These two East Bay Counties are Among the Fastest-Growing Statewide

Two Bay Area counties are among the fastest growing in the state, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, with Alameda and Contra Costa Counties both placing in the top five for growth overall.

“It’s really not surprising at all,” Rufus Jeffris of the Bay Area Council, told the Contra Costa Times.“The Bay Area is still a desirable place to live, despite the high cost of living. There’s great weather, good schools. There’s lots of reasons why people want to live here.”

As part of that push to live in the area, Alameda added 1.6 percent to its population between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015, and Contra Costa grew 1.4 percent during the same period. The figures released Thursday put Alameda in second place statewide for growth, while Contra Costa came in fifth. The other top spots were all located in Southern California.

That growth will continue as long as there is a hot economy and a buoyant real estate market, Jeffris told the paper.

“The economy here is growing,” he said. “We are also seeing jobs available across a lot of sectors, such as in tech and the hospitality industry.”

So what county grew the fastest during that stretch? Yolo County, which encompasses Davis and UC Davis and is often used as a suburb of both Sacramento and the North Bay. It grew 1.8 percent.