San Joaquin County is a county located in California's Central Valley, just east of the San Francisco Bay Area. Many Bay Area commuters have moved into the county because of cheaper housing costs. As of 2006, the population is approx. 620,000. The county seat is Stockton. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,694 km² (1,426 mi²). 3,624 km² (1,399 mi²) of it is land and 70 km² (27 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.89% water. As of the census2 of 2000, there were 563,598 people, 181,629 households, and 134,768 families residing in the county. The population density was 156/km² (403/mi²). There were 189,160 housing units at an average density of 52/km² (135/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.13% White, 6.69% Black or African American, 1.13% Native American, 11.41% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 16.26% from other races, and 6.05% from two or more races. 30.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.