California Reports Another Drop In Population For Second Year In A Row

California's population is down for a second year in a row. State figures show a decline of more than 117,550 people in 2021, numbers that are similar to the 2020 drop with of about 182,000 people. Several Bay Area counties played a crucial role in driving that decrease; the nine-county region saw a year-over-year decline of roughly 100,000 residents through January. Marin, Napa, and San Mateo counties saw the largest drops. California overall went from 39.3 Million in January of 2021 to 39.2 Million in January of 2022, a loss of 0.3%. There are a number of pandemic-related factors considered for the decline, as well as California's high cost-of-living and lack of affordable housing. Even with the overall state population in decline, a few counties actually grew in population as many moved from larger cities to more rural areas. Yolo and San Benito counties grew over 1% as the boom of single family homes drew in people from the cities.