Environment
How is San Joaquin County addressing and experiencing environmental challenges?
13.7% decrease
Net decline in San Joaquin County land classified as Prime Farmland between 1990 and 2022.
38,867
net acres of urban land were added in San Joaquin County between 1990 and 2022.
0 days
with unhealthy ozone concentrations were recorded in San Joaquin County in 2023, down from 54 days in 1985.
Environment
Net Urban Built-Up Land in San Joaquin County per Survey Period
Urban and built-up land in San Joaquin County has grown steadily as farmland converts to development. Between 1990 and 2022, total urban and built-up acreage rose from 63,777 acres to 102,644 acres — an increase of nearly 38,900 acres, or about 61%. Growth has come in uneven waves: the county added 6,211 acres between 2000 and 2002, its fastest two-year expansion, followed by another 4,425 acres from 2004 to 2006. Conversion slowed markedly after the 2008 housing downturn — just 610 acres were added between 2012 and 2014 — before picking back up, with 3,137 acres added from 2020 to 2022. Because the county’s land is mapped every two years, the chart can be viewed either as total acreage in each survey year or as the net acres added between surveys.
102,644
acres of urban and built-up land in San Joaquin County as of 2022 — up from 63,777 acres in 1990.
Farmland and Urbanization
Land classified as Prime Farmland declined from 437,859 acres in 1990 to 378,055 acres in 2022—a net decrease of 59,804 acres. These figures describe changes in mapped land classification, and they do not establish that the entire decrease resulted from conversion to urban or other nonagricultural uses.
13.7% decrease
Net decline in San Joaquin County land classified as Prime Farmland between 1990 and 2022.
Days With Unhealthy Ozone Concentration Levels
The number of days with unhealthy ozone concentration levels has decreased significantly over time. In 1985, San Joaquin County recorded 54 days of poor air quality due to ozone. By 2022, this figure had dropped to 1 days. This decline reflects broader improvements in air quality across California, where the state average also steadily fell from over 50 days annually in the late 1980s to around a dozen days in recent years. While fluctuations occurred over the decades, most notably spikes in 1988, 1996, and 2012, the long-term trend shows substantial progress, likely driven by cleaner vehicle technologies, regulatory enforcement, and emission reduction programs.
0 days
with unhealthy ozone concentrations were recorded in San Joaquin County in 2023, down from 54 days in 1985.
Energy Usage per Household and per Capita
0.00871 GWh
per household consumed by the residential sector in 2024, leading all tracking categories in local electricity demand across San Joaquin County.
Reported Water Use per Service Connection
The Public Works submission reports 593.5 million gallons and 5,955 service connections for April–June 2026. Dividing the reported volume by the connection count and the quarter’s 91 days gives approximately 1,095 gallons per connection per day. The chart presents quarterly totals and daily averages per connection for the included systems. A service connection is not a household or resident, and unreported quarters are left blank rather than shown as zero.
1,095 gallons per connection per day
Reported average for April–June 2026 across the systems included in the Public Works submission, which consolidates data from approximately 30 water districts.