132,380 people (2024 Census estimate, −2.9% since 2020)
3,568 square miles of land · 37 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
44 active community water systems list Humboldt County in the area they serve, reporting 120,078 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| EUREKA, CITY OF buys groundwater · local government · CA1210004 | 27,078 served |
| HUMBOLDT C.S.D. groundwater · local government · CA1210009 | 19,775 served |
| ARCATA, CITY OF buys groundwater · local government · CA1210001 | 18,857 served |
| MCKINLEYVILLE C.S.D. buys groundwater · local government · CA1210016 | 16,900 served |
| FORTUNA, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA1210006 | 12,133 served |
| RIO DELL, CITY OF surface water · local government · CA1210012 | 3,300 served |
| GARBERVILLE SANITARY DISTRICT surface water · private · CA1210008 | 2,041 served |
| FIELDBROOK GLENDALE C.S.D. buys groundwater · local government · CA1210020 | 1,845 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 319 people were held in Humboldt County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 220.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
32 school districts have their office in Humboldt County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $84.2 million — $57.7 million to run schools, about $16,119 per student, plus $19.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $31.4 million local (mostly property tax), $42.8 million state, $13.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $85.2 million.
Spent $33.1 million — $30.4 million to run schools, about $17,026 per student, plus $920,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.6 million local (mostly property tax), $17.5 million state, $4.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $31.7 million.
Spent $22.3 million — $20.1 million to run schools, about $17,873 per student, plus $291,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.3 million local (mostly property tax), $14.6 million state, $3.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $11.7 million.
Spent $22.9 million — $19.5 million to run schools, about $17,627 per student, plus $1.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6 million local (mostly property tax), $17.7 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $20.2 million.
Spent $19.5 million — $16.7 million to run schools, about $15,711 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.6 million local (mostly property tax), $11.3 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $10.2 million.
Spent $28 million — $22.9 million to run schools, about $23,841 per student, plus $4.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5 million local (mostly property tax), $16.2 million state, $10.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $21.3 million.
Spent $17.9 million — $15.3 million to run schools, about $16,467 per student, plus $681,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.6 million local (mostly property tax), $9.5 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $23.9 million.
Spent $14.1 million — $13.2 million to run schools, about $18,602 per student, plus $119,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.6 million local (mostly property tax), $9.9 million state, $1.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.5 million.
And 24 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Humboldt County about $188.6 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
399 bridges in Humboldt County: 169 in good condition, 209 fair, and 21 poor (5.3%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US HIGHWAY 101 NB over WEST END RD CREEK NCRRA · built 1929 | 17,500 vehicles a day |
| U.S. HIGHWAY 101 over DEAN CRK RD & DEAN CREEK · built 1967 | 5,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 299 over MAD RIVER · built 1965 | 4,775 vehicles a day |
| HUMBOLDT HILL ROAD over US HIGHWAY 101 · built 1963 | 3,100 vehicles a day |
| STATE PARK ROAD over SOUTH FORK EEL RIVER · built 1969 | 1,100 vehicles a day |
| MAPLE CREEK ROAD over NORTH FORK MAD RIVER · built 1928 | 624 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $257.6 million of work in Humboldt County in fiscal 2025, about $1,887 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Humboldt County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Humboldt County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Trinity County (43 mi) · Del Norte County (72 mi) · Mendocino County (91 mi) · Siskiyou County (95 mi) · Tehama County (97 mi) · Shasta County (99 mi).