Glenn County, a scene in Willows, Gianella Bridge
Seal
Interactive map of Glenn County
Location in the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sacramento Valley
Incorporated	1891
Named after	Hugh J. Glenn
County seat	Willows
Largest city	Orland
Government
• Type	Council–CAO
• Chair	Monica Rossman
• Vice Chair	Grant Carmon
• Board of Supervisors[1]	Supervisors Grant Carmon Monica Rossman Tony Arendt Jim Yoder Jake Withrow
• County Administrative Officer	Scott De Moss
Area
• Total	1,327 sq mi (3,440 km2)
• Land	1,314 sq mi (3,400 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)
Highest elevation [2]	7,451 ft (2,271 m)
Population
• Total	28,917
• Estimate  (2024)	28,304
GDP [3]
• Total	$1.249 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area code	530
FIPS code	06-021
GNIS feature ID	277275
Congressional district	1st
Website	Glenn County, California

History

Glenn County split from Colusa County in 1891. It was named for Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, who purchased 8,000 acres (32.4 km²) in the northeast end of Rancho Jacinto in 1867. He became the largest wheat farmer in the state during his lifetime and a man of great prominence in political and commercial life in California.^[6][7][8][9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,327 square miles (3,440 km²), of which 1,314 square miles (3,400 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[10]

Adjacent counties

• Colusa County - south
• Lake County - southwest
• Mendocino County - west
• Tehama County - north
• Butte County - east

National protected areas

• Mendocino National Forest (part)
• Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	5,150		—
1910	7,172		39.3%
1920	11,853		65.3%
1930	10,935		−7.7%
1940	12,195		11.5%
1950	15,448		26.7%
1960	17,245		11.6%
1970	17,521		1.6%
1980	21,350		21.9%
1990	24,798		16.1%
2000	26,453		6.7%
2010	28,122		6.3%
2020	28,917		2.8%
2024 (est.)	28,304	[11]	−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[12][13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[18]

2020 census

Glenn County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1980[19]	Pop 1990[20]	Pop 2000[21]	Pop 2010[17]	Pop 2020[18]	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	18,149	18,461	16,548	15,717	13,897	85.01%	74.45%	62.56%	55.89%	48.06%
Black or African American alone (NH)	54	131	117	192	140	0.25%	0.53%	0.44%	0.68%	0.48%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	353	447	439	477	531	1.65%	1.80%	1.66%	1.70%	1.84%
Asian alone (NH)	155	773	863	674	626	0.73%	3.12%	3.26%	2.40%	2.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	x [22]	x [23]	22	22	39	0.08%	0.08%	0.08%	0.08%	0.13%
Other race alone (NH)	107	28	55	39	144	0.50%	0.11%	0.21%	0.14%	0.50%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	x [24]	x [25]	569	462	999	x	x	2.15%	1.64%	3.45%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,532	4,958	7,840	10,539	12,541	11.86%	19.99%	29.64%	37.48%	43.37%
Total	21,350	24,798	26,453	28,122	28,917	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population[26]	28,027
White[26]	21,943	78.3%
Black or African American[26]	261	0.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native[26]	768	2.7%
Asian[26]	645	2.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[26]	9	0.0%
Some other race[26]	3,460	12.3%
Two or more races[26]	941	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[27]	10,270	36.6%
Per capita income[28]	$21,254
Median household income[29]	$43,239
Median family income[30]	$51,067

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type[31]	Population[26]	White[26]	Other[26] [note 1]	Asian[26]	Black or African American[26]	Native American[26] [note 2]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[27]
Artois	CDP	189	87.8%	12.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	12.2%
Elk Creek	CDP	89	93.3%	3.4%	0.0%	0.0%	3.4%	3.4%
Hamilton City	CDP	1,992	66.1%	32.4%	0.0%	1.5%	0.0%	91.1%
Orland	City	7,214	79.6%	18.0%	1.1%	0.1%	1.2%	43.2%
Willows	City	6,190	76.5%	12.7%	4.8%	2.2%	3.8%	27.4%

Places by population and income
Place	Type[31]	Population[32]	Per capita income[28]	Median household income[29]	Median family income[30]
Artois	CDP	189	$27,344	$70,288	$70,288
Elk Creek	CDP	89	$19,307	$28,333	$56,250
Hamilton City	CDP	1,992	$11,825	$29,458	$30,669
Orland	City	7,214	$17,372	$45,186	$51,577
Willows	City	6,190	$20,484	$43,493	$50,694

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Glenn County had a population of 28,122. The racial makeup of Glenn County was 19,990 (71.1%) White, 231 (0.8%) African American, 619 (2.2%) Native American, 722 (2.6%) Asian, 24 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5,522 (19.6%) from other races, and 1,014 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,539 persons (37.5%).^[33]

Population reported at 2010 United States census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Glenn County	28,122	19,990	231	619	722	24	5,522	1,014	10,539
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Orland	7,291	4,828	37	122	208	1	1,833	262	3,269
Willows	6,166	4,304	78	138	312	11	1,099	224	2,020
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Artois	295	245	0	8	3	0	25	14	54
Elk Creek	163	144	0	7	1	0	8	3	8
Hamilton City	1,759	834	18	23	15	0	804	65	1,489
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	12,448	9,635	98	321	183	12	1,753	446	3,699

2000

As of the census^[34] of 2000, there were 26,453 people, 9,172 households, and 6,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km²). There were 9,982 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 18.2% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 29.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.8% were of German, 9.4% American, 6.2% English and 5.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 69.5% spoke English, 27.0% Spanish and 2.1% Hmong as their first language. There were 9,172 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,107, and the median income for a family was $37,023. Males had a median income of $29,480 versus $21,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,069. About 12.5% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population[26]	28,027
Registered voters[35][note 3]	12,266	43.8%
Democratic[35]	3,761	30.7%
Republican[35]	5,534	45.1%
	-1,773	-14.4%
American Independent[35]	461	3.8%
Green[35]	41	0.3%
Libertarian[35]	74	0.6%
Peace and Freedom[35]	45	0.4%
Americans Elect[35]	0	0.0%
Other[35]	31	0.3%
No party preference[35]	2,319	18.9%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[26]	Registered voters[35] [note 3]	Democratic[35]	Republican[35]	D–R spread[35]	Other[35]	No party preference[35]
Orland	7,214	40.6%	33.5%	40.3%	-6.8%	8.2%	21.3%
Willows	6,190	40.4%	32.0%	41.4%	-9.4%	10.6%	20.4%

Overview

Glenn is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Glenn County, California^[36]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,904	66.12%	3,260	31.22%	278	2.66%
2020	7,063	62.52%	3,995	35.36%	239	2.12%
2016	5,788	61.12%	3,065	32.37%	617	6.52%
2012	5,632	60.97%	3,301	35.73%	305	3.30%
2008	5,910	59.82%	3,734	37.80%	235	2.38%
2004	6,308	66.72%	2,995	31.68%	151	1.60%
2000	5,795	66.53%	2,498	28.68%	418	4.80%
1996	5,041	56.86%	2,841	32.04%	984	11.10%
1992	3,812	43.24%	2,666	30.24%	2,338	26.52%
1988	4,944	62.06%	2,894	36.33%	128	1.61%
1984	6,020	69.74%	2,488	28.82%	124	1.44%
1980	5,386	64.80%	2,227	26.79%	699	8.41%
1976	4,094	52.67%	3,501	45.04%	178	2.29%
1972	4,569	59.01%	2,681	34.62%	493	6.37%
1968	3,848	53.91%	2,466	34.55%	824	11.54%
1964	3,351	45.97%	3,937	54.01%	2	0.03%
1960	3,911	53.17%	3,410	46.36%	35	0.48%
1956	3,463	51.96%	3,192	47.89%	10	0.15%
1952	4,454	64.45%	2,422	35.05%	35	0.51%
1948	2,819	50.99%	2,578	46.64%	131	2.37%
1944	2,409	49.32%	2,452	50.20%	23	0.47%
1940	2,473	43.92%	3,095	54.96%	63	1.12%
1936	1,620	32.50%	3,288	65.97%	76	1.52%
1932	1,432	31.34%	2,973	65.07%	164	3.59%
1928	2,466	65.03%	1,297	34.20%	29	0.76%
1924	1,444	44.84%	367	11.40%	1,409	43.76%
1920	1,916	64.19%	902	30.22%	167	5.59%
1916	1,342	40.23%	1,797	53.87%	197	5.91%
1912	11	0.45%	1,325	54.41%	1,099	45.13%
1908	618	44.72%	711	51.45%	53	3.84%
1904	765	50.03%	725	47.42%	39	2.55%
1900	494	39.49%	737	58.91%	20	1.60%
1896	479	36.54%	825	62.93%	7	0.53%
1892	528	33.78%	808	51.70%	227	14.52%

Glenn County is split between California's 1st and 3rd congressional districts, represented by Doug LaMalfa (R–Oroville) and Kevin Kiley (R–Rocklin), respectively.^[37] In the State Assembly, Glenn County is in the 3rd Assembly district, represented by Republican James Gallagher.^[38] In the State Senate, the county is in the 4th senatorial district, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil.^[39]

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population[26]	28,027
Violent crime[40]	54	1.93
Homicide[40]	0	0.00
Forcible rape[40]	2	0.07
Robbery[40]	10	0.36
Aggravated assault[40]	42	1.50
Property crime[40]	313	11.17
Burglary[40]	177	6.32
Larceny-theft[40][41]	340	12.13
Motor vehicle theft[40]	49	1.75
Arson[40]	0	0.00

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[42]	Violent crimes[42]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[42]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Orland	7,361	27	3.67	210	28.53
Willows	6,223	26	4.18	234	37.60

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 5
• State Route 32
• State Route 45
• State Route 162

Public transportation

Glenn Ride runs buses from Willows to Hamilton City, and on into Chico (Butte County). The nearest Amtrak station is in Chico.

Airports

Willows-Glenn County Airport and Haigh Field are both general aviation airports.

Railroads

California Northern Railroad shortline serves Willows. The main line runs north to Tehama and south to Davis, where the railroad interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad. Prior to the line being leased to the California Northern, the route was operated by Southern Pacific and was known as the West Side Line. The railroad first reached Willows on December 28, 1879, from Davis. In 1882 the extension from Willows to Tehama was completed. In 1884 the West Side and Mendocino Railroad constructed a line east from Willows to Fruto.

Communities

Cities

• Orland
• Willows (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Artois
• Elk Creek
• Hamilton City

Other communities

• Butte City
• Chrome
• Fruto
• Meadowood Estates, a former unincorporated community

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Glenn County.^[43]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Orland	City	7,291
2	† Willows	City	6,166
3	Hamilton City	CDP	1,759
4	Artois	CDP	295
5	Grindstone Rancheria[44]	AIAN	164
6	Elk Creek	CDP	163

Education

K-12 school districts include:^[45]

• Hamilton Unified School District (some areas PK-12, some areas grades 9-12 only)
• Orland Joint Unified School District (some areas PK-12, some areas grades 9-12 only)
• Princeton Joint Unified School District
• Stony Creek Joint Unified School District
• Willows Unified School District

Elementary school districts include:^[45]

• Capay Joint Union Elementary School District
• Lake Elementary School District
• Plaza Elementary School District

See also

• Hiking trails in Glenn County
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Glenn County, California
• Orland Buttes
• Thomas D. Harp, mentions formation of the county

Notes

1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.