Mother Lode Population Continues Decline As State Edges Up

Sonora, CA — While California’s population increased slightly last year, it was at the lowest rate in the state’s recorded history, and the Mother Lode counties continued to lose residents.

The State Department Finance released new statistics for the past year. The report reads, “2018’s population growth rate of 0.47 percent is the slowest in the state’s history. This rate is driven by a significant decline in births, down by more than 18,000 over the previous year, as well as data reflecting lower student enrollment. Deaths continued an upward trend seen since 2010 as California’s “Baby Boomers” continue to age.”

The state first started documenting population figures in 1900. Effective January 1st of this year, California had 39,927,315 residents.

Tuolumne County lost 131 residents over the past year to bring the number down to 54,590 and Calaveras County lost 30 residents to bring the population to 45,117.