California population drops slightly per census data

(The Center Square) – New data released by the U.S. Census shows California’s population went down slightly since 2020. The data shows that between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2025, the state’s population stood at 39.5 million people. In 2025, that number dropped by 0.44% to 39.3 million people. The numbers also show that between 2024 and 2025, the population decreased by .02%, from 39.36 million people to 39.35 million. Residents have left California for more affordable parts of the country over the last 20 years, but a demographer said research by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California shows the issue has been more that the Golden State is experiencing negative population growth. “We’ve had some negative population growth years for the first time in the state’s history around COVID,” Eric McGhee, policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “That was a new concept. The growth in the population has sl