Stanislaus County, California

Stanislaus County is a county in California, United States, about 92 miles east of San
Francisco in the northern San Joaquin Valley. It had a population of 552,878 at the 2020
census, an estimated 557,719 by 2025, and covers 1,495 square miles (3,870 km2) of land
centred near 37°34′N 120°59′W.

Modesto is the county seat and largest city; its main postal code is 95350. The county
holds 9 incorporated cities and 14 census-designated places or unincorporated communities
with a recorded population, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06099.

Towns & Villages in Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County has 23 named places on record with a 2020 census population: 9
incorporated cities and 14 unincorporated places, most of them census-designated places
(CDPs). CDP stands for census designated place — a populated area with no city
government of its own; Unincorp. covers historic settlements without CDP status.

The county’s older place lists mixed real settlements with duplicate and invented
entries — a fabricated “Orange Blossom” appeared three times and Knights
Ferry and La Grange were each listed twice. Those are corrected here. Two genuine places
share a ZIP with a neighbor: Grayson uses Patterson’s 95363, and Knights Ferry uses
Oakdale’s 95361, since neither has a standalone post office.

ZIP Codes

• 95350 through 95358, plus 95397 — Modesto (its main city ZIPs; 95351 also covers
  West Modesto and 95358 also covers Bret Harte)
• 95380 to 95382 — Turlock
• 95307 — Ceres
• 95367 — Riverbank
• 95363 — Patterson (also serves Grayson)
• 95361 — Oakdale (also serves Knights Ferry)
• 95360 — Newman
• 95386 — Waterford
• 95326 — Hughson
• 95368 — Salida
• 95328 — Keyes
• 95316 — Denair
• 95319 — Empire
• 95387 — Westley
• 95313 — Crows Landing
• 95329 — La Grange

Bystrom, East Oakdale and Rouse have no ZIP of their own; mail there is delivered under
Modesto’s or Oakdale’s code depending on which town the address borders.

Geography

Stanislaus County sits in the northern San Joaquin Valley, a flat farming plain that
rises into oak foothills along its eastern edge toward the Sierra Nevada. Of its 1,515
square miles, 1,495 are land and 20 are water, about 1.3 percent. The Tuolumne River
crosses the county west from the Sierra foothills through Modesto and joins the San
Joaquin River near Grayson; the Stanislaus River forms much of the county’s northern
edge, running past Knights Ferry and Riverbank before its own confluence with the San
Joaquin.

San Joaquin County and Alameda County lie to the northwest, Calaveras County to the
north, Tuolumne County to the northeast, Mariposa County to the southeast, Merced County
to the south, and Santa Clara County to the southwest. San Joaquin County, Alameda County, Calaveras County, Tuolumne County, Mariposa County, Merced County and Santa Clara County all border
Stanislaus directly.

Demographics

Stanislaus County had a population of 552,878 at the 2020 census, and the latest
estimate puts the county near 557,719 residents. Modesto and Turlock are by far the two
largest communities, together holding more than half the county’s population. Median
household income runs $81,468 (2024 estimate), below California’s statewide figure of
$95,521 (2023 ACS). The county is 91.8 percent urban and 48.1 percent Hispanic or Latino,
per the 2020 census, reflecting its long history as an agricultural labor destination.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 30,837
people, followed by manufacturing at 29,795 and retail trade at 28,111. Agriculture is
Stanislaus County’s defining industry even where it does not lead the employment count
directly — almonds are the county’s primary crop, and E & J Gallo Winery,
headquartered in Modesto and the largest family-owned winery in the United States, employs
about 6,500 people. Turlock’s major employers include Foster Farms and California
State University, Stanislaus, which enrolled about 10,577 students as of 2023. Oakdale, the
self-styled “Cowboy Capital of the World,” hosts one of the world’s largest
tomato-processing facilities, and Patterson has diversified from its historic apricot trade
into logistics, with Amazon and RH distribution centers now operating there.

History

California’s legislature organised Stanislaus County on April 1, 1854, naming it
for the Stanislaus River, itself named for Estanislao, a Yokuts leader who led resistance
against Mexican mission forces before his defeat by General Mariano Vallejo in 1826. The
county seat moved four times before settling permanently: from Adamsville to Empire, then
La Grange — itself a Gold Rush boomtown of more than 100 buildings by 1854 —
then Knights Ferry, and finally to Modesto in 1871, when the railroad bypassed the earlier
seats.

During the Second World War, the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock served as a
temporary assembly center where Japanese American residents of the region were detained
before transfer to inland incarceration camps, part of the wartime removal ordered under
Executive Order 9066.

Getting There

Interstate 5 runs along the county’s western edge and State Route 99 crosses it
north–south through Modesto, Ceres and Turlock, the county’s main commercial
corridor. State Routes 33, 108, 120, 132 and 219 also cross the county, with SR 132 the
main commuter link toward Interstate 580 and the Bay Area.

• Stockton — about 22 miles north
• Sacramento — about 68 miles north
• San Francisco — about 92 miles west
• Merced — about 25 miles south

Modesto City-County Airport handles general aviation; the nearest major commercial
airport is Sacramento International, though many residents also use San Francisco or
Oakland international airports for longer flights. Amtrak’s San Joaquins service
stops at the Modesto station downtown, connecting to Sacramento, Oakland and Bakersfield.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Stanislaus County located?
It sits in California’s northern San Joaquin Valley, about 92 miles east of San
Francisco, bordered by San Joaquin, Alameda, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced and
Santa Clara counties.

What is the population of Stanislaus County?
552,878 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 557,719 by 2025.

How big is Stanislaus County?
1,515 square miles (3,870 km2) in total, of which 1,495 square miles are land.

What city is the county seat of Stanislaus County?
Modesto is the county seat and largest city; it has served that role since 1871.

How many towns and cities are in Stanislaus County?
Nine incorporated cities — Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Riverbank, Patterson, Oakdale,
Newman, Waterford and Hughson — plus 14 census-designated places and unincorporated
communities including Salida, Keyes and Denair.

What ZIP codes does Stanislaus County use?
95350 through 95358 and 95397 for Modesto, 95380 to 95382 for Turlock, and separate codes
for each of the county’s other cities, listed above.

What is Stanislaus County known for?
Almond and dairy farming, E & J Gallo Winery’s headquarters in Modesto, and
Oakdale’s rodeo heritage as the “Cowboy Capital of the World.”

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in California.