Rohnert Park's Population Drops Three Percent in a Decade

Rohnert Park's population since 2000 has lost nearly 1,300 people, according to most recent data released yesterday by the U.S. Census. The population today is 40,971. The only other city in Sonoma County that lost people was Sebastopol — 7,774 to 7,379.

With major local employers, such as State Farm, and even Pacific Market, who recently laid off 40 employees, that number is likely to grow — impacting further school enrollments and property values.

Cotati, on the other hand, grew by 794 people, putting the population at 7,265 from 6,471 ten years previous.

The preliminary data — divided by census blocks, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts — will provide information on population, race, ethnicity and voting age.

In December, the Bureau released state population information used to determine the redistricting of state representation in national government.

In 2010, eight states gained congressional seats, but for the first time since 1920 California wasn't one of them — due to inordinately slow population growth over the last decade. California's population was 37.25 million in 2010, an almost 10 percent population increase since 2000, and right on par with the country's 9.7 percent population growth (U.S. population count in 2010 was 308,745,538 ). So, California retains its 53 seats in the House of Representatives.

The Census Bureau's report is available for download here. Stay tuned for further details and analysis at Rohnert Park Patch.