An Analysis of California’s Population

In a report (California’s Population), Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee, and Marisol Cuellar Mejia for the Public Policy Institute of California offer some interesting factoids about changes in California’s population. 

—    With over 39 million people (according to July 2021 estimates), California is the nation’s most populous state—its population is much larger than that of second-place Texas (29 million) and third-place Florida (22 million).

—    International migration is at its lowest level in at least 40 years, and the number of residents moving to other states is at its highest level since the mid-1990s.

—    No race or ethnic group constitutes a majority of California’s population: 39% of state residents are Latino, 35% are white, 15% are Asian American or Pacific Islander, 5% are Black, 4% are multiracial, and fewer than 1% are Native American or Alaska Natives, according to the 2020 Census.

—    Latinos surpassed whites as the state’s single largest ethnic group in 2014.

—    Over 10 million Californians are immigrants.

—    According to the 2019 American Community Survey, 27% of Californians are foreign born—this share is larger than that of any other state (New Jersey is second with 23%) and more than double the share in the rest of the nation (12%).

—    Over half (54%) of foreign-born Californians are US citizens, the largest share in over 40 years.

KJ