HispanicBusiness

About 2.63 million people will live in the four-county Sacramento region in 2030, an increase of about 450,000 from today's population, according to new projections from the state Department of Finance.

By 2050, the region will have 3.2 million people, making it roughly the size of present-day San Diego.

The strongest growth in the next 20 years, much like the previous 20 years, will be among the region's Hispanic and Asian populations.

Sacramento County will add about 270,000 residents by 2030; Placer County will add 80,000 residents ; Yolo County will add 45,000 residents and El Dorado County will add 55,000 residents.

While those sound like big jumps, they actually represent regionwide population growth rates of around 1 percent each year.

The population projections are based on assumptions about births, mortality and migration. State and local governments use the projections to plan for future needs.

This chart shows the region's projected population over the next 50 years.

Distributed by MCT Information Services