California Population Drops For First Time
Sonora, CA–California has been recording population growth since the state was founded in 1850, and for the first time, that number has gone down. This officially ends a growth streak that originated with the gold rush and the inrush of people that joined California and a population that continued to grow in the decades to follow.
The numbers were released by the U.S Census Bureau on Friday and they will have political ramifications with California losing a congressional seat for the first time because of the loss of population and lack of growth compared to other states. The reasons are varied and debated with some suggesting it’s the rising price of living in California, and others suggesting it’s an outlier year exasperated by COVID-19.
Locally, Calaveras has actually increased population going from 45,023 to 45,036 people, a small gain of 13 people. Tuolumne County’s population reflects the state’s overall trend, dropping from a population of 54,925 to 53,465.
The numbers came from a variety of sources, birth and death count, the number of new driver’s licenses, address changes, school enrollments, and federal tax returns.
