The Sacramento metropolitan area ranks fifth in California by population size. Its growth was, like San Diego, supported by being an early hub for transportation networks. The Port of Sacramento and robust railroad development enabled traded goods to be routed through Northern California. Agricultural producers in outlying counties benefitted from Sacramento’s hub status and continue to employ 33,000 people across the four counties.

The development of the Port of Stockton and the growing complexity of trade routes moved Sacramento away from its core industries in the 1990s. The state’s growth helped accommodate job growth in the region, particularly in government administration. Over 76,000 people work in state government, over 11,000 work for the county government, and another 5,700 work for the City of Sacramento. School systems, universities, and healthcare organizations make up the rest of the top 10 employers in Sacramento County.

Government jobs have helped keep inequality in check in the Sacramento region, but suburban sprawl and relocations from the Bay Area have had surprising effects on the region’s suburban population: The Arden Arcade community, for example, has the highest level of income inequality in the state. The bottom-fifth of Arden Arcade earners, as of 2016, held just 2.1 percent of the community’s income. The top fifth held 58.2 percent of income.

Likewise, statewide racial inequalities are sharper in the Sacramento region than elsewhere in California, owing largely to the exclusion of Black residents from growing areas of the economy (e.g., the emerging technology industry).