Folsom, California

Folsom is a city in northeastern Sacramento County, California, United States. In 2025, it was home to about 92,577 people.

The city has an interesting history from the Gold Rush days in the mid-1800s. Many people remember Folsom because of famous musician Johnny Cash and the well-known Folsom State Prison on the city's northwest side.

Folsom is also a great place for outdoor fun, especially around Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma. In 2026, it was named the best place to live in all of California by U.S. News and World Report, thanks to its safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and strong economy.

History

The Nisenan tribe of Native Americans lived in the Folsom area for a long time. When the Gold Rush of 1849 happened, many people came looking for gold, which brought big changes for the tribes.

Joseph Libbey Folsom bought land and created a town called Granite City for gold miners. He worked hard to get a railway connecting the town to Sacramento, which helped the town grow. After Joseph passed away in 1855, the town was renamed Folsom in his honor. The old railway closed in the 1980s but reopened in 2005 as part of the Gold Line of Sacramento Regional Transit District's light rail.

In 1880, Folsom Prison was established when the Livermore family gave land for it. They also built the Folsom Powerhouse, which became a National Historic Landmark. It was the first place in the country to send electricity over 22 miles. The powerhouse stopped operating in 1952.

Folsom Dam was completed in 1956, creating Folsom Lake and helping control floods and supply water. Today, Folsom has schools like Folsom Lake College and Folsom High School, and many people live and work there. Plans are underway to build many new homes and expand the city.

Geography

Folsom, California, covers an area of 30.2 square miles, with most of it being land and a small part being water. It is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The city experiences long, hot, and dry summers, along with cool and rainy winters. Carpenter Hill, located in Folsom, is the highest point in Sacramento County, reaching an elevation of 831 feet.

Demographics

Folsom is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Folsom had a population of 80,454. The median age was 40.5 years. The age distribution was 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% aged 18 to 24, 27.2% aged 25 to 44, 28.8% aged 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 107.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 28,336 households, out of which 36.9% included children under the age of 18, 58.0% were married-couple households, 4.7% were cohabiting couple households, 23.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 22.8% of households were one person, and 10.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63. There were 20,246 families (71.4% of all households).

2023 ACS 5-year estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 19.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 75.3% spoke only English at home, 5.8% spoke Spanish, 7.9% spoke other Indo-European languages, 9.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.5% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 94.6% were high school graduates and 54.7% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $139,263, and the per capita income was $61,008. About 3.3% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

At the 2010 census Folsom had a population of 72,203. The racial makeup of Folsom was 53,627 (74.3%) White, 4,140 (5.7%) African American, 427 (0.6%) Native American, 9,000 (12.5%) Asian, 173 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,818 (2.5%) from other races, and 3,018 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,064 persons (11.2%).

There were 24,951 households, 9,796 (39.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,399 (57.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,195 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 1,006 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,150 (4.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 137 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,788 households (23.2%) were one person and 1,930 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61. There were 17,600 families (70.5% of households); the average family size was 3.13.

Economy

Top employers

The biggest jobs providers in Folsom come from the city's 2020 financial report.

The city has about 35,500 people working, which is around 59.6% of all adults living there.

Arts and culture

The city runs the Folsom Public Library, which is housed in the Georgia Murray Building. Plans are underway to build another library branch in the new Folsom Ranch Town Center, along with a community center.

Parks and recreation

Livermore Community Park in Folsom has sports areas and a water park for fun. The city has more than fifty miles of trails, such as the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail and the Folsom Parkway Rail Trail. The 32-mile American River Bike Trail begins in Sacramento and passes through Folsom near Lake Natoma.

Folsom also shares part of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, a favorite spot for hiking, boating, fishing, and biking in the Sacramento area.

Government

Folsom is part of the California State Legislature. It is in the 6th senatorial district, where Republican Roger Niello represents the area, and in the 7th Assembly district, where Republican Josh Hoover serves.

Folsom is also located in California's 3rd congressional district. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the city is represented by Republican Kevin Kiley.

See also: Government of Sacramento County, California

Education

Folsom Lake College is a public community college that is part of the Los Rios Community College District.

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District runs public schools in Folsom and Rancho Cordova. The high schools are Folsom High School and Vista del Lago High School. The middle schools are Folsom Middle School and Sutter Middle School.

Infrastructure

The Sacramento Regional Transit District added a light rail train line to Folsom in October 2005. This connects Folsom directly to Downtown Sacramento. The district also runs a public bus service called the Folsom Stage Line within the city.

In February 2020, 75 project customers, including the City of Folsom, got permanent federal water contracts for the Central Valley Project.

Notable people

Folsom, California has been home to many interesting people. Britani Bateman is an actress, singer, and cast member on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Shadrack Biwott is a long-distance runner from the United States. Jake Browning plays football for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Other notable individuals include Peter Camejo, a Green Party activist; McKenzie Forbes, a basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks; Spider Jorgensen, a Major League Baseball player; Aspen Ladd, a mixed martial arts fighter; Brennan Poole, a NASCAR driver; Jordan Richards, a free agent safety; and Jonah Williams, an offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals.

In popular culture

The song "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash is about Folsom State Prison.

The 2025 film No Address included several scenes filmed on location in Folsom.

Sister cities

Folsom has special friendly connections with two cities in other parts of the world. One is Crespano del Grappa in Italy, and the other is Jiaohe City in China. These are called sister cities.