California
Related: About this forumCalifornia's population is finally increasing -- thanks to immigration
San Francisco Chronicle / Dec 21, 2024
After shrinking during the pandemic and then stagnating for several years, Californias population is finally growing thanks to immigration from abroad.
Thats according to two different estimates released this week within 24 hours of each other. The first is the annual estimates of population growth by state. The second is from the states Department of Finance, which estimates population change twice yearly.
Both show that the state is growing, but at different rates: The Department of Finances estimate said the state added about 49,000 residents slightly less than last Januarys reading while the census estimated growth by a more robust 232,000 residents.
Each entity estimates population growth differently: While the Department of Finance marries census household data with state vital records, tax returns and drivers license records, the census relies on its own annual surveys as well as federal Homeland Security, IRS and entitlement program records. Both estimates get less accurate as the decennial census (last taken in 2020) grows more distant.
Link (paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/population-growth-immigration-19994083.php
During the pandemic, from 2020 to 2021, California lost population for the first time ever, according to the link.
The story continues with If the second Trump administration clamps down sharply on immigration, Californias population could go back into decline as soon as next year. With a population thats shrunk even as other Sun Belt states continue to boom, California could lose three to four additional seats in 2030.
That's a clear target on the state's back IMO.
hunter
(39,055 posts)All sorts of people will be abandoning the Trump states as they become more oppressive.
I don't foresee population declines in California's future.
What I do worry about is California turning hostile to immigrants from other states as it did during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, Grapes of Wrath stuff. "Okie" was not a term of endearment here.
It's easy to imagine a world where refugees from the Trump states are not welcome anywhere.
Auggie
(31,902 posts)Maybe we'll see hostility in red areas, but even those, if farmed, will welcome labor -- provided those immigrants want to work the land.
The Mouth
(3,304 posts)We have 10-20 million too many people here for the water and infrastructure.