California Population Continues to Decline

The California Dept. of Finance - which issues regular state population estimates - has published a new release indicating continued decline of California's population:

Stable births, fewer deaths, and a rebound in foreign immigration slowed California’s recent population decline in 2022, with the state’s population estimated at 38,940,231 people as of January 1, 2023, according to new data released today by the California Department of Finance...

The 0.35-percent population decline for 2022, roughly 138,400 persons, marks a slowdown compared to the recent decline during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Between 2021 and 2022, California’s population decreased 0.53 percent or 207,800 persons, due mainly to sharp declines in natural increase and foreign immigration...

Full release at https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/Forecasting/Demographics/Documents/E-1_2023PressRelease.pdf. 

It is hard to imagine that the high cost of housing isn't a significant factor in the population decline. While the short-term ups and downs in the state budget are mainly reflective of general booms and busts in the U.S. economy, the long-run economic health of the state is at risk from underlying and ongoing influences such as high housing costs. Much of California's history, from statehood until around 1990, featured population grown above the national average.