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Del Paso Heights and North Sacramento

According to the 1990 census, on average 27% of people in North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights lived below the poverty level as compared to 12.5% for Sacramento County at that time. In 1990, only 40% of the households in the Del Paso Heights community were owner occupied. For both communities combined, 63% of adults over 18 have a high school diploma or more as compared to the 82% Sacramento County average. Additionally, crime rates remain 1.9 times higher for violent crime and 1.26 times higher
for property crime than the county rates. The rate of teenage births has risen from 13% to 21% since 1990 and close to 3% of the live births were to mothers aged 15 and under." Both zip codes rank in the top ten largest food stamp caseloads with a total of 4,216 caseloads in October of 1999. Eleven emergency food sites within the two communities serve approximately 16,550 bags of food/meals each month.

Del Paso Heights and North Sacramento make up part of two zip codes, 95815 and 95838, with a combined population of both zip codes slightly over 50,000. This report focuses on the centralized, more densely populated areas within the two zip codes. They are among the most disadvantaged areas of the county, although zip code-level data somewhat masks this by including wealthier pockets on the edges of the core neighborhoods. Despite a relatively robust economy, median household income was 40% lower than the countywide average in 1996. The rate per 1000 of public assistance recipients in January of 1996 was more than two times higher than the county rate, and the unemployment rate was also approximately twice as high. During the 1997-1998 school year every school in North Sacramento had at least 73% of their students eligible for the free or reduced lunch program and at least 88% of students were eligible in Del Paso Heights Schools.

Del Paso Heights extends north to south from I-80 to Arcade Creek and east to west from Marysville Blvd. to Western Ave. North Sacramento lies adjacent to Del Paso Heights. It is bounded by Arcade Creek on the north, Arden Way on the south, and Auburn Blvd. on the east, and Western Ave. on the west (Map of the two communities, Appendix 1). There is considerable ethnic diversity, particularly in Del Paso Heights, where many Southeast Asian families have taken up residence in the last decade. In the 1990 census, for example, the population of Del Paso Heights was 49% African American and 16% Asian/Pacific Islander. By the 1998/99 school year 42% of the children in preschool through sixth grade were Asian/Pacific Islander, compared to 36% African American. In 1996, North Sacramento was 57% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, 13% Asian, and 9% African American. Both communities have a young population with children under 18 making up 30% of the population and the average age is between 25 and 30. Families with children make up 67% of the two communities. Single female-headed households are the second largest family household in North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights, and are 50% more likely than in Sacramento County. In addition both communities have a significant senior population.

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