How many people are on Medicaid in California?
Updated annually
On average 14.8 million or 37.5% of California's population during 2024. With about 3 in 8 people enrolled in the program, Medicaid is one of the largest health insurers in California.
14.8M
enrolled in Medicaid (FY 2024)
37.5%
of the California population enrolled in Medicaid (FY 2024)
As of 2024, California had a higher Medicaid enrollment rate than the US overall. Enrollment in the state peaked in 2023 at 38.7%.
In 2024, 37.5% of California residents were covered by Medicaid.
Average monthly Medicaid enrollment as a share of the population
In 2024, 14.8 million people in California were covered by Medicaid, down 2.6% from its FY 2023 peak.
In addition to economic conditions, Medicaid enrollment has been affected by changes in policy. For example, during the pandemic, the federal government provided states with additional Medicaid funding on the condition that they not disenroll anyone from Medicaid. This was in effect between 2020 and 2023.
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Medicaid enrollment peaked in FY 2023.
Average monthly Medicaid enrollment
Eligibility in Medicaid is determined by a combination of federal guidelines and state-level rules, primarily based on income, household size, disability status, age, and other factors such as pregnancy or caretaking responsibilities.
As a part of the Affordable Care Act, states have had the option to extend eligibility to a larger subset of adults than previously possible. California expanded Medicaid in January 2014.
In California, enrollees are categorized into 5 different categories:
Children Pregnant women and parents or caretakers Adults without dependent children People with disabilities (including both adults and children) Seniors (age 65 and over)
In FY 2022, the latest data available, other adults, primarily without dependent children were the largest category in California, accounting for 36% of all enrollees. For comparison, other adults, primarily without dependent children accounted for 26.2% of all enrollees nationwide.
In FY 2022, other adults, primarily without dependent children were the largest category of Medicaid enrollees in California.
Average monthly Medicaid enrollment, by eligibility group
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
