For the first time in its recorded history, California lost population, according to state officials. The news comes a week after the U.S. Census Bureau said the Golden State would lose a Congressional seat in the House of Representatives for the first time in history because it grew more slowly than other states.
While still the nation’s most populous state and far ahead of Texas, Florida and New York, California’s population dropped by 182,000 from 2019 to 39.5 million in 2020, according to the state Department of Finance. It is the first yearly loss for the Golden State ever recorded, stalling a growth streak that dates to California’s joining the Union in 1850.
The state’s population has surged and slowed in the decades since it became a state, with notable increases in the 1950s and ’60s, and also during the technology boom of the 1980s and ’90s that put Silicon Valley on the map.
The state has gradually lost people to other states for years, according to an analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California.
In 2020, the state’s four most populated cities — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco — dropped in population, losing a combined 88,000 residents.
In the Bay Area, between 2019 and 2020, San Francisco’s population dropped 1.7 percent, from 889,783 to 875,010. Oakland’s population grew 0.7 percent to 435,514. San Jose, the region’s largest city, dropped to 1,009,340 in 2020. Fremont, the Bay Area’s fourth largest city, grew by 12,000 people to reach 247,800.
The U.S. Census Bureau will release official 2020 population figures on May 27.
California became the nation’s most populous state in 1963, when its then-population of 17 million overtook New York that year.
63 comments
Is this legal or illegal population?
So what…. just raise taxes!
Given high cost of living, oppressive taxation and increased can see why not only people but businesses are fleeing the state. Almost without fail when a state legislature passed law (experiment), or knee jerk fix for a problem they created fails, they have zero problem taking another not well thought out knee jerk fix, throwing more of our tax dollars at the problem.
AB-109 passed in 2011 was supposed to “fix” state Prison overcrowding. What it did was cause overcrowding in county jails in all of CA’s 58 counties. Their fix was,
Prop 47 “Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative” and they pulled their usual “it’s for our children” sweetener krap by including “creating the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund”.
Politicians running this state didn’t have the stones to be honest and tell voters, Hey we screwed up. They had to come up a way so criminals would not be charged with Felonies. Prop 47 requires misdemeanor sentencing instead of felony for Shoplifting, Grand Theft, Forgery, Fraud, Writing bad checks where the value of property stolen or crime does not exceed $950 AND they included personal use of most illegal drugs. So chemically dependent individuals can break into vehicles or rip off stores and there’s almost no down side for them.
Typical CA neighborhood, ‘Venice’s world-famous beach and boardwalk have been ‘crippled’ by HUGE increase in robberies and a homeless camp has resulted in spikes in shootings, arson and even DOG attacks, say locals’ …
“According to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department provided to the Venice Neighborhood Council, the violent robberies in the neighborhood are up 177% from last year.
The same period has also seen a 162% increase in cases of assault with a deadly weapon involving a homeless person.”
daily mail https://tinyurl.com/2aks4txt
Is it any wonder companies sprang up advertising they will streamline selling your CA home and find you another home in another state . . . Idaho, Montana, Texas just to name a few.
We know 6 people who left the state in the last year, and 2 more leaving by the end of this year. They are fed up with the crime the homeless and the liberals ruining a once beautiful state with their policies.
I’m staying put for now and fighting, because if more of the good people leave the state could be left in nothing but a cesspool. Some of us good people need to stay and fight.
I understand the “stay & fight” mentality, but it’s a numbers game you have ZERO chance of winning or even making a dent. California is DONE. Even if Newsom gets recalled and a Republican gets elected…so what? Is that magically going fix the trillion $ unfunded pension time bomb in this state, or stave off the hostile lunacy of CRT being ramrodded into our schools, or suddenly bring common sense to our forest management? You’ve still got a bats*** crazy leftist Legislature, local politics, school boards, etc up and down this state dominated by leftists, on the federal level the 2 senators and like 99.3% of House Reps are Dem kooks.
Schwarzenegger had a spine for about 5 minutes and went up against the corrupt unions, but they b***h-slapped him with help from the Dem PR Dept (aka “the media), and that was it, he became a pile of mush never to be heard from again except to parrot idiotic “climate change” platitudes. I’m in my 50’s, the CA of my youth is gone and ain’t coming back. That’s why we’re out in a couple years, I’d rather have a better quality of life, more $ in my pocket, AND bolster conservative voices/ideals in a red or even purple area than beat my head against the wall here. If you want to stay for the weather or family, that’s perfectly fine, but you’re laboring under an illusion if you think this is a fight you’ll even land a punch, let alone win.
Things are pretty bad politically/culturally when people are leaving the state that is so beautiful and the weather is so good.
I am a native Californian and would leave in a minute if it were not for my family.
I would leave too if it weren’t for my family. Might have to reconsider if they don’t do something about the fires sooner rather than later. Taxes are absolutely killing me and I barely make enough to live on as it is.
And property taxes are about to go up again!
Californians moving to another state in search of better living conditions. Unfortunately, they will bring with them their liberal ideals, vote Democrat and ruin it. An excellent example is Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Then they scratch their heads and wonder why.
The Oregon Employment Dept. estimates that 40,000 Californians move to Oregon every year, and 20,000 Oregonians leave the state. Oregon now has only 42% of native born Oregonians, everybody else migrated.
I can’t help but wonder if this has anything to do with Oregon becoming so liberal.
It’s not the Liberals that are leaving. It’s the Conservatives that are tired of how the Liberaks are destroying California.
Don’t kid yourself Sharon, there are plenty of liberals that are fed up with California too. It’s just that they are in denial and do not acknowledge it’s their own party that is responsible for California’s downfall.
We are leaving and are not liberals. Been here my whole life of 52 years and want a better quality of living. Moving to the Midwest where a lot of Ca folks probably aren’t moving too. Cost of living and the schools are way better for our soon to be 4th grader. Sad to say but those of you hanging on to the Ca dream will be disappointed with results. Liberal progressives have ruined this state and it will take decades to fix
I agree with the others … it’s the conservatives that are leaving the state. I just moved out of state 8 months ago after living 60 years in CA. And around that same time three other families I know moved out of state as well … all conservatives. The state is beautiful and the weather is awesome. But the politics stink, housing is out of this world, the roads are SO crowded with cars constantly. The worse part about CA to me? Is the fact that second and third generation Californians can’t afford to buy a home (or even rent one for that matter) in the area where all their families live.
Well DUH conservatives are leaving in droves, but you’re crazy if you don’t think liberals/leftists are ALSO leaving and bringing their lunatic politics with them. Leftists are insane but they aren’t stupid 100% of the time, in those rare moments of clarity even they realize “damn, it’s REALLY expensive to live here in CA”… but of course it ends there as they don’t have the intelligence and/or intellectual honesty to admit it’s the policies/politics THEY have supported that created this hellscape. So they move to someplace cheaper but still have the same warped, degenerate worldview and are eager to force it upon the people of their new state.
Just what the hell do you think happened to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and now even has Texas headed down that ruinous path? I’ll tell you what happened: CALIFORNIANS with their sh***y ideas happened. And while Idaho overall is solid red, it’s mostly Californians who turned places Couer D’Alene, Moscow, and Sun Valley into very expensive leftist enclaves. Hell we have family in ID who complain about Boise, yes BOISE taking on too much of that Cali beta-soy flavor.
If liberals aren’t leaving, how do you explain states like Arizona, Nevada, and Texas getting bluer by the day?
No need to build high density housing. At this rate we will have too many houses and our property values will take a nose dive, again.
We are still by far the most populated state in the country, and the state with the highest GDP. This isn’t particularly drastic. We saw a huge population growth in the past 10 years, and it does seem like that continued growth was unsustainable. Traffic has gotten worse, housing prices got out of hand, public services and emergency response resources are strained, and the healthcare sector couldn’t keep up. This might actually be a good thing that California’s population has stabilized, even if just temporarily.
Your state also has the highest taxes, worst schools in the country, highest population of illegal aliens, most homeless, most feces on public streets, a Marxist in Sacramento that gives more respect to criminals and illegas than he does to tax paying citizens. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Let’s be honest, the dems have completely ruined a beautiful state.
The GDP numbers will have dropped dramatically when the next report comes in. Your arrogance is seething again. The people that have left, we’re instantly replaced 10 fold by the influx of immigrants, some legal but mostly illegal. Just admit it, this is the plan. Get the thinkers out and import new democrat voters. Give away so much free stuff to criminals they have no choice but to vote for democrats. It’s so very easy to see the plans it’s not complex in any way what is going on.
Regulations, overly burdensome multiple levels of bureaucrats and red tape to start a business. Just an addendum to an environmental impact report for a building being built in our area was 274 pages.
People and businesses leaving CA is nothing new. Texas instituted lawsuit reform in 2003, medical professionals have been moving to Texas ever since.
‘6 Reasons Employers Are Moving From California To Texas’
https://tinyurl.com/ap3h4vev
Can only speculate how vastly larger CA’s GDP would be without the oppressive democrat socialist infestation.
@N
wow, what don’t you think you are expert on. LOL
get some new material
You can count us out, quite literally! The reasons to leave far outweighed the reasons to stay. This coming from a native Californian. We visited a Church in our new city only to find 2 other couples who fled California recently.
Elected officials should be asking the hard questions about this trend but are no doubt too WOKE to face the real answers.
Newsom blames the population decrease on white supremacist anti-Vaxxer Trumper Proud Boys, and of course climate change.
Newsom has done nothing, zero, to improve California in any way. This is why the pitch to stop the recall is indefensible.
He is morally bankrupt.
We can only hope he retires to Montana to raise dental floss.
Add one more to the list, my house is for sale and I’m moving out of the state.
Personally I know people who have moved from the Bay Area.
But not out of state.
And I still know a lot of people who own three or four California homes. And some are vacant.
A know three couples who live out-of-state and rent out their old homes in college towns.
My son and family sold their house and moved to Indiana last month. Much quieter and people friendly they say. Sad for me, but happy for them. All born and raised in California.
@AJM….If they’ve never been to Indiana in the winter time they may have a rude awakening come November/December.
This is the first time it’s happened? That seems strange, since I’ve heard it reported a couple of times in the past, but okay, then.
https://www.macrotrends.net/ states/california/population has the population for every year since 1900. For the year 2019 it was close to a loss as the population increased by just 147 people over 2018’s number. The year 2000 had the largest numeric increase with 842,856 new people. The year 1943 had the largest percentage increase at 9.97%. 2020 is the first ever decrease.
The potential to illegal voting is obvious.
Thank you, WC Resident. And that’s a very interesting website.
“For the year 2019 it was close to a loss as the population increased by just 147 people over 2018’s number.”
In a game of horseshoes that comment would be relevant.
I’m not leaving.
You people are stuck with me!
Liberalism has destroyed thus state. Same as the states in the Midwest. Now you have the “woke” Libs moving to conservative states.
So many people blaming “the Dems”. What about the “Reps”? The GOP hasn’t been able to put forward a message that appeals to the voters. That’s their fault, not the “Dems”. If the Republican Party of GOP has a better plan, then let’s see it. We’ve had Republican governors in the past, so it’s not impossible for one to win.
Right now the 2 leading GOP candidates are some guy running with a bear as his running mate, and Caitlyn “Plane Hanger” Jenner.
@Natalie
That sounds transphobic. This and Jojo with his racist comments, I’m shocked that of our most prolific democrat posters one is a total racist and the other is a transphobe. What is going on in the democrat party to make you all so hateful?
@N – with CA being 2/3 democrat and those 2/3 voting the straight party line? Pelosi said they’d vote for a glass of water if it had a “D” on it. It’s the idiot governor AND the idiot voters who demand free stuff.. and the idiot democrat politicians who pander to the idiot voters to remain in power.
I expect that you would just toe the D party line and have an explanation down pat. I’m not surprised you would blame everyone else.
You insult the two GOP gubernatorial candidates – and then expect to be taken seriously? I notice you don’t take giggling Harris the ho to task for FAILING to address immigration- except to blame climate change… then pedo joe puts her in charge of some space program.
You want to insult others and then try to take the high road? Stand by, chuckles…. you hypocrites are in for a rough ride.
POS
C’mon Natalie. The “guy running with the bear” is named John Cox.
I would think that such a capable researcher such as yourself could find his name. But I think you already know it. Such a blatant political tactic: to never name your competitor, just use vague references.
It’s true that the GOP has failed to make a dent at the state level, and that’s a failure.
But the Democrats run this state and there’s no significant opposition to their legislative agenda (even before the Covid-era ‘legislation by edict’) whatsoever. They own it.
The democrats embrace LGBQT, diversity and inclusion only when it fits their narrative. Once they’re of the opposite party, their hypocrisy jumps out in your face.
BTW, I didn’t see Natalie taking jojo to task for his racist comments on Feb 25. Anybody else see that?
Natalie is just another hypocrite. Then there’s popcorn, who calls everyone a “hater” if they disagree with her/him/it (don’t want to offend the poor widdle fragile snowflakes).
@Natalie
I don’t blame the political parties I blame the voters. There is nothing wrong with the GOP messaging.
The GOP message= Less regulation, lower taxes, school choice, and individual liberty.
The Democrat message= Free ice cream for everyone.
Like an elementary school student body election, free ice cream wins every time. The people that vote for free ice cream are 100% to blame for turning California into a Sh**Hole State that is losing population.
The problem is 100% the fault of liberal democrats ! They have been in charge of everything in this state for 40 years . Except for a couple of rep. governors. It doesn’t matter what plans the republicans come up with because the democrats in charge don’t listen to any body who doesn’t agree with them . It’s going to get much worse in California and there will be no hope unless we get rid of all the corrupt lying liberal politicians and most all of their failed policies . Trying to blame republicans for this mess is beyond ridiculous . but not surprising ,that is what liberals do .
The problem rests as much with voters like Natalie that believe the free stuff promised by liberal Democrats is actually free.
Natalie(just another wannabe insightful and “intellectual” keyboard gangster) , you sound like you have zero life experience and still live in your moms basement. Move out, go struggle and actually be a part of the real world . Then…come back in about 15 years so we can have this conversation again. You appear to be oblivious the big picture and I can say with most certainty that you are definitely part of the problem.
It’s called voter fraud. All these states being turned are from fraudulent votes. Give us a fair election and stand back and be amazed.
Hilarious…thousands of sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury, hundreds if not thousands of videos either showing extremely suspect actions or just outright fraud, numerous statistical “anomalies”/impossibilities, voting machines/tabulators doing “odd” things, Trump running a friggin train on Joementia late into election night before almost simultaneously counting stops in multiple precincts spanning several states, and then judges who won’t even rule on the merits, instead they pull “no standing” out of their a** because they’re corrupt and/or terrified of the leftist mob…ALL that and we’re supposed to pretend to not notice the blatant hypocrisy and fraud.
Tell ya what, you leftists can still have your stupid early voting and even mail-in….in return, no universal VBM, only absentee with signed affidavit (or ID# as in GA), and ID REQUIRED for ALL in-person voting, NO BALLOTS other than overseas military accepted after Election DAY. That happens and think you know it severely limits leftists’ ability to cheat, and you’d see results akin to what the actual results were in November, Trump 80+ million votes and Biden in the 60M-65M range. Guaranteed, absolutely no doubt about it.
… no surprise – media denies Cali would lose population just saying people are leaving the Bay Area going to other parts of Cali …. don’t thin so! in fact CCC is the only county that added people… Newsom has more bad news than just losing a seat.. the population leaving are his bread & butter with the middle / higher income folks and the influx from Central & South America are the lower wage earners.. he’s going to tax them more?? ha!
Given the crappy government rules, elected officials that are totally leftist towards the entitlement crowd, no laws enforced, criminals running free with no repercussions, immigrants flooding our state and living off of the citizens who work for a living and are law abiding and the over taxation is it any wonder???
Clean house from the top down and get California and our country back on track.
Get rid of Newsolini.
Liberalism is a virus. Destroys the host then moves on…
I dont plan to leave the state but rather will be moving into the northern Sierra fotthills post kids graduations. It truly a different world outside the greater Bay Area. I call on accounts all over the greater PACNW and northeastern CA is more like Wyoming than CA with regards to the demographic.
I’ll continue to buy ammo in Reno only it will be 4 hour round trip instead of a full day. Just gotta hang in the next 5 years.
To quote my favorite talk show host and blogger, Michael Savage:
“LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISORDER” …….. Amen!!
So-called leaders like Newscum, Shaft, and Breeder have destroyed the state and cities while emboldened the criminal element. Payback is when a tyranny defeats pretty boy.
For the first time in its recorded history, California lost population, (according) to state officials.<<<< which now have no credibility …wonder why
why does this article sound like whining
uuuhhhh for the first tiiimmmeee
the state has dropped in population
blah blah
….we need to raise taxes to cover for the loss of revenue
incurred by covid deaths and people leaving because of mismanagement of the state and its taxes and fake lockdowns
all while pelosi and the newscum partied like democrats
developing a new word ….equity ….
to further their push for taxes and programs on top of programs
to do little accept to push their narrative of racism
and yet the state and counties deemed the lowincome would get the vaccines last ….
so the most packed in bunch of people
at times 6 to a dwelling
were last on the list as the state pledged <<< lol the first time they have pledged to anything by the way …they refuse to acknowledge america and its people as free and with a constitution
until they want to take away those freedoms then they glance over it
For the first time in its recorded history, California lost population, (according) to state officials.<<<< which now have no credibility …wonder why
why does this article sound like whining
uuuhhhh for the first tiiimmmeee
the state has dropped in population
blah blah
….we need to raise taxes to cover for the loss of revenue
incurred by covid deaths and people leaving because of mismanagement of the state and its taxes and fake lockdowns
all while pelosi and the newscum partied like democrats
developing a new word ….equity ….
to further their push for taxes and programs on top of programs
to do little accept to push their narrative of racism
and yet the state and counties deemed the lowincome would get the vaccines last ….
so the most packed in bunch of people
at times 6 to a dwelling
were last on the list as the state pledged <<< lol the first time they have pledged to anything by the way …they refuse to acknowledge america and its people as free and with a constitution
until they want to take away those freedoms then they glance over it
After coming here NAS Alameda USS Enterprise serving Navy and remaining 40 years, I’m leaving at the end of the month for Arizona where 90% of my family remain and where I grew up. Come full circle. Only thing I will miss about CA is weather that doesn’t justify remaining.
My guess is more people are coming into the state that we can’t keep track of then are leaving. Brave new world.
“I don’t blame the political parties I blame the voters.”
DEMs want voters who are dependent upon government for their financial well being. Either directly working for government or receiving financial assistance.
They’re also no opposed to having an educational system that doesn’t graduate students who are objective, critical thinking and capable of rejecting their relentless propaganda, able to seek out information on their own to make their own decisions. In short they want voters who will vote based on who spends the most on advertising.
“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.”
Gee wonder why CA is losing population?
Moved out of state to large city and now enjoy litter-free streets, police who will show up for a non-injury accident, dead animal pickup within hours and smash-vehicle-window-and-grab incidents including outright in-your-face shoplifting is rare. Homeless resources keep many off the streets, although there have been a few newsworthy cases where help refused because they wanted to get to Bay Area.
So is this enough of a population drop to require the removal of a California US House of Representative since the number of representatives is based on state population?
If so, what is the procedure?!?
Yea, I would really trust a “Trump census” but whatev, if it means more CA’s voting in other states, all the better to bring them closer to a better CA life.
Or another way of looking at it is, bring other states down to California’s level.
U-Haul one-way numbers mark California as number one for abandoning State
https://bit.ly/33zOPFn
Regular Americans Who Plan to Leave: Stop and think what you’re surrendering—our beautiful Pacific Coast, our beautiful Redwood forests, our bountiful Central Valley, our gold-filled foot hills, our beautiful Sierras. And to whom would you concede these? To the irregular Americans? Do the irregular Americans deserve these? The answer is an emphatic no! Stay and fight, you regular Americans! As long as we draw breathe WE FIGHT!
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