This California region is experiencing a population boom

Alexa Mae Asperin
·3 min read

LOS ANGELES - For the first time since 2020, California has experienced positive population growth in 2023, according to the latest data from the California Department of Finance.

One region in the Golden State is outpacing the others by a large lead - the Inland Empire - and isn't showing any signs of slowing down when it comes to attracting more people to buy or rent homes.

Riverside County's Menifee added more than 2,000 people last year alone, ranking it as one of the state's largest population growth areas. Victorville in San Bernardino County boasted a total population of 140,000.

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According to the latest figures, 9 of the 10 counties with populations over 1 million saw increases in population comprising 72% of the state’s total population. Riverside County led with an increase of 13,800.

Others areas in the state that showed population growth are Imperial County and the San Joaquin Valley area.

The population increased in 31 counties - largely in the Bay Area, Central Valley, and the Inland Empire, data revealed.

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As a whole, California added 67,000 total people to the state.

California's 10 Largest Cities

  1. Los Angeles: 3,814,318

  2. San Diego: 1,385,379

  3. San Jose: 969,491

  4. San Francisco: 843,071

  5. Fresno: 546,971

  6. Sacramento: 520,407

  7. Long Beach: 458,813

  8. Oakland: 425,093

  9. Bakersfield: 411,109

  10. Anaheim: 340,160

California's 10 Fastest Growing Cities with Populations Over 30,000

  1. Lathrop: 37,033

  2. Stanton: 40,297

  3. Folsom: 88,023

  4. Manteca: 90.,917

  5. Mountain View: 86,535

  6. Coachella: 43,173

  7. Beaumont: 57,416

  8. Menifee: 111,560

  9. Merced: 91,837

  10. Yuba City: 70,256

Housing growth

The report also found statewide housing growth increased. California added 115,933 housing units on net, including 22,802 accessory dwelling units (ADUs), to bring total housing in the state to 14,824,827 units.

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The top five cities where housing production drove population growth include: Paradise (16.1%) in Butte County, Lathrop (5.4%) in San Joaquin County, Emeryville (5.0%) in Alameda County, Orland (4.9%) in Glenn County, and Shafter (4.3%) in Kern County.

Larger, densely populated urban areas built most of the multi-family housing throughout the state. Los Angeles led the state gaining 14,207 multi-family units, comprising 65.5% of their net housing growth, followed by San Diego (74.4%), San Francisco (88.7%), and Oakland (84.9%).

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When it comes to single-family housing, more properties are likely to be built further inland in more suburban cities. The cities with a high proportion of single-family growth include Roseville (96.3%), Menifee (100%), Bakersfield (89.4%), and Fresno (65.8%).

You can read more on the report by tapping or clicking here.