3,170,435 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.5% since 2020)
793 square miles of land · 3,999 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.
40 active community water systems list Orange County in the area they serve, reporting 3,198,090 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT surface water · local government · CA3010092 | 450,323 served |
| CITY OF ANAHEIM surface water · local government · CA3010001 | 350,254 served |
| CITY OF SANTA ANA buys surface water · local government · CA3010038 | 316,184 served |
| CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH buys surface water · local government · CA3010053 | 201,000 served |
| CITY OF GARDEN GROVE buys surface water · local government · CA3010062 | 174,226 served |
| MOULTON NIGUEL WATER DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · CA3010073 | 168,315 served |
| SANTA MARGARITA WATER DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · CA3010101 | 165,275 served |
| CITY OF FULLERTON buys surface water · local government · CA3010010 | 140,054 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 3,931 people were held in Orange County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 3,866.
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.
28 school districts have their office in Orange County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $687.6 million — $662.1 million to run schools, about $15,820 per student, plus $16.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $476.7 million local (mostly property tax), $322.9 million state, $63.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $36.5 million.
Spent $1 billion — $890.1 million to run schools, about $22,289 per student, plus $94.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $289.5 million local (mostly property tax), $757.1 million state, $161.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $501.4 million.
Spent $897.3 million — $764.1 million to run schools, about $20,023 per student, plus $94.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $264.3 million local (mostly property tax), $590.7 million state, $134.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $532.4 million.
Spent $582.1 million — $525.2 million to run schools, about $14,373 per student, plus $42.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $446.2 million local (mostly property tax), $224.2 million state, $39.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $158.9 million.
Spent $600 million — $508.2 million to run schools, about $18,314 per student, plus $63.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $192.7 million local (mostly property tax), $442.5 million state, $66.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $287.4 million.
Spent $424.9 million — $374.7 million to run schools, about $15,133 per student, plus $36.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $256 million local (mostly property tax), $231.1 million state, $42.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $295.1 million.
Spent $414.2 million — $367.9 million to run schools, about $15,515 per student, plus $25.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $273.5 million local (mostly property tax), $169.7 million state, $33.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $95.2 million.
Spent $394.3 million — $361.2 million to run schools, about $15,609 per student, plus $4.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $216.3 million local (mostly property tax), $226.8 million state, $32.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $376.2 million.
And 20 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: Very High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Orange County about $1.9 billion a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
1,181 bridges in Orange County: 669 in good condition, 479 fair, and 33 poor (2.8%). “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.
| STATE ROUTE 55 over LINCOLN AVE · built 1961 | 227,000 vehicles a day |
| SR 55 over S405-N55 CONNECTOR · built 1966 | 167,000 vehicles a day |
| ROUTE 55 over N405-S55 CONNECTOR · built 1966 | 167,000 vehicles a day |
| N5-N57 CONNECTOR over W22-N5 CONNECTOR · built 1976 | 62,255 vehicles a day |
| LOS ALISOS BLVD over ALISO CREEK · built 1973 | 45,250 vehicles a day |
| LOS ALISOS BLVD over SCRRA BNSF RY AMTRAK · built 1977 | 42,100 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $903.5 million of work in Orange County in fiscal 2025, about $283 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 Orange 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 Orange County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Los Angeles County (45 mi) · San Diego County (73 mi) · Ventura County (91 mi) · Riverside County (102 mi) · San Bernardino County (123 mi) · Kern County (128 mi).