California has once again bucked the narrative of its dwindling appeal by posting population growth figures for the second consecutive year. According to data from the California Department of Finance, detailed by Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, the state saw 108,000 new residents in 2024. This brings its total population to 39,529,000 as of the start of 2025. Newsom emphasized the state's allure, claiming that "People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected."
An interesting facet of this growth is seen in the varieties of its sources, which include heightened K-8 enrollments and a noteworthy increase in the 65-and-older demographic, up by over 25,000 from the previous year. A key factor in the uptick was also the natural increase, a net result of births over deaths, contributing 114,805 to the population growth. Moreover, the figures show a significant upward revision from initial estimates, demonstrating the challenge of accurate population tracking in a state with California's scale and complexity.
The state's varied regions have felt the growth differently. The majority of the increases were concentrated in the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and coastal counties. While Los Angeles County saw the most growth with 28,000 new residents, only one of the ten counties with over a million residents, Contra Costa, experienced a small population dip. The latest data did not include the impact of the Los Angeles County wildfires late in the month.
The U.S. Census Bureau corroborated California's growth trend with its revisions, showing a statewide population bump of over 225,000 for the 2023-24 period after a previous report initially indicated declines. The myth of California's inevitable population decline, as it turns out, may be more fiction than fact, with only a brief period of shrinkage during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and several other states experiencing larger percentage decreases.
California's recent demographic success dovetails with other indicators of its vitality. The state was declared the fourth largest economy in the world by the International Monetary Fund and continues to be a hotspot for tourism, Fortune 500 headquarters, new business starts, and venture capital investment.
