Census Shows CA Growth Stalled, State Loses Congressional Seat

CALIFORNIA — Following the highly anticipated results of the 2020 census, California will lose one seat in Congress for the first time after data released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau on revealed California's slow population growth rate.

Over the past decade, California's average annual population growth rate slipped to 0.06% — lower than at any time since at least 1900. The population in California decreased since the 2010 census, with the 2020 total population recorded as 39,576,757.

That’s a 6.1 percent change in population over the last decade that just cost the Golden State some political clout. After new data was released, the state will have to drop its delegation from 53 to 52 members.

Californians have long heard utterings of a Golden State exodus, and experts have said the slow growth isn't a huge surprise.

"You can say that California is a state, but it's also a state of mind, it's a collection of ideas and images and, frankly, some unrealistic dreams, too," said D.J. Waldie, a cultural historian who has written books about life in Southern California. "So this moment, this 2020 census moment, puts in relief our need to talk about California realistically."

So why has California's growth stalled? Experts have called attention to three factors: declining birth rates; a long-standing trend of fewer people moving in from other states than leaving; and a drop in international immigration, particularly from Asia, which has made up for people moving to other states.

Immigration fell particularly fast in the past half-decade. President Donald Trump's administration also played a part in reducing the number of people legally entering the United States.

Nationally, six states will gain congressional seats. Texas will gain two seats, while Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon will each gain one, census officials said in a Monday afternoon news conference.

Seven states — California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia — will lose one congressional seat each.

The population of the United States totaled 331,449,281, an increase of 7.4 percent since the 2010 census, said Ron Jarmin, acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s the second-lowest decade-long growth in population in United States history, just one-tenth of a percent more growth than the 7.3 percent growth shown from 1930 to 1940.

The population growth from 2010 to 2020 was highest in Utah, which saw an 18.4 percent increase. West Virginia, with a 3.4 percent decrease, was one of only three states to see an overall population loss, and it had the largest population decrease since 2010.

Despite losing a congressional seat, California remains the most-populous state with a head count of 39,538,223. Wyoming is the least-populous state, the census found, with 576,851 residents.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said participation in the 2020 census was “overwhelming,” despite having been held during a year that brought the global coronavirus pandemic, deadly wildfires and civil unrest.

“Census takers managed to overcome these hurdles to conduct a complete and accurate census count,” said Raimondo, the former Rhode Island governor.

Jarmin said a number of outreach methods had differed due to the pandemic.

“We advertised on pizza boxes instead of at basketball games,” he said, adding that, adding that holding a census in a pandemic year made the process “even more challenging.”

The Census Bureau released only state-level data Monday, with data to come regarding counties and municipalities in the coming months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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