Sept. 15--Sacramento has long been known as a state worker town. These days, it's just as accurate to call it a health worker town.

The health care sector in the four-county Sacramento region has grown steadily and significantly for more than a decade, according to the California Employment Development Department. While most other sectors shed jobs during the recession, hospitals, doctor's offices and nursing homes held strong, adding 10,000 workers between 2008 and 2014.

As a result, roughly 83,000 health care workers live in the region, up nearly 60 percent since 2000. The Sacramento region now has about as many health workers as it does state civil-service employees.

It also has more registered nurses than waiters; more dental assistants than bartenders; more nursing assistants than baristas.

"It's been a source of strength in the Sacramento economy," said Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific. "It continues to be a growing area."

The sector is growing largely because of demand: The region's baby boomers are growing older and need more health care services, Michael and others said. Health advances also keep elderly seniors -- those over age 85 -- alive longer.

"If we continue to see the growth in retirees, we may see that increase in services continue," said Tim Maurice, chief financial officer for the UC Davis Health System. UC Davis added 400 medical staff members during the last three years, he said.

The Affordable Care Act requiring Americans to obtain health insurance is another factor driving job growth, medical officials said. Californians with insurance are more likely to seek medical care.

"We have to meet that demand so we are expanding our footprint dramatically," said Dr. Joseph Jasser, president and CEO of Dignity Health Medical Foundation, which operates scores of medical offices across the state. The foundation hired more than 100 new physicians last year and expects to hire another 150 this fiscal year.

Health workers tend to be well-paid and educated. When they spend their earnings, they support other sectors of the economy.

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Health-care Sector Surges in Sacramento