Skip to content
Elevation

Elevation of Stockton

12ft

above sea level · 4 m

Stockton is a city in California with 324,597 people, the 11th most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 5th lowest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

Loading the map…

Place facts

Coordinates
37.96° N · 121.29° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 37° 57′ 28″ N · 121° 17′ 27″ W
UTM coordinates
10S · 650,157 E · 4,202,500 N
Zone 10 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
San Joaquin County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
California
CA · capital: Sacramento
Time zone
Pacific Time
UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
324,597 people
63.3 sq mi of land · 5,128 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from September 2023: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Stockton had 324,597 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.2% more than in April 2020, when it had 320,777. Its 63.3 sq mi of land work out to 5,128 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.

It’s the 11th most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), after Los Angeles (3,869,089), and holds 0.8% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within San Joaquin County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.6 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with other big cities

Stockton sits at 12 ft (4 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Stockton is 846 ft below it.

The state capital, Sacramento, is 44 mi away in a straight line and 15 ft higher than Stockton.

Of the 15 cities in California with a page, Stockton is the lowest: the highest is Riverside (829 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).

The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 14,482 ft above Stockton, 190 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 85 Port St. Lucie 14 ft
  2. 86 Chesapeake 12 ft
  3. 87 Stockton 12 ft
  4. 88 Virginia Beach 10 ft
  5. 89 Corpus Christi 7 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Stockton and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Stockton with any other point on the map. Map of San Joaquin County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Stockton and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of California counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Stockton.

What is the elevation of Stockton?

Stockton is 12 feet (4 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Stockton?

Latitude 37.95770 and longitude -121.29078, in decimal degrees (37° 57′ 28″ N · 121° 17′ 27″ W). In UTM, zone 10: 650,157 E and 4,202,500 N, on NAD83.

How does Stockton rank among the highest big cities?

It’s the 5th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).

What county is Stockton in?

San Joaquin County, California.

Which is higher, Stockton or Sacramento?

Sacramento. Stockton sits at 12 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 15 ft, 44 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know