California's Population Shrinks For A Third Consecutive Year

The population of California continues to decrease despite the percentage of birth rates being higher than that of death rates throughout the region. According to The Sacramento Bee, 300,000 people have moved out of California this year. The first year that the Golden State recorded a notable drop in population was in 2020. Aside from the pandemic, demographers think that the population decline has something to do with the cost of living throughout the state. The Sacramento Bee mentioned that the drop in population in 2020 was so steep that California lost a seat in the House of Representatives.

“If you talk to demographers, they’ll say that one of the factors is the cost of housing, and that’s continued to be a challenging issue for the state," California Department of Finance's deputy director of external affairs H.D. Palmer shared with The Sacramento Bee.

As price of housing continue to increase, lower to middle income families are the first to leave. According to data compiled by the Public Policy Institute of California, 333,000 residents have moved from the state since 2015 due to a lack of available jobs, and 413,000 have moved because of the increase in housing costs. The Public Policy Institute also mentioned that those moving into the state likely obtain a larger yearly income and higher level of education than those looking to leave the state.