California’s population grew by 0.9 percent in 2015, adding 348,000 residents to total 39,256,000 as of January 1, 2016, according to an annual population report released Monday by the Department of Finance. The report shows preliminary January 2016 and revised January 2015 population data for California cities, counties, and the state. Highlights include:
- Growth was widely distributed among the state’s geographical regions, with most cities and counties throughout the state experiencing increases in population. Many northern and eastern counties, however, saw decreases, continuing a near decade-long downward trend.
- San Joaquin County was the fastest growing county in the state (over 1.3 percent), closely followed by Yolo, Riverside, and Santa Clara counties all slightly below 1.3 percent.
- The City of Los Angeles, California's largest city, grew by more than 50,000 persons in 2015 to reach a population over four million (4,031,000) for the first time.
- California's statewide housing growth, as measured by net unit growth in completed housing units for 2015, was largely flat from the previous year. Although net units were down 3 percent (67,110 net housing units compared to 69,435 net units in 2014), wildfires accounted for most of the decline. The losses to fire were most significant in unincorporated portions of Lake County (1,531) and Calaveras County (549).
You can get a look at the full report here.
One of the biggest takeaways fo the report is lack of housing and the housing affordability crisis. SCAG's Hassan Ikrata was quoted in the Daily News “What should be alarming to leaders is that our housing is not keeping up with the growth... We have one of the worst housing affordability rates in the country.” the SacBee's Dan Walters also wrote a piece on this aspect of the report, noting "The yawning – and ever-widening – gap between the housing that California needs to keep pace with its modest increases in population and what is actually being produced has driven rents and other housing costs through the roof."
You can also read more in the LAT, or the OC Register who took a look at Irvine and Lake Forest as among the fastest growing cities in the report.