Slow population growth blamed on housing crisis
LOS ANGELES — California’s population growth in 2018 was the slowest in state history, a new study shows, as births declined, student enrollment fell and the death rate continued to climb as Baby Boomers aged.
The state added 186,807 residents last year, bringing California’s estimated total population to 39,927,315 people as of Jan. 1, according to new population estimates released by the state Department of Finance on Wednesday.
The overall growth rate slipped to 0.47% last year from 0.78% in 2017, the slowest since data collection started in 1900, department spokesman H.D. Palmer said. Births in the state were down by more than 18,000 compared with the previous year.
“Growth in California has stalled out,” said Dowell Myers, a professor of demography and urban planning at the University of Southern California. “That is pretty amazing.”
Officials noted last May that California’s population had grown by an average of 333,000 people a year since 2010.
Los Angeles County, still the largest county in the state, saw population growth fall to 0%, according to state officials. The number of residents dropped from 10,254,658 to 10,253,716 by the end of 2018.
Myers said the slow growth was largely due to a lack of housing. A report earlier this year by a public policy think tank found that California’s housing supply law hadn’t triggered enough new home building to meet demand.
Myers said the housing crunch made it harder for younger residents to lay down roots. That is especially concerning as California’s senior population continues to grow at a fast pace, affecting state budgeting and policy.
“Old people are holding in place, but we are losing the younger generation. We are losing potential parents,” he said. “It is a slow-moving train wreck here.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged that 3.5 million new homes will be built in California by 2025.