(CN) — The population of California grew in 2023, according to a report Tuesday from the state's Department of Finance.
The rise of just over 67,000, little more than an uptick for state with nearly 40 million residents already, was the first in three years. Governor Gavin Newsom hailed the news as a sign that the Golden State has gotten its proverbial mojo back.
“People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream and experience the success of the world’s 5th largest economy," Newsom said in a statement. "From the Inland Empire to the Bay Area, regions throughout California are growing — strengthening local communities and boosting our state's future.”
The Department of Finance report cited legal foreign immigration as the main driver of the population rise, with a net gain of 114,200 people, compared to 90,300 in 2022. And the rate of people moving to different states slowed. There were still about 90,000 more people who moved out of California to other states than vice versa. But that difference is a fraction of what it was in 2021. The population was also bolstered by the number of deaths due to Covid subsiding.
"With immigration processing backlogs largely eliminated and deaths returning to long-term trends, a stable foundation for continued growth has returned," the report reads. "As net domestic migration has receded to its lower rates of the 2010s, California is likely to experience slower but positive growth for the near future."
Los Angeles, the biggest city, with a population of 3.8 million, grew 0.3%. Bakersfield grew by 0.8%. The cities of San Jose and Oakland both shrank, by 0.1 and 0.5%, respectively.
Though the state's population only grew 0.17%, its housing stock grew .79%, thanks to 55,242 new single family housing units and 52,937 new apartments. LA's housing stock grew by 1.4%, having added about 21,000 new units — significantly more than any other city — including 7,400 new single family units and 14,200 new multi-family units.
The Department of Finance puts out two population estimates every year. Tuesday's report was for the end of the 2023 calendar year. Later this year, it will put out a report for the population at the end of this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The population estimates are based on a variety of government data, including from drivers licenses, vehicle registrations, birth and death records, and enrollment numbers in government funded health insurance programs.
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