Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the state of California from 1900 to 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in California (CAPOP) from 1900 to 2024 about residents, CA, population, and USA.

In 2023, the resident population of California was ***** million. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, with ***** million people in 2022. This makes it the most populous state in the U.S. Californian demographics Along with an increase in population, California’s gross domestic product (GDP) has also been increasing, from *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2000 to **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. In the same time period, the per-capita personal income has almost doubled, from ****** U.S. dollars in 2000 to ****** U.S. dollars in 2022. In 2023, the majority of California’s resident population was Hispanic or Latino, although the number of white residents followed as a close second, with Asian residents making up the third-largest demographic in the state. The dark side of the Golden State While California is one of the most well-known states in the U.S., is home to Silicon Valley, and one of the states where personal income has been increasing over the past 20 years, not everyone in California is so lucky: In 2023, the poverty rate in California was about ** percent, and the state had the fifth-highest rate of homelessness in the country during that same year, with an estimated ** homeless people per 10,000 of the population.

This dataset provides population estimate trends from 1998 to the current year for each of California’s 58 counties, further disaggregated by Detailed Analysis Units (DAUs) - the smallest geographic units historically used by the California Department of Water Resources for water planning as part of the California Water Plan. DAUs are subdivisions of Planning Areas and often align with county boundaries, although a single DAU may span multiple counties. They have traditionally supported water demand estimates based on crop and land use types.

The population estimates were developed using U.S. Bureau Census 2000, 2010 and 2020 data. Throughout the estimation process, intermediate results were reviewed and adjusted as needed, with professional judgment applied to smooth trends where appropriate.

Since the California Water Plan is retiring DAUs as its planning and analysis framework, future updates to this dataset will transition away from DAU based geography. Instead, population estimates will be provided based on other geographic units, such as the 8-digit Hydrologic Units (HUC8) defined by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Watershed Boundary Dataset.

A dashboard is available for visualizing historical population trends by county and DAU.

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in Los Angeles County, CA (CALOSA7POP) from 1970 to 2024 about Los Angeles County, CA; Los Angeles; residents; CA; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in Orange County, CA (CAORAN7POP) from 1970 to 2024 about Orange County, CA; Los Angeles; residents; CA; population; and USA.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Population (LU1)

FULL MEASURE NAME Population estimates

LAST UPDATED October 2019

DESCRIPTION Population is a measurement of the number of residents that live in a given geographical area, be it a neighborhood, city, county or region.

DATA SOURCES U.S Census Bureau: Decennial Census No link available (1960-1990) http://factfinder.census.gov (2000-2010)

California Department of Finance: Population and Housing Estimates Table E-6: County Population Estimates (1961-1969) Table E-4: Population Estimates for Counties and State (1971-1989) Table E-8: Historical Population and Housing Estimates (2001-2018) Table E-5: Population and Housing Estimates (2011-2019) http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Estimates/

U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census - via Longitudinal Tract Database Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, Brown University Population Estimates (1970 - 2010) http://www.s4.brown.edu/us2010/index.htm

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 5-Year Population Estimates (2011-2017) http://factfinder.census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau: Intercensal Estimates Estimates of the Intercensal Population of Counties (1970-1979) Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population (1980-1989) Population Estimates (1990-1999) Annual Estimates of the Population (2000-2009) Annual Estimates of the Population (2010-2017) No link available (1970-1989) http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/1990s/tables/MA-99-03b.txt http://www.census.gov/popest/data/historical/2000s/vintage_2009/metro.html https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html

CONTACT INFORMATION vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) All legal boundaries and names for Census geography (metropolitan statistical area, county, city, and tract) are as of January 1, 2010, released beginning November 30, 2010, by the U.S. Census Bureau. A Priority Development Area (PDA) is a locally-designated area with frequent transit service, where a jurisdiction has decided to concentrate most of its housing and jobs growth for development in the foreseeable future. PDA boundaries are current as of August 2019. For more information on PDA designation see http://gis.abag.ca.gov/website/PDAShowcase/.

Population estimates for Bay Area counties and cities are from the California Department of Finance, which are as of January 1st of each year. Population estimates for non-Bay Area regions are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Decennial Census years reflect population as of April 1st of each year whereas population estimates for intercensal estimates are as of July 1st of each year. Population estimates for Bay Area tracts are from the decennial Census (1970 -2010) and the American Community Survey (2008-2012 5-year rolling average; 2010-2014 5-year rolling average; 2013-2017 5-year rolling average). Estimates of population density for tracts use gross acres as the denominator.

Population estimates for Bay Area PDAs are from the decennial Census (1970 - 2010) and the American Community Survey (2006-2010 5 year rolling average; 2010-2014 5-year rolling average; 2013-2017 5-year rolling average). Population estimates for PDAs are derived from Census population counts at the tract level for 1970-1990 and at the block group level for 2000-2017. Population from either tracts or block groups are allocated to a PDA using an area ratio. For example, if a quarter of a Census block group lies with in a PDA, a quarter of its population will be allocated to that PDA. Tract-to-PDA and block group-to-PDA area ratios are calculated using gross acres. Estimates of population density for PDAs use gross acres as the denominator.

Annual population estimates for metropolitan areas outside the Bay Area are from the Census and are benchmarked to each decennial Census. The annual estimates in the 1990s were not updated to match the 2000 benchmark.

The following is a list of cities and towns by geographical area: Big Three: San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland Bayside: Alameda, Albany, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Berkeley, Brisbane, Burlingame, Campbell, Colma, Corte Madera, Cupertino, Daly City, East Palo Alto, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Fairfax, Foster City, Fremont, Hayward, Hercules, Hillsborough, Larkspur, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Newark, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Piedmont, Pinole, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Richmond, Ross, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sausalito, South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, Union City, Vallejo, Woodside Inland, Delta and Coastal: American Canyon, Antioch, Benicia, Brentwood, Calistoga, Clayton, Cloverdale, Concord, Cotati, Danville, Dixon, Dublin, Fairfield, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Healdsburg, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Morgan Hill, Napa, Novato, Oakley, Orinda, Petaluma, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Rio Vista, Rohnert Park, San Ramon, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, St. Helena, Suisun City, Vacaville, Walnut Creek, Windsor, Yountville Unincorporated: all unincorporated towns

Resident Population in California was 39431.26300 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Resident Population in California reached a record high of 39521.95800 in January of 2020 and a record low of 1490.00000 in January of 1900. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Resident Population in California - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

The recency of large-scale land conversion in California’s San Joaquin Desert raises the probability that the region’s numerous endemic species still retain genetic signatures of historical population connectivity. If so, genomic data can serve as a guidance tool for conserving lands that once supported habitat for gene movement. We studied the genetic structuring of the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard Gambelia sila, a San Joaquin Desert endemic, to (1) test whether patterns of population admixture could be used to delimit former habitat corridors in the pre-converted landscape, (2) evaluate whether restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) from a subset of samples can resolve structure at the same spatial scale as mtDNA and microsatellite data collected on the full sample, and (3) inform recovery efforts lacking direction from genetics. Cluster and tree-based analyses reveal a recent shared history between many populations that are now isolated, and that contemporary structure is linked to geophysical features that influence precipitation patterns and locations of former suitable habitat. Past hybridization with the sister species Gambelia wislizenii in southern San Joaquin Desert has generated a stable, but now-isolated population with different species identities for the mtDNA and nuclear genomes. The three marker types converged on similar themes, despite substantially fewer samples in the RADseq datasets; however, RADseq inferences were sensitive to dataset assembly filters that account for sequencing error, particularly cluster assignments. We suggest ways in which these data can be used to improve recovery efforts for G. sila and offer guidelines for RADseq dataset assembly in studies of intraspecific population structure.

This table contains 39 series, with data for years 1871 - 1971 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2012-02-16. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (1 items: Canada ...) Origins (39 items: Total origins; British origins; English; Irish ...).

Splitgraph serves as an HTTP API that lets you run SQL queries directly on this data to power Web applications. For example:

See the Splitgraph documentation for more information.

Resident Population in Los Angeles County, CA was 9757.17900 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Resident Population in Los Angeles County, CA reached a record high of 10094.86500 in January of 2016 and a record low of 7040.40000 in January of 1973. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Resident Population in Los Angeles County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

Data Source: CA Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit

Report P-3: Population Projections, California, 2010-2060 (Baseline 2019 Population Projections; Vintage 2020 Release). Sacramento: California. July 2021.

This data biography shares the how, who, what, where, when, and why about this dataset. We, the epidemiology team at Napa County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division, created it to help you understand where the data we analyze and share comes from. If you have any further questions, we can be reached at epidemiology@countyofnapa.org.

Data dashboard featuring this data: Napa County Demographics https://data.countyofnapa.org/stories/s/bu3n-fytj

How was the data collected? Population projections use the following demographic balancing equation: Current Population = Previous Population + (Births - Deaths) +Net Migration

Previous Population: the starting point for the population projection estimates is the 2020 US Census, informed by the Population Estimates Program data.

Births and Deaths: birth and death totals came from the California Department of Public Health, Vital Statistics Branch, which maintains birth and death records for California.

Net Migration: multiple sources of administrative records were used to estimate net migration, including driver’s license address changes, IRS tax return data, Medicare and Medi-Cal enrollment, federal immigration reports, elementary school enrollments, and group quarters population.

Who was included and excluded from the data? Previous Population: The goal of the US Census is to reflect all populations residing in a given geographic area. Results of two analyses done by the US Census Bureau showed that the 2020 Census total population counts were consistent with recent counts despite the challenges added by the pandemic. However, some populations were undercounted (the Black or African American population, the American Indian or Alaska Native population living on a reservation, the Hispanic or Latino population, and people who reported being of Some Other Race), and some were overcounted (the Non-Hispanic White population and the Asian population). Children, especially children younger than 4, were also undercounted.

Births and Deaths: Birth records include all people who are born in California as well as births to California residents that happened out of state. Death records include people who died while in California, as well as deaths of California residents that occurred out of state. Because birth and death record data comes from a registration process, the demographic information provided may not be accurate or complete.

Net Migration: each of the multiple sources of administrative records that were used to estimate net migration include and exclude different groups. For details about methodology, see https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2023/07/Projections_Methodology.pdf.

Where was the data collected?  Data is collected throughout California. This subset of data includes Napa County.

When was the data collected? This subset of Napa County data is from Report P-3: Population Projections, California, 2010-2060 (Baseline 2019 Population Projections; Vintage 2020 Release). Sacramento: California. July 2021.

These 2019 baseline projections incorporate the latest historical population, birth, death, and migration data available as of July 1, 2020. Historical trends from 1990 through 2020 for births, deaths, and migration are examined. County populations by age, sex, and race/ethnicity are projected to 2060.

Why was the data collected?  The population projections were prepared under the mandate of the California Government Code (Cal. Gov't Code § 13073, 13073.5).

Where can I learn more about this data? https://dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Projections/ https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/Forecasting/Demographics/Documents/P3_Dictionary.txt https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2023/07/Projections_Methodology.pdf

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in San Diego County, CA (CASAND5POP) from 1970 to 2024 about San Diego County, CA; San Diego; residents; CA; population; and USA.

This table contains 5 series, with data for years 1871 - 1971 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (1 items: Canada ...) Population (5 items: Total population; Population in incorporated centres of 30,000 to 99,999 persons; Population in incorporated centres of 5,000 to 29,999 persons; Population in incorporated centres of 100,000 persons and over ...).

This table contains 2 series, with data for years 1852 - 1977 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (1 items: Canada ...) Estimates (2 items: Estimated population; Immigrant arrivals ...).

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Population (LU1)

FULL MEASURE NAME
Population estimates

LAST UPDATED
February 2023

DESCRIPTION
Population is a measurement of the number of residents that live in a given geographical area, be it a neighborhood, city, county or region.

DATA SOURCE
California Department of Finance: Population and Housing Estimates - http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Estimates/
Table E-6: County Population Estimates (1960-1970)
Table E-4: Population Estimates for Counties and State (1970-2021)
Table E-8: Historical Population and Housing Estimates (1990-2010)
Table E-5: Population and Housing Estimates (2010-2021)

Bay Area Jurisdiction Centroids (2020) - https://data.bayareametro.gov/Boundaries/Bay-Area-Jurisdiction-Centroids-2020-/56ar-t6bs
Computed using 2020 US Census TIGER boundaries

U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census Population Estimates - http://www.s4.brown.edu/us2010/index.htm- via Longitudinal Tract Database Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, Brown University
1970-2020

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey (5-year rolling average; tract) - https://data.census.gov/
2011-2021
Form B01003

Priority Development Areas (Plan Bay Area 2050) - https://opendata.mtc.ca.gov/datasets/MTC::priority-development-areas-plan-bay-area-2050/about

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
All historical data reported for Census geographies (metropolitan areas, county, city and tract) use current legal boundaries and names. A Priority Development Area (PDA) is a locally-designated area with frequent transit service, where a jurisdiction has decided to concentrate most of its housing and jobs growth for development in the foreseeable future. PDA boundaries are current as of December 2022.

Population estimates for Bay Area counties and cities are from the California Department of Finance, which are as of January 1st of each year. Population estimates for non-Bay Area regions are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Decennial Census years reflect population as of April 1st of each year whereas population estimates for intercensal estimates are as of July 1st of each year. Population estimates for Bay Area tracts are from the decennial Census (1970-2020) and the American Community Survey (2011-2021 5-year rolling average). Estimates of population density for tracts use gross acres as the denominator.

Population estimates for Bay Area tracts and PDAs are from the decennial Census (1970-2020) and the American Community Survey (2011-2021 5-year rolling average). Population estimates for PDAs are allocated from tract-level Census population counts using an area ratio. For example, if a quarter of a Census tract lies with in a PDA, a quarter of its population will be allocated to that PDA. Estimates of population density for PDAs use gross acres as the denominator. Note that the population densities between PDAs reported in previous iterations of Vital Signs are mostly not comparable due to minor differences and an updated set of PDAs (previous iterations reported Plan Bay Area 2040 PDAs, whereas current iterations report Plan Bay Area 2050 PDAs).

The following is a list of cities and towns by geographical area:

Big Three: San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland

Bayside: Alameda, Albany, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Berkeley, Brisbane, Burlingame, Campbell, Colma, Corte Madera, Cupertino, Daly City, East Palo Alto, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Fairfax, Foster City, Fremont, Hayward, Hercules, Hillsborough, Larkspur, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Newark, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Piedmont, Pinole, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Richmond, Ross, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sausalito, South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, Union City, Vallejo, Woodside

Inland, Delta and Coastal: American Canyon, Antioch, Benicia, Brentwood, Calistoga, Clayton, Cloverdale, Concord, Cotati, Danville, Dixon, Dublin, Fairfield, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Healdsburg, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Morgan Hill, Napa, Novato, Oakley, Orinda, Petaluma, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Rio Vista, Rohnert Park, San Ramon, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, St. Helena, Suisun City, Vacaville, Walnut Creek, Windsor, Yountville

Unincorporated: all unincorporated towns

United States Population: California data was reported at 39,536,653.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 39,296,476.000 Person for 2016. United States Population: California data is updated yearly, averaging 36,771,017.500 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39,536,653.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 33,994,571.000 Person in 2000. United States Population: California data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G003: Population by State.

This table contains 26 series, with data for years 1851 - 1971 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (13 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island ...) Estimates (2 items: Population; Population density per square mile ...).

This data set provides the annual population of counties and states calculated from decennial U.S. censuses conducted from 1890-1950 and the Census Bureau’s annual projections of state population growth. The primary sources are “Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990,” published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1966); “Census U.S. Decennial County Population Data, 1900-1990” published by the NBER (2007); “Historical Statistics of Hawaii,” published by University Press of Hawaii (1977); and “Annual Estimates of the Population for the U.S. and States,” published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census from 1890 to 1950. The digitized, transparent, and consistent nature of this data and provides numerous benefits, including ease of access and greater potential for analysis.