Walnut Creek Holding to 64,000 Residents But Becoming Slightly More Diverse

While the population in other parts of Contra Costa County and in California boomed, Walnut Creek's population remained stable over the past 10 years, only declining by 123 people, according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday.

Walnut Creek's population held at just slightly more than 64,000 between 2000 and 2010. This news should come as no surprise, considering  Walnut Creek has not had the space--as has San Ramon with Dougherty Valley or East Contra Costa's Brentwood with all that farmland--to accommodate vast housing tracts.

San Ramon grew by 61 percent to 72,148 people and Brentwood by 123 percent to 51,485.  Growth in Dougherty Valley and East Contra Costa County pushed the county's total population up 10.6 percent to more than 1 million people. 

Other cities close to Walnut Creek likewise saw only slight population increases of 1 percent or less, or even decreases, over the past 10 years.

Overall, population growth for the nine-county Bay Area slowed to 5.4 percent, which puts the region at risk of losing a congressional seat. A new statewide redistricting commission is using 2010 Census figures to consider redrawing political boundaries. 

As for Walnut Creek, figures for the 2020 census might tell a different story about the city's population. Six projects are in the pipeline, with developers proposing to build 1,000 new housing units over the next few years.  

These units would not come in the form of the traditional suburban single-family home on quarter acres but as apartments and condominiums that would be part of six complexes planned for downtown and nearby. The largest project would involve 600 units in a new BART transit village. 

Census figures also show that Walnut Creek is becoming ever so slightly more racially diverse. This shift mirrors what is happening statewide, with more Asian and Hispanic people becoming residents of Walnut Creek. 

In 2000, Walnut Creek's population of 64,296 was 84 percent white, 9 percent Asian, 6 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent black.

Figures for 2010 show that Walnut Creek is now 79 percent white, 12 percent Asian, nearly 9 percent Hispanic, and almost 2 percent black.

Statewide, the population grew 10 percent from 33.8 million residents to 37.2 million, the census reported. 

Riverside County had the biggest jump, increasing 41 percent from 2000 to 2010. The city of Beaumont in that county leaped 224 percent from 11,384 to 36,887 people.

Next was Placer County with a 40 percent jump. The city of Lincoln skyrocketed 282 percent from 11,205 to 42,819 people.

Other counties that grew more than 20 percent included Imperial, Kern, Madera, Merced and Tulare.

Los Angeles County’s population edged up 3 percent.  San Francisco County’s population also rose 3 percent, while San Diego County jumped 10 percent.

The only counties that saw population decreases were three small regions in the Sierra Nevada. They were Alpine County (down 3 percent), Plumas County (down 4 percent) and Sierra County (down 9 percent).

Associate Regional Editor David Mills contributed to this story.