Is population growing or shrinking?

Updated annually
It declined by 9,500 between 2024 and 2025, one of 5 states to lose population. Changes in population reflect birth and death rates, immigration patterns, regional shifts, and even the overall health of the economy. California’s 0.02% annual decrease was primarily driven by people moving to other states. In the decade between 2015 and 2025, California’s population grew by 1%.

-9.47K

population change (2024 to 2025)

-0.02%

percent change in population (2024 to 2025)
Since 2000, California's population increased in 21 of 25 years. The largest increase occurred between 2000 and 2001, when it gained 491,500 residents. The state's largest decline during the 21st century occurred between 2020 and 2021 when it lost 374,900 residents.

California lost 9,500 residents between 2024 and 2025.

Annual population change

A state’s population is influenced by three factors:
  • Natural population change: If births outnumber deaths in a given year, natural population growth is positive. If deaths exceed births, it is negative. Between 2024 to 2025 natural population change was positive in California, with births exceeding deaths by 109,700.
  • Immigration: international migration directly into or out of a state. If more people move in than move out, population change from immigration is positive. If more people move out than move in, it’s negative. California’s population change from immigration was positive, with about 109,300 more people coming from another country to California than leaving.
  • Domestic migration, moving between states: California’s population change from domestic migration was negative, with about 229,100 more people leaving for another state than moving in.

Between 2024 and 2025, domestic migration was the primary driver of population decline in California.

Components of population change

Among 58 county equivalents, Santa Clara County had the largest population growth in California, welcoming 29,188 new residents. Humboldt County lost the most, with a loss of 1,629 residents. County-level population data is available as of 2024.
Placer County led California in percent population increase between 2023 and 2024 at 2.2%. Alpine County ranked last with a 2.4% decline.

Between 2023 and 2024, Placer County gained 2.2% in population, the largest increase in California.

Population change

Between 2015 and 2025, California’s population has increased by 1%. During that same period, the US population grew by 6.2%. California ranks 42nd among states in population growth over that decade.

California ranked 42nd in population growth between 2015 and 2025.

Percent change in population

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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.