San Diego population up by 1%, part of overall ‘very modest’ statewide growth

San Diego s University City district File photo courtesy of the city of San Diego California s population climbed above million in marking the second year of expansion The state the nation s majority of populous experienced a string of declines during the coronavirus pandemic San Diego contributed to the progress as seven of the state s largest cities saw an increase in population last year San Diego grew by more than to roughly million The state population overall rose an estimated adding people compared to according to a record distributed Thursday by the Department of Finance The increase is due in part to the number of births outpacing deaths and a boost in the number of adults and older The state disclosed it also had better content to account for increases in legal immigration into the state About one in nine people living in the United States reside in California Gov Gavin Newsom touted the population gains as a sign of the state s growing financial sector which is one of the largest in the world People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream where rights are protected and people are respected the Democrat reported in a report Regions throughout California are growing strengthening local communities and boosting our state s future But Republicans in the Democrat-dominated state and beyond have taken aim at California s population declines in the past and the loss of its residents to Texas Critics have tied past population decreases in the Golden State to the homelessness dilemma and rising cost of living If the Governor thinks a one-year bump means the state s doing fine he s ignoring the reality majority families are living in noted Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Chico Eric McGhee a strategy director and senior fellow at the nonpartisan Population Strategy Institute of California declared the period of decline was substantial because prior to it in our entire existence as a state we had never lost population before We were often one of the fastest-growing states he revealed So it was distinctive for us to be losing population to say the least The upsurge California saw in is still very modest McGhee reported The state also revised its estimate for legal immigration into California from other countries from to by roughly people citing better input The estimated total number of legal immigrants during that period now stands at about the Department of Finance explained The population rose in nine of the largest counties with Los Angeles County increasing by compared to In Contra Costa the state s ninth majority populous county the number of residents fell by just two dozen San Francisco San Jose and Anaheim saw decreases in population of less than