Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Population Shrinks in California, Still Most Populous State
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 4, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — The nation’s most populous state shrank a bit in the second half of last year, according to official figures released Friday.

California had a population of 39.78 million as of January, the state Department of Finance said, down from its previous report of 39.96 million residents in July.

California had a population of 39.78 million as of January, the state Department of Finance said, down from its previous report of 39.96 million residents in July.

But Doug Kuczynski of the department’s Demographic Research Unit said the two numbers aren’t directly comparable because of various adjustments and because each figure represents a point in time. By the department’s reckoning, California added about 87,500 residents during the last full calendar year, comparing January-to-January figures.

The state has been creeping toward 40 million residents without ever quite getting there. It still tops second-place Texas, which has about 30 million people.

Even the January-to-January comparison used by the department shows population growth of just 0.2%, which officials said continues slow growth trends since the Great Recession. The figures predate the current recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Growth slowed to near zero or declined in most coastal counties, grew slightly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remained robust in the Central Valley and counties east of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County lost residents for the second straight year, but it remains the nation’s most populous with more than 10 million residents.

Among Other Highlights

— The fastest-growing counties were, in order, Glenn, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, San Benito, San Joaquin and Kern.

— The state for the first time added more housing units than people. California has been struggling to address a severe affordable housing and homelessness problem.

— Bakersfield had the largest population gain, by percentage, among the state’s 10 largest cities.

— The fastest-growing cities from housing construction not related to wildfires were, in order, Colma in San Mateo County, Calimesa in Riverside County, Lathrop in San Joaquin County, Wasco in Kern County, and Rio Vista in Solano County.

Friday’s report did not address migration trends. But the department in December said more people were leaving California than moving in, thwarting projections from demographers who have predicted the state would top 40 million.

The department said then that more people left California between July 2018 and July 2019 for the first time since the 2010 census, leading to the state’s slowest recorded growth rate since 1900.

The state’s population had nearly tripled in the last half of the last century.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

DON'T MISS

UnitedHealth Group CEO Steps Down as Company Lowers, Then Withdraws Financial Outlook for 2025

DON'T MISS

FDA and RFK Jr. Aim to Remove Ingestible Fluoride Products Used to Protect Kids’ Teeth

DON'T MISS

Caltrans’ Response to Homeless Encampments Is Lagging, Cities Complain

DON'T MISS

Democrats Seeking California Governorship Strut Their Stuff for Union Leaders

DON'T MISS

Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital Kills Wounded Journalist

DON'T MISS

Republicans Face Internal Disagreements Over Trump Tax Cut Package

DON'T MISS

Netanyahu Says There Is ‘No Way’ Israel Halts the War in Gaza Until Hamas Is Defeated

DON'T MISS

Cassie Testifies in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Trafficking Trial. What to Know About the Star Witness

DON'T MISS

Once in Sync, Trump and Netanyahu Now Show Signs of Division

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Says There Is ‘No Way’ Israel Halts the War in Gaza Until Hamas Is Defeated

UP NEXT

Cassie Testifies in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Trafficking Trial. What to Know About the Star Witness

UP NEXT

Has the California Dream Become a Mirage?

UP NEXT

Jayson Tatum Carried off Floor With Right Leg Injury and Celtics Star Will Have MRI

UP NEXT

Dallas Mavericks Win the NBA Draft Lottery, Eye Cooper Flagg for No. 1 Pick

UP NEXT

US Inflation Stable Before Expected Jump From Tariffs

UP NEXT

Grapevine Fire Forces Full Closure of Southbound I-5

UP NEXT

Trump Plans to Accept Luxury 747 From Qatar to Use as Air Force One

UP NEXT

Newsom Urges California Cities and Counties to Ban Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

Caltrans’ Response to Homeless Encampments Is Lagging, Cities Complain

1 hour ago

Democrats Seeking California Governorship Strut Their Stuff for Union Leaders

1 hour ago

Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital Kills Wounded Journalist

1 hour ago

Republicans Face Internal Disagreements Over Trump Tax Cut Package

2 hours ago

Netanyahu Says There Is ‘No Way’ Israel Halts the War in Gaza Until Hamas Is Defeated

2 hours ago

Cassie Testifies in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Trafficking Trial. What to Know About the Star Witness

2 hours ago

Once in Sync, Trump and Netanyahu Now Show Signs of Division

2 hours ago

Has the California Dream Become a Mirage?

3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jeffrey Allen Burrus

3 hours ago

Jayson Tatum Carried off Floor With Right Leg Injury and Celtics Star Will Have MRI

3 hours ago

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

After accusing a former Bullard High School football coach of calling her son the N-word, Fresno Unified trustee Keshia Thomas tried to walk...

10 minutes ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
10 minutes ago

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

24 minutes ago

UnitedHealth Group CEO Steps Down as Company Lowers, Then Withdraws Financial Outlook for 2025

29 minutes ago

FDA and RFK Jr. Aim to Remove Ingestible Fluoride Products Used to Protect Kids’ Teeth

1 hour ago

Caltrans’ Response to Homeless Encampments Is Lagging, Cities Complain

1 hour ago

Democrats Seeking California Governorship Strut Their Stuff for Union Leaders

Palestinians inspect the damage at the European Hospital, which was partially damaged following Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
1 hour ago

Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital Kills Wounded Journalist

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) looks on, after President Donald Trump delivered remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
2 hours ago

Republicans Face Internal Disagreements Over Trump Tax Cut Package

2 hours ago

Netanyahu Says There Is ‘No Way’ Israel Halts the War in Gaza Until Hamas Is Defeated

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend