About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the California population over the last 20 plus years. It lists the population for each year, along with the year on year change in population, as well as the change in percentage terms for each year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population change of California across the last two decades. For example, using this dataset, we can identify if the population is declining or increasing. If there is a change, when the population peaked, or if it is still growing and has not reached its peak. We can also compare the trend with the overall trend of United States population over the same period of time.

Key observations

In 2024, the population of California was 39.43 million, a 0.59% increase year-by-year from 2023. Previously, in 2023, California population was 39.2 million, an increase of 0.14% compared to a population of 39.14 million in 2022. Over the last 20 plus years, between 2000 and 2024, population of California increased by 5.44 million. In this period, the peak population was 39.52 million in the year 2020. The numbers suggest that the population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Data Coverage:

• From 2000 to 2024

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column displays the data year (Measured annually and for years 2000 to 2024)
• Population: The population for the specific year for the California is shown in this column.
• Year on Year Change: This column displays the change in California population for each year compared to the previous year.
• Change in Percent: This column displays the year on year change as a percentage. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for California Population by Year. You can refer the same here

Age-Race-Sex population estimates for all California Local Health Jurisdictions and counties. Based on combining California Department of Finance projections with Census estimates to generate County and LHJ City (Berkeley, Long Beach, and Pasadena) data. Provides population data for calculation of rates, and to describe the demographic distribution of the population, for CDPH, other CalHHS departments, Local Health Jurisdictions, and other users

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.

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 Population Estimate, Total (5-year estimate) in San Diego County, CA (B03002001E006073) from 2009 to 2023 about San Diego County, CA; San Diego; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; 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.

According to a population projection based on 2020 Census Data, in 2040, California's population will amount to ***** million inhabitants.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total (5-year estimate) in Los Angeles County, CA (B03002001E006037) from 2009 to 2023 about Los Angeles County, CA; Los Angeles; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; population; and USA.

This dataset tracks the updates made on the dataset "California Population Estimates by Age/Race_Ethnicity/Sex at local health jurisdiction level" as a repository for previous versions of the data and metadata.

This dataset consists of modeled projections of land use and land cover and population for the State of California for the period 1970-2101. For the 1970-2001 period, we used the USGS's LUCAS model to "backcast" LULC, beginning with the 2001 initial conditions and ending with 1970. For future projections, the model was initialized in 2001 and run forward on an annual time step to 2100. In total 5 simulations were run with 10 Monte Carlo replications of each simulation. The simulations include: 1) Historical backcast from 2001-1970, 2) Business-as-usual (BAU) projection from 2001-2101, and 3) three modified BAU projections based on California Department of Finance population projections based on high, medium, and low growth rates.

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in California (CAPOP) from 1900 to 2024 about 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

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the California population over the last 20 plus years. It lists the population for each year, along with the year on year change in population, as well as the change in percentage terms for each year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population change of California across the last two decades. For example, using this dataset, we can identify if the population is declining or increasing. If there is a change, when the population peaked, or if it is still growing and has not reached its peak. We can also compare the trend with the overall trend of United States population over the same period of time.

Key observations

In 2022, the population of California was 39,029,342, a 0.29% decrease year-by-year from 2021. Previously, in 2021, California population was 39,142,991, a decline of 0.91% compared to a population of 39,501,653 in 2020. Over the last 20 plus years, between 2000 and 2022, population of California increased by 5,034,959. In this period, the peak population was 39,501,653 in the year 2020. The numbers suggest that the population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Data Coverage:

• From 2000 to 2022

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column displays the data year (Measured annually and for years 2000 to 2022)
• Population: The population for the specific year for the California is shown in this column.
• Year on Year Change: This column displays the change in California population for each year compared to the previous year.
• Change in Percent: This column displays the year on year change as a percentage. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for California Population by Year. You can refer the same here

Data Source: CA Department of Finance

Data: Population estimates for January 1, 2011, through January 1, 2020. The population estimates benchmark for April 1, 2010 is also provided.

Citation: State of California, Department of Finance, E-4 Population Estimates for Cities, Counties, and the State, 2011-2020, with 2010 Census Benchmark. Sacramento, California, May 2022.

For detailed information on methodology and other data considerations, visit: https://dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Estimates/e-4-population-estimates-for-cities-counties-and-the-state-2011-2020-with-2010-census-benchmark-new/

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.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total (5-year estimate) in Orange County, CA (B03002001E006059) from 2009 to 2023 about Orange County, CA; Los Angeles; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; population; and USA.

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

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total, Not Hispanic or Latino (5-year estimate) in Napa County, CA (B03002002E006055) from 2009 to 2023 about Napa County, CA; Napa; non-hispanic; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total (5-year estimate) in San Joaquin County, CA (B03002001E006077) from 2009 to 2023 about San Joaquin County, CA; Stockton; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; population; and USA.

This dataset consists of modeled projections of land use and land cover for the State of California for the period 2001-2101. The Land Use and Carbon Scenario Simulator (LUCAS) model was initialized in 2001 and run forward on an annual time step to 2100. In total 9 simulations were run with 10 Monte Carlo replications of each simulation. Two base scenarios were selected from Sleeter et al., 2017 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017EF000560/full) for analysis, including a "business-as-usual" (BAU) land use scenario and a scenario based on "medium" population projections. For each base scenario we ran three alternative conservation scenarios where we simulated conversion of lands into conservation easements. The three conservation easement scenarios simulated conversion of 1) 120 km2/yr for 15 years, 2) 120 km2/yr for 30 years, and 3) 240 km2/yr for 30 years. All easement conversions were set to begin in 2020 and extend for their stated duration. In addition to the conservation easement scenarios, we also ran a variant of the BAU land use scenario where current Williamson Act lands were removed from the simulation of future conditions.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total (5-year estimate) in San Bernardino County, CA (B03002001E006071) from 2009 to 2023 about San Bernardino County, CA; Riverside; estimate; CA; 5-year; persons; population; and USA.