What you need to know: For the second year in a row, California’s Department of Finance released data showing the Golden State’s population grew. In 2024, the state added more than 100,000 residents.

SACRAMENTO - On May 1, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California’s population grew by 108,000 people in calendar year 2024, reaching 39,529,000 people as of January 1st, 2025 - according to new data from the California Department of Finance.

“People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected. As the fourth largest economy in the world - from the Inland Empire to the Bay Area - regions throughout California are growing, strengthening local communities and boosting our state’s future. We’ll continue to cut tape, invest in people, and seek real results from government to ensure we build on this momentum - all of which are at risk with the extreme and uncertain tariffs.” - Governor Gavin Newsom

This increase marks the second consecutive calendar year of population growth. Additionally, this report reflects an upward revision of California’s January 2024 population, which saw a growth of 192,219 people (year over year) - up from the previously estimated increase of 67,104 people. And an upward revision of California’s January 2023 population, which saw a growth of 48,764 people (year over year) - up from the previously estimated decrease of 53,727 people.

Factors for growth

• Higher 2024 K-8 enrollment by 13,890 compared to 2023.
• An increase in the 65-and-older population of 25,298 people in 2024, up from 6,622,031 people reported last year.
• Natural increase - the net result of births minus deaths - contributed 114,805 to overall population growth in 2024, largely in line with the growth of 105,550 in 2023.
• More data sources to better estimate California’s share of recent increases in legal immigration to the U.S. from 2021 to 2024, showing 277,468 more immigrants to the state during this period than in the 2023 estimate. This data only includes legal immigration. 

A look at city and county data

The report contains preliminary year-over-year January 2025 and revised January 2021 through January 2024 population data for California cities, counties, and the state. It’s important to note that these estimates are based on information as of January 1, 2025, and therefore do not include data for the Los Angeles County wildfires later that month.

• California’s 58 counties range in size from Alpine County, with just over 1,170 residents, to Los Angeles County with 9.9 million residents. The population increased in 35 counties, with most growth in the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and coastal counties. Population gains reflect natural increase exceeding losses in net total migration.
• The state’s ten largest counties remain Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, Contra Costa, and Fresno, with each having more than one million residents. These ten counties represent 72 percent of California’s population. 
• Nine of the ten counties with one million or more people have positive population growth, leaving Contra Costa as the only county with a very small population loss of 24 people. Los Angeles led with an increase of 28,000 persons. 
• Population growth rates ranged from a high of 2.88 percent in Lassen County to a low of -1.58 percent in Mono County. The next five largest in percentage growth were Glenn (1.35 percent), Fresno (0.87 percent), Sutter (0.83 percent), Imperial (0.81 percent), and Tulare (0.73 percent). 

Recent Census Bureau revisions

In addition to the report released by the Department of Finance, the U.S. Census Bureau (which measures on a fiscal calendar year versus DOF’s calendar year) released updated information showing California’s population increasing as well  - with several key revisions upwards:

• July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, California’s population increased by more than 225,000 people.
• July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023: California’s population increased by more than 50,000 people. NOTE: This was revised up from the originally reported 75,000+ decrease.
• July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022: California’s population decreased by just 151 people. NOTE: This was revised up from the originally reported 100,000+ decrease. 

Busting myths

Despite the common myth of a continually declining population, California has only saw a short period of population loss in its 174 year history - during the peak of the COVID pandemic, when it decreased by 379,544 people (which represents about 1% decrease over those two years), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

During the same period, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, 10 states saw larger population decreases, with Louisiana - led by a Republican Governor and legislature - seeing the largest percent decrease. And 13 states also saw population decreases from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. 

California leads the way

Building on the second year of population growth, California leads the way in tourism spending, and was just announced as the fourth largest economy, moving up from fifth, in the world by the International Monetary Fund. California is also home to the most Fortune 500 companies and most Inc. 5000 companies. And, California leads the way nationally as the #1 state for new business starts, access to venture capital funding, manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.

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