Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 87,955 at the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley and the principal city of the Livermore–Pleasanton–Dublin urban area. The city is home to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for which the chemical element livermorium is named, and is also the California site of Sandia National Laboratories.
Livermore lies within the Livermore Valley wine region and is the site of the Centennial Light, a light bulb that has burned almost continuously since 1901 and is housed at Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Station 6. The city is connected to the wider Bay Area by Interstate 580 and two Altamont Corridor Express stations, with the proposed Valley Link service planned to extend rail connections to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
History
Indigenous peoples
The valley and upland areas where contemporary Livermore is located were home to Chochenyo-speaking peoples. As a group, these people are considered Ohlone Costanoan, with distinct cultural affiliations from the neighboring Bay Miwok to the north and Valley Yokuts to the east. Four tribelets—the Yulien, Ssaoam, Ssouyn, and Pelnen—occupied the valley floor, with territory extending into the surrounding hills. Semi-permanent villages stood near water drainages on the valley floor within the current urban limits of Livermore, with seasonal camps in the surrounding uplands.
After the founding of Mission San José in 1797, the four Livermore Valley tribelets were heavily affected by Spanish recruitment: during the first seven years of the 1800s, 502 individuals from these groups were baptized at the mission. Measles outbreaks in 1806 contributed to further population decline and pushed recruiting beyond the valley into the Altamont range.
Native groups left Mission San José after secularization in the 1830s and reestablished communities in the East Bay, including in the Livermore Valley. They worked as laborers rather than rely on now-depleted traditional food sources.
The city's founder, William Mendenhall, owned land in the Livermore Valley and in 1869 set aside for a townsite. He named the town Livermore after his friend Robert Livermore. The Western Pacific Railroad built tracks on land previously signed over by Robert Livermore, and placed a station on land donated by Mendenhall. Smaller contributions to the town's economy include extensive chromite deposits found nearby,
By the 1870s, Livermore had a fire company, churches, a bank, a library, and schools. Electric lights were introduced by 1888, and by 1890 the town had more than of streets. Petroleum and natural-gas seeps have been documented in the Livermore Valley, and oil and gas exploration occurred in and around the city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1900s
thumb|The Livermore Sanitarium in 1904
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Livermore Valley attracted sanitariums on account of its climate and air. The Livermore Sanitarium operated from 1894 to 1960 for the treatment of alcoholism and mental disorders, and the Arroyo del Valle Sanitarium operated from 1918 to about 1960 for the treatment of tuberculosis. LLNL caused the city to grow intoa technological centre, while suburban expansion increased the population.
Geography
thumb|Livermore from the southwest
The Livermore Valley lies within the Diablo Range, part of the California Coast Ranges around the San Francisco Bay Area. It is ~15 mi long east-west and 10 mi north-south. The valley has an east–west orientation, with passes connecting the Bay Area to the Central Valley. These passes are used by highways and rail lines.
Watercourses draining Livermore include Arroyo Mocho, Arroyo Valle, Arroyo Seco, and Arroyo Las Positas. The principal aquifer underlying the city is the Mocho Subbasin. It was formed from very gravelly alluvium made of sedimentary and metasedimentary rock. The climate is strongly influenced by winds from the Pacific, lowering temperatures compared to the hotter parts of the Central Valley immediately eastward. Complication is introduced by the fact that Pacific winds enter the valley from multiple locations.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Livermore, California – Racial and ethnic composition
! Race / Ethnicity
! Pop. 2000
! Pop. 2010
! Pop. 2020
! % 2000
! % 2010
! % 2020
|-
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 54,587 || 52,397 || 48,449 || 74.42% || 64.71% || 55.08%
|-
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 1,094 || 1,562 || 1,604 || 1.49% || 1.93% || 1.82%
|-
| Native American or Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 315 || 251 || 203 || 0.43% || 0.31% || 0.23%
|-
| Asian alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 4,171 || 6,643 || 12,633 || 5.69% || 8.20% || 14.36%
|-
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 189 || 231 || 209 || 0.26% || 0.29% || 0.24%
|-
| Other race alone, not Hispanic or Latino
| 185 || 202 || 500 || 0.25% || 0.25% || 0.57%
|-
| Mixed race or multiracial, not Hispanic or Latino
| 2,263 || 2,762 || 5,379 || 3.09% || 3.41% || 6.12%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino of any race
| 10,541 || 16,920 || 18,978 || 14.37% || 20.90% || 21.58%
|-
| Total
| 73,345 || 80,968 || 87,955 || 100.00% || 100.00% || 100.00%
|}
2020 census
At the 2020 United States census, Livermore had a population of 87,955 and a population density of approximately 3,326 people per square mile. The median age was 39.9 years. About 70.7% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 29.3% were renter-occupied.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census reported that Livermore had a population of 80,968. The population density was 3,216.1 people per square mile. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.
Income
In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Livermore's median household income at $153,602 and per capita income at $71,179. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line.
Voter registration
, there were 53,792 registered voters in Livermore; 21,158 were Democrats, 15,061 were Republicans, and 14,499 were independents or decline-to-state voters.
Economy
Laboratories
The Livermore area contains two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the city's largest employer (17% as of 2025) and conducts national-security, energy, scientific, and technology research. The laboratory's stated responsibilities include ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of the United States nuclear deterrent; its researchers co-discovered livermorium.
The California site of Sandia National Laboratories is also in Livermore. It is the city's second largest employer (~4% as of 2025
i-GATE
In 2010, the national laboratories, the city of Livermore, and regional partners established i-GATE, an innovation hub and business incubator focused on energy and transportation technologies. The campus has shared facilities with Robot Garden, a community workshop and hackerspace.
Wine
thumb|Southeast Livermore neighborhood surrounded by vineyards
The Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area dates commercial viticulture to the 1840s, when Robert Livermore planted the first vines in the valley.
Top employers
According to the city's 2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in Livermore were:
Arts and culture
thumb|[[Livermore Carnegie Library and Park is one of five Livermore landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]
thumb|left|upright|First Presbyterian Church of Livermore's chapel
thumb|Shiva-Vishnu Temple, a [[Hindu temple in Livermore.]]
Livermore hosts the annual Livermore Rodeo, which began in 1918 as a fundraiser for the Red Cross during World War I. The city lies within the Livermore Valley wine region, discussed in the Economy section.
The Centennial Light, a light bulb first installed at a fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901, is housed at Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Station 6 and has burned almost continuously since installation.
The official city flower is the Livermore tarplant, an endangered plant that only grows near Livermore.
Media
Radio station KKIQ is licensed in Livermore and broadcasts in the Tri-Valley area. The Independent is a local newspaper founded in September 1963. It is located in the Bank of Italy building.
Parks and recreation
The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) is an independent special district created by voters in 1947. It is governed by a five-member elected board of directors, each serving a four-year term. LARPD operates neighborhood parks, community parks, open-space parks, special-use parks, recreation programs, aquatics, environmental education, senior services, and special events.
Government
Livermore has a council–manager form of government. The City Council provides policy direction and appoints a city manager, who oversees city operations. Marianna A. Burch is the city manager. In the United States House of Representatives, Livermore is in California's 14th congressional district; the seat is vacant following the resignation of Eric Swalwell in April 2026.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Livermore vote by party in presidential elections
|-
! Year
! Democratic
! Republican
|-
| 2024 || 60.8% 26,804 || 36.0% 15,897
|-
| 2020 || 62.4% 30,344 || 35.2% 17,130
|-
| 2016 || 57.1% 22,476 || 35.1% 13,837
|-
| 2012 || 54.9% 20,088 || 42.5% 15,562
|-
| 2008 || 57.3% 21,571 || 40.9% 15,400
|-
| 2004 || 49.9% 17,045 || 49.0% 16,728
|-
| 2000 || 47.9% 14,066 || 48.1% 14,110
|-
| 1996 || 45.2% 11,871 || 43.4% 11,409
|-
| 1992 || 39.0% 10,906 || 35.3% 9,853
|-
| 1988 || 39.6% 8,980 || 58.9% 13,365
|-
| 1984 || 30.5% 6,789 || 68.1% 15,185
|-
| 1980 || 28.9% 5,291 || 56.8% 10,397
|-
| 1976 || 44.0% 7,612 || 54.1% 9,364
|-
| 1972 || 34.8% 6,314 || 62.1% 11,256
|-
| 1968 || 39.7% 5,103 || 52.5% 6,754
|-
| 1964 || 55.2% 5,474 || 44.8% 4,436
|}
General Plan
Livermore's General Plan guides city decisions on land use, mobility, housing, open space, economic development, community identity, and related services. The city began updating its 2004 General Plan in 2021, and a public-review draft of the General Plan 2045 was available in 2026 through the Imagine Livermore 2045 process.
Education
Public schools in Livermore are operated by the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. The district includes elementary, middle, comprehensive high, and alternative high schools.
Charter schools shutdown
Two charter schools in Livermore, Livermore Valley Charter School and Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory, were operated by the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation. Both schools closed by the start of the 2018 school year amid allegations of financial mismanagement and problems involving exchange students. Displaced students were absorbed by other local schools and programs.
Media
KKIQ is a radio station licensed to Livermore. The Independent, founded in 1963, is a local newspaper serving Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Sunol.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Interstate 580 is Livermore's primary east–west freeway. It runs along the northern edge of the city before heading east through Altamont Pass toward the Central Valley and Interstate 5. Interstate 680 lies west of Livermore. State Route 84 heads southwest from I-580 toward Fremont, and Vasco Road connects Livermore to Brentwood and the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.
Livermore Municipal Airport is located northwest of the city and serves private, business, and corporate aviation. The WHEELS bus system operates in Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and surrounding unincorporated areas of Alameda County, with connections to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations in Dublin and Pleasanton.
Livermore has two Altamont Corridor Express stations, at Vasco Road and at downtown Livermore. In 2018, the BART board voted against extending BART to Livermore. The Tri-Valley–San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority was formed to establish a rail connection between the existing BART system and the Altamont Corridor Express; the proposed service is known as Valley Link.
Fire department
The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department provides fire and advanced life-support services to Livermore and Pleasanton.
Notable people
Arts
- Kyle Allen, actor
- Conrad Bain (1923–2013), actor in Diff'rent Strokes
- Sonny Barger, outlaw biker and actor
- Bryn Davies, musician
- Tara Kemp, pop and soul singer
- Judith Merkle Riley, author
- Bill Owens, photographer
- Ashley Padilla, comedian and actress
- Connie Post, first poet laureate of Livermore
- James Wesley Rawles, survivalist author
- Vanessa Ray, actress
- Brandon Rogers, comedian, actor, and YouTuber
- Brock Van Wey, electronic musician
- Jill Whelan, actress
Politics
- Bob Beers, Nevada state senator
- Harold Brown, former director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Robert Livermore, town namesake
- Hans Mark, physicist and former U.S. Secretary of the Air Force
- Jean Quan, former mayor of Oakland
Science
- Ralph Merkle, pioneer in modern cryptography
- George H. Miller, former director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Edward Teller, physicist and former director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Herb York, first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Sports
- Kristin Allen, World Games gold medalist gymnast
- Max Baer, heavyweight champion boxer
- Mark Davis, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Troy Dayak, Major League Soccer player
- Duane Glinton, soccer player
- J. R. Graham, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Brian Johnson, Major League Soccer player
- Randy Johnson, Major League Baseball pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
- Bill Mooneyham, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Michael Rodrigues, World Games gold medalist gymnast
- Bryan Shaw, Major League Baseball pitcher
Business
- Margaret F. Slusher (1879–1971), businesswoman
Sister cities
Livermore has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
- Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
- Snezhinsk, Russia
- Yotsukaidō, Japan
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Alameda County, California
- Arroyo del Valle Sanitarium
References
Further reading
- Livermore (2002), a film by Rachel Raney and David Murray
- Suburbia, a photo essay by Bill Owens (1972),