California’s population grows for first time since pandemic

California’s population has grown for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the state Department of Finance, California’s population grew by just over 67,000 people in 2023 for a total of 39,128,162 — the first such increase since 2020.

The slight growth in population was the result of several factors, the Department of Finance said, including a rebound in legal foreign immigration (a net gain of 114,200 in 2023, compared to just 90,300 in 2022), more people moving into the state and fewer people moving out of the state.

Net migration from California in 2023 dropped in two years to roughly a quarter of its 2021 rate, according to the Department of Finance.

Another factor was a natural increase in population (more births than deaths), with a net increase of 118,400 and the number of deaths declining from their pandemic peak. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 101,000 Californians have died due to COVID-19.

“With immigration processing backlogs largely eliminated and deaths returning to long-term trends, a stable foundation for continued growth has returned. As net domestic migration has receded to its lower rates of the 2010s, California is likely to experience slower but positive growth for the near future,” according to the Department of Finance.

California has also seen some growth in the area of statewide housing, with the category rising 0.79% in 2023 and adding a net of 115,933 housing units for a total of 14.8 million units in the state.

“New construction represents 109,391 housing units with 55,242 single family housing units, 52,937 multi-family housing units, and 1,212 mobile homes,” according to Finance.

A total of 31 counties saw their population grow, largely centered in the Bay Area, Central Valley and Inland Empire, according to the report.

Five counties saw growth above 1%, including Sutter (1.9%), Imperial (1.8%), Glenn (1.4%), Yuba (1.1%) and San Benito (1.1%), due to housing gains.

The top five cities where housing production drove population growth include 16.1% in Paradise, Butte County, site of the devastating 2018 Camp Fire; Lathrop, San Joaquin County (5.4%); Emeryville, Alameda County (5%); Orland, Glenn County (4.9%); and Shafter, Kern County (4.3%).

Yuba led the state in the highest housing growth on the county level at 2%.