July 7, 2005

San Jose now America’s 10th largest city

Latest annual U.S. Census estimate shows San Jose passing Detroit

San Jose has passed Detroit to become the 10th largest city in America, according to the latest population estimates released by the U.S. Census June 30.

With a population now estimated at 904,522, San Jose has increased by 6,173 compared to census figures released in 2004. In the past year, Detroit’s population has slipped from 911,402 to 900,198.

“Population is an indicator of our growing national stature as a great American city,” said San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. “It’s proud moment for the people of San Jose.”

The growth of San Jose over the past half-century reflects the shift in population and the nation’s economy to Sunbelt cities in the West and Southwest. In 1950, San Jose’s population was 95,280, and Detroit’s was 1,849,568. The latest Census Bureau information about populations of American cities can be found at www.census.gov/popest/cities.

According to annual estimates released by the California Department of Finance in May, San Jose’s population is 945,000 (www.dof.ca.gov/html/demograp/whatsnew.htm).

“This is a significant milestone for our city,” said Gonzales. “Being included in the nation’s top ten cities will help showcase the wonderful features of San Jose and the excellent economic advantages for being in the capital of Silicon Valley to the country and the world.

“Regardless of our size, we have long been a great city because of our great people who choose to live in San Jose. But I look forward to this recognition helping to raise our visibility as we work with Washington and Sacramento to develop solutions and investments for transportation, housing, and other issues benefiting our residents and businesses.”

San Jose has long been recognized as the Safest Big City in America based on FBI crime statistics. In addition, it was named one of America’s most livable cities by Partnerships for Livable Communities in 2004, and Cleanest Big City by Readers Digest in June 2005.

As the Capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose area is home to the largest concentration of technology expertise in the world, with more than 6,600 technology companies employing more than 254,000 people. It is the headquarters city for Cisco Systems, Adobe Sys-tems, and eBay.

More than 40 percent of the workforce have bachelors’ degrees or higher, compared with 25 percent nationally.

San Jose leads the nation in patent generation, and is home to more patent holders than San Diego and Los Angeles combined.

San Jose is a very diverse community, with a “majority of minorities” making up 67 percent of the population.
More than one-third of San Jose residents were born outside of the United States, and the community enjoys strong cultural and economic ties to some of the most dynamic economies in the world, including China, India, Taiwan and the European Union.

According to the American Community Survey by the Census Bureau, San Jose has the highest median household income in the United States at $70,240.

Founded in 1777, San Jose is the oldest city in California and is the third largest in the state after Los Angeles and San Diego.

For more information about San José, go to www.sanjoseca.gov.