California’s Population Takes Another Dive

By now, California’s shrinking population is old news. But it bears continued analysis because of the significant long-term impacts on the Golden State.

The latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show a 500,000-person decline between April 2020 and July 2022. When looking at in-migration and out-migration, the state saw a net loss of 871,127 people.

There are many factors, but the overarching one is simple: people are leaving the state.

California’s losses represent a gain for other states. Utah’s population increased 18.3% from 2010 to 2020. Utah’s governor is begging Californians to stop moving in. He says Utah lacks the infrastructure and ability to deal with rising costs.

Within California, the exodus follows a very specific pattern. People are moving out of congested urban areas to cheaper, less crowded parts of the state.

More than half of the people who left California between July 2021 and July 2022 were from Los Angeles County. U.S. postal data show the Los Angeles metro area, including L.A. and Orange counties, has seen the second-largest net loss in households and businesses. The San Francisco Bay Area came in fourth. California’s Inland Empire, meanwhile, saw some of the largest gains.

But the fastest growing city in California is in San Francisco’s East Bay. A San Francisco Chronicle analysis of local population changes between 2010 and 2020 found Dublin had the largest rise in population. The city went from 46,000 people in 2010 to 73,0000 in 2020 – an increase of 58%. That makes Dublin the 12th fastest growing city in America.  

Read more about California’s shrinking population at CalMatters.