Explore San Jose local geography, civic resources and voter guides, with dated official population and registration facts for Santa Clara County.
At a glance: San Jose is an incorporated city in Santa Clara County. Population: 980,434 (California Department of Finance estimate as of January 1, 2026). Registered voters: 557,655 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
San Jose occupies much of the Santa Clara Valley, extending from Alviso's Bay-side landscape to neighborhoods beneath the eastern and southern hills. Downtown, established commercial districts and large residential areas make it a city of many distinct centers. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is a shared city-university resource downtown. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, the Municipal Rose Garden and the Guadalupe River Park corridor provide very different forms of public recreation and community space. San Jose incorporated on March 27, 1850. It is a charter city with a council-manager government, combining elected mayoral and council leadership with professional administration. Its incorporation is documented in an official LAFCo service review.
No. Alviso is part of San Jose, although it retains a distinct historic and geographic identity.
No. It serves both San Jose Public Library users and San José State University; borrowing privileges and specialized services can differ.
Use the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters for registration, ballots and voting locations, and the city clerk for municipal election records.
557,655 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
CA Slates began with shared voter guides in 2012 and expanded into its current publication family and connected program.