SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State officials say California's population growth has slowed to the lowest rate on record.
For the second year in a row, more people left the state than moved there. The result was a net migration loss of 135,600 people.
People left the state in similar numbers as they did last year. but far fewer people moved to California, especially from April to June, when the state was under a stay-at-home order because of the pandemic.
As a person who specializes in finding people a new place to live, Sacramento realtor Kellie Swayne is not surprised.
"Affordability has just plummeted over the years (in California)," Swayne said. "The amount of money that it takes for someone to purchase and maintain a home here in California is a much higher expense than in many of the other nearby states.”
While Sacramento tends to be more affordable than areas like San Francisco, she said that some of her clients are eyeing homes in places like Nevada, Idaho, and Arizona.
The latest population estimate came on Wednesday from the state Department of Finance and covers the change from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020. California's population grew 0.05% because the state added 156,600 people when births and deaths were included in the tally.
No doubt you've read social media posts and hear about people leaving the state. And, while it's certainly happening, it's not happening as rapidly as you might think.
