California’s population declined for yet another year, but at a slower clip than in recent years.
The state lost more than 37,000 people, or 0.1%, during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. That’s less than the nearly 300,000 who left the Golden State between 2020 and 2021.
Overall, 42 of California’s 58 counties lost population. Los Angeles County lost the greatest number of residents, more than 15,000, but Lassen County lost the largest share of its population at 4.4%. A state prison there closed earlier this year, which had been a big employer in the rural county.
On the other side, several counties in the Bay Area and the Central Valley gained residents. In the Sacramento region, Sacramento and Placer counties gained residents, while Yolo and El Dorado’s populations declined.
Though California lost population overall, it gained residents through what’s known as natural increase, or the difference between births and deaths. There were more births than deaths in the past fiscal year, though the total number of both declined from the previous year.
The state also saw an increase in people moving to California from other countries, returning to pre-pandemic levels after dropping after federal rules limited travel at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. From July 2022 to June 2023, California gained around 115,900 residents through international migration.
The reason the state still lost population despite those gains was that 260,400 more Californians left for other U.S. states than decided to move to the Golden State in the past fiscal year. That’s a continuation of a long-term trend: California hasn’t gained residents from domestic migration since 2000.
California’s population dropped for the first time in its history in 2020, and the state lost two congressional seats following the 2020 census.
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