1,926,325 people (2024 Census estimate, +0.1% since 2020)
1,291 square miles of land · 1,492 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.
73 active community water systems list Santa Clara County in the area they serve, reporting 2,050,299 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| SAN JOSE WATER surface water · private · CA4310011 | 1,039,920 served |
| CITY OF SUNNYVALE buys surface water · local government · CA4310014 | 157,566 served |
| CITY OF SANTA CLARA buys surface water · local government · CA4310012 | 134,587 served |
| GREAT OAKS WC INC groundwater · private · CA4310022 | 112,582 served |
| CITY OF SAN JOSE - EVG/EDV/COY buys surface water · local government · CA4310020 | 99,783 served |
| CITY OF MILPITAS buys surface water · local government · CA4310005 | 81,915 served |
| CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW buys surface water · local government · CA4310007 | 81,340 served |
| CITY OF PALO ALTO buys surface water · local government · CA4310009 | 67,658 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 2,739 people were held in Santa Clara County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 2,373.
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.
31 school districts have their office in Santa Clara County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $485.3 million — $454 million to run schools, about $17,839 per student, plus $14.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $395.7 million local (mostly property tax), $166 million state, $32.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $581 million.
Spent $468.8 million — $348.3 million to run schools, about $16,470 per student, plus $65.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $285.1 million local (mostly property tax), $237.9 million state, $39.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $977.6 million.
Spent $493.1 million — $378.8 million to run schools, about $27,214 per student, plus $73.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $415.1 million local (mostly property tax), $81.1 million state, $17.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $968.1 million.
Spent $234 million — $217.9 million to run schools, about $16,179 per student, plus $8.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $167.5 million local (mostly property tax), $86.9 million state, $8.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $263.9 million.
Spent $227.6 million — $166.5 million to run schools, about $15,969 per student, plus $42.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $89.3 million local (mostly property tax), $112.5 million state, $16.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $390.6 million.
Spent $390.3 million — $293.5 million to run schools, about $28,442 per student, plus $73.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $331.9 million local (mostly property tax), $41.4 million state, $11.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $592 million.
Spent $322.9 million — $220.3 million to run schools, about $21,989 per student, plus $75.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $259.6 million local (mostly property tax), $34.9 million state, $8 million federal. Long-term debt: $586.4 million.
Spent $241.3 million — $158.2 million to run schools, about $15,875 per student, plus $66 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $122.2 million local (mostly property tax), $75.6 million state, $13.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $298.3 million.
And 23 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 Santa Clara County about $2 billion a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Very Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
966 bridges in Santa Clara County: 407 in good condition, 516 fair, and 43 poor (4.5%). “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.
| INTERSTATE 880 over NORTH FOURTH STREET · built 1960 | 165,000 vehicles a day |
| INTERSTATE 880 over GUADALUPE RIVER · built 1960 | 165,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 237 over MATHILDA AVENUE · built 1961 | 68,000 vehicles a day |
| SB US HIGHWAY 101 over COYOTE CREEK · built 1947 | 64,000 vehicles a day |
| NB US HIGHWAY 101 over COYOTE CREEK · built 1947 | 64,000 vehicles a day |
| LAWRENCE EXPWY over STEVENS CREEK BLVD · built 1966 | 55,150 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $1.1 billion of work in Santa Clara County in fiscal 2025, about $588 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Santa Cruz County (23 mi) · Alameda County (32 mi) · San Mateo County (40 mi) · Stanislaus County (44 mi) · Contra Costa County (50 mi) · Merced County (53 mi).