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

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.

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

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.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the California population by year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population trend of California.

Content

The dataset constitues the following datasets

• California, MO Population Dataset: Yearly Figures, Population Change, and Percent Change Analysis

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/.

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

In 2023, about **** percent of the population of California was between the ages of 25 and 34 years old. A further ** percent of the population was between the ages of 35 and 44 years old in that same year.

In 2023, the number of Hispanic and Latino residents in California had surpassed the number of White residents, with about ***** million Hispanics compared to ***** million White residents. California’s residents California has always held a special place in the American imagination as a place where people can start a new life and increase their personal fortunes. Perhaps due partly to this, California is the most populous state in the United States, with over ** million residents, which is a significant increase from the number of residents in 1960. California is also the U.S. state with the largest population of foreign born residents. The Californian economy The Californian economy is particularly strong and continually contributes a significant amount to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. Its per-capita GDP is also high, which indicates a high standard of living for its residents. Additionally, the median household income in California has more than doubled from 1990 levels.

20 year Projected Urban Growth scenarios. Base year is 2000. Projected year in this dataset is 2020.

By 2020, most forecasters agree, California will be home to between 43 and 46 million residents-up from 35 million today. Beyond 2020 the size of California's population is less certain. Depending on the composition of the population, and future fertility and migration rates, California's 2050 population could be as little as 50 million or as much as 70 million. One hundred years from now, if present trends continue, California could conceivably have as many as 90 million residents.

Where these future residents will live and work is unclear. For most of the 20th Century, two-thirds of Californians have lived south of the Tehachapi Mountains and west of the San Jacinto Mountains-in that part of the state commonly referred to as Southern California. Yet most of coastal Southern California is already highly urbanized, and there is relatively little vacant land available for new development. More recently, slow-growth policies in Northern California and declining developable land supplies in Southern California are squeezing ever more of the state's population growth into the San Joaquin Valley.

How future Californians will occupy the landscape is also unclear. Over the last fifty years, the state's population has grown increasingly urban. Today, nearly 95 percent of Californians live in metropolitan areas, mostly at densities less than ten persons per acre. Recent growth patterns have strongly favored locations near freeways, most of which where built in the 1950s and 1960s. With few new freeways on the planning horizon, how will California's future growth organize itself in space? By national standards, California's large urban areas are already reasonably dense, and economic theory suggests that densities should increase further as California's urban regions continue to grow. In practice, densities have been rising in some urban counties, but falling in others.

These are important issues as California plans its long-term future. Will California have enough land of the appropriate types and in the right locations to accommodate its projected population growth? Will future population growth consume ever-greater amounts of irreplaceable resource lands and habitat? Will jobs continue decentralizing, pushing out the boundaries of metropolitan areas? Will development densities be sufficient to support mass transit, or will future Californians be stuck in perpetual gridlock? Will urban and resort and recreational growth in the Sierra Nevada and Trinity Mountain regions lead to the over-fragmentation of precious natural habitat? How much water will be needed by California's future industries, farms, and residents, and where will that water be stored? Where should future highway, transit, and high-speed rail facilities and rights-of-way be located? Most of all, how much will all this growth cost, both economically, and in terms of changes in California's quality of life?

Clearly, the more precise our current understanding of how and where California is likely to grow, the sooner and more inexpensively appropriate lands can be acquired for purposes of conservation, recreation, and future facility siting. Similarly, the more clearly future urbanization patterns can be anticipated, the greater our collective ability to undertake sound city, metropolitan, rural, and bioregional planning.

Consider two scenarios for the year 2100. In the first, California's population would grow to 80 million persons and would occupy the landscape at an average density of eight persons per acre, the current statewide urban average. Under this scenario, and assuming that 10% percent of California's future population growth would occur through infill-that is, on existing urban land-California's expanding urban population would consume an additional 5.06 million acres of currently undeveloped land. As an alternative, assume the share of infill development were increased to 30%, and that new population were accommodated at a density of about 12 persons per acre-which is the current average density of the City of Los Angeles. Under this second scenario, California's urban population would consume an additional 2.6 million acres of currently undeveloped land. While both scenarios accommodate the same amount of population growth and generate large increments of additional urban development-indeed, some might say even the second scenario allows far too much growth and development-the second scenario is far kinder to California's unique natural landscape.

This report presents the results of a series of baseline population and urban growth projections for California's 38 urban counties through the year 2100. Presented in map and table form, these projections are based on extrapolations of current population trends and recent urban development trends. The next section, titled Approach, outlines the methodology and data used to develop the various projections. The following section, Baseline Scenario, reviews the projections themselves. A final section, entitled Baseline Impacts, quantitatively assesses the impacts of the baseline projections on wetland, hillside, farmland and habitat loss.

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.

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.

This Excel table shows California's current population and projected population growth.

This graph shows the population density in the federal state of California from 1960 to 2018. In 2018, the population density of California stood at 253.9 residents per square mile of land area.

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; CA; estimate; persons; 5-year; population; and USA.

Protected areas are one of the most widespread and accepted conservation interventions, yet their  population trends are rarely compared to regional trends to gain insight into their effectiveness. Here, we leverage two long-term community science datasets to demonstrate mixed effects of protected areas on long-term bird population trends. We analyzed 31 years of bird transect data recorded by community volunteers across all major habitats of Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve to determine the population trends for a sample of 66 species. We found that nearly a third of species experienced long-term declines, and on average, all species declined by 12%. Further, we averaged species trends by conservation status and key life history attributes to identify correlates and possible drivers of these trends. Observed increases in some cavity-nesters and declines of scrub-associated species suggest that long-term fire suppression may be a key driver, reshaping bird communit...,

From 1989 to 2020, volunteer observers conducted monthly surveys of six sectors within Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP). Each survey consisted of a trail-based transect in which a group of observers walked the trail in the morning and counted all birds detected over roughly 3 hours. Observers recorded the number of each species seen or heard along the route, regardless of the distance to the bird. Over 31 years of surveys, 192 observers conducted 2,055 transects and recorded a total of 473,401 observations of 184 species (91% of JRBP’s documented avian richness). We used these data to estimate long-term avian population trends at JRBP. Prior to analy- sis, we performed extensive data cleaning, including the standardization of species names and observer identity. Unlikely species without notes or supporting information were removed from the analysis. All transects with fewer than seven species (n = 30) were considered incidental and removed. These transect..., , # Data and model code from: Mixed population trends inside a California protected area: evidence from long-term community science monitoring

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Here, we provide the R code used to model the abundance for each species in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. We have also provided a spreadsheet with each species' life history traits, taxonomy, annual trends in the preserve, and annual trends in the surrounding region (BCR 32) from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Finally, we have attached an R code that analyzes the trends for various life history traits and taxonomic families, compares trends within the protected area and in the surrounding region, and produces figures 2, 4, and 5 in the main manuscript and all supplementary material figures.

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Description of the data and file structure

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The JRBP_Transect_Data_Species.R file provides the code required to create a generalized linear mixed model for each species in R-INLA and extract the percent change in ab...

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 August of 2025.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the San Francisco metro area from 1950 to 2025.

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.

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