More people live in California than any other state in the nation.

• With 39.5 million people (according to July 2025 estimates), California is the nation’s most populous state—its population is much larger than that of second-place Texas (31.3 million) and third place Florida (23.4 million).
• The California Department of Finance currently projects that the state’s population will reach 39.7 million in 2030, and 40.5 million by 2040.

California’s population growth has slowed dramatically in the 21st century.

• Since 2000, California has experienced its slowest rates of growth ever recorded.
• From 2010 to 2020, California’s population grew by 5.8% (or 2.4 million), according to decennial census counts. This was slower than the rate of growth in the rest of the nation (6.8%) and led to the loss of a seat in the US House of Representatives for the first time in California’s history.
• Recent rates have been dramatically lower than the growth throughout the 20th century. From 1900 to 1950, California’s population rose from under 2 million to 10 million. It more than tripled in the last half of the century, reaching 34 million by 2000, and its growth rate was much higher than that of the rest of the United States.

California’s population has started to grow after pandemic losses.

• California lost 322,000 people between July 2020 and July 2022. Most of this loss occurred during the first year of the pandemic and was driven by a sharp rise in residents moving to other states. But fewer births, higher deaths, and lower international migration also played a role. Between July 2022 and 2025 the state population grew by 309,000 people (0.8%).
• The number of residents moving to other states reached its highest level ever during the pandemic, and international migration fell to its lowest level in decades (according to Department of Finance estimates). However, in the last three years net international migration has increased from near zero between April 2020 and July 2021 to 718,000 between July 2022 and July 2025. Losses to other states remain large, with total net losses of almost 1.3 million between April 2020 and July 2025.
• Birth rates hit a new record low in fiscal year 2025, with the number of births falling 30% since 2008. The number of deaths has declined substantially after the height of the pandemic, with 16% fewer deaths in 2025 than in 2021. Birth and death trends are similar in the rest of the nation.
• Twenty-one of the state’s 58 counties have experienced population increases since the 2020 census. The largest increase was in Riverside County (65,000) and the largest loss was in Los Angeles County (-146,000). The highest rates of growth were in Placer, Madera, and Yuba Counties (5% each) while the largest decline was in Lassen County (-15%).

California’s population is one of the most diverse in the nation.

• No race or ethnic group constitutes a majority of the state population: 41% of Californians are Latino, 34% are white, 17% are Asian American or Pacific Islander, 5% are Black, 3% are multiracial, and less than 1% are Native American or Alaska Natives, according to US Census Bureau estimates. Only six other states (Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Maryland, and Georgia) have no majority group.
• More than half of young Californians (51.5% of those 24 and under) are Latino. Conversely, more than half of those 65 and older are white (52.0%).

Over 10 million Californians are immigrants.

• According to the 2024 American Community Survey, 28% of Californians are foreign born—more than twice the share in the rest of the nation (13%). Several other states have relatively high shares: New Jersey (25%), New York (23%), and Florida (23%).
• More than half (54%) of foreign-born Californians are naturalized US citizens, compared to 39% in 2000. Most other immigrants are legally authorized residents. About one in five are undocumented immigrants, according to 2023 Pew Research Center estimates.

California is aging, but its population is young compared to the rest of the country.

• In 2024, 16.5% of the state’s population was 65 or older. The California Department of Finance projects that about one in four (24.9%) Californians will be 65 or older by 2050.
• California’s population is the twelfth-youngest in the nation (Utah has the youngest population). The median age in California is 38.4, compared to 39.2 nationwide, according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

Slow population growth has political consequences.

• California’s lost congressional seat was unprecedented, but estimates from late 2024 suggest that if congressional districts had been allocated more recently, the state might have lost two seats. If recent trends continue, California could lose as many as 4 of its 52 seats in the 2030 congressional apportionment.
• Sluggish or negative population growth in some parts of the state—including Los Angeles County and most rural areas—has led to reduced representation compared to faster-growing areas such as the Inland Empire and the Sacramento metropolitan area.
• While most migration out of California is driven by personal and financial factors, far more Republicans than Democrats have left the state in recent years and the PPIC Statewide Survey finds that people who lean conservative are more likely to express a desire to leave the state. Even a modest partisan imbalance in out-migration could gradually shift California’s population leftward.