California Population 2024

California population

California has the largest population in USA with population over 40 million, which accounts for 12% of the USA population. The state’s capital city is Sacramento. Los Angeles is California’s most populated city with an estimated population of around 4 million people.

California is located in Pacific coast, west part of USA. It has a total area of 423,970 km2 and covers 4.3 percent of America. California shares borders with Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California.

Based on our research, California population will reach 41.737 million by 1st July of 2024. We use first day of July each year due to US census bureau normally publishes the estimated population data for the same period. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 0.79% over last 12 years since 2011. We believe using the recent years’ figures (see the table in next section) will make the estimation more accurate.

Population Growth of California

Looking back last twelve years of California’s population, the growth rate is slow but consistent ranging from 0.64% to 0.89%, adding around 0.25 million to 0.35 million people each year to the overall population. Lots of workers were moving to California to take advantage of employment opportunities there, which contributes to the population growth. Comparing with other US states, California growth rate is pretty much align with the average.

Year Population (Million) Growth rate
2011 37.68 n/a
2012 38.01 0.88%
2013 38.34 0.87%
2014 38.68 0.89%
2015 38.99 0.80%
2016 39.25 0.67%
2017 39.50 0.64%
2018 39.85 0.89%
2019 40.17 0.80%
2020 40.43 0.65%
2021 40.74 0.77%
2022 41.05 0.76%
2023 41.41 0.88%

Demographics of California

According to U.S. Census Bureau, 49.7 percent of the California population is male and 50.3 percent are female. The top five races for people in California are: White (61.8%), Hispanic or Latino (37.2%), Some Other Race (13.9%), Asian (13.1%), Black or African American (6.1%).

The top five languages (other than English) spoken in California are: Spanish (28.46%), Chinese (2.80%), Tagalog (2.20%), Vietnamese (1.43%) and Korean (1.08%). As you can see

Asian languages dominate the non-English speaking Language in California.

The religious makeup of California is: Protestant(32%),Roman Catholic(28%), No religion(27%), Judaism(3.2%), Buddhism(2%), Hinduism(2%), Islam(1%), Mormons(1%).

Population Density of California

California’s population density is 97 people per square kilometer, which is ranking 11th most populated state in US. We are a bit surprised California cannot top the list even in the top 10 of the list considering it has the biggest population among other states in US.

Position State Population Density (per m2)
1 New Jersey 470
2 Rhode Island 394
3 Massachusetts 336
4 Connecticut 286
5 Maryland 238
6 Delaware 187
7 New York 162
8 Florida 145
9 Pennsylvania 110
10 Ohio 109
11 California 97

Top 5 Largest Cities by Population          

The population figures below are based on the estimated by United States Census. They are subject to change. We will endeavor to make the figures as accurate as possible.

Los Angels – Not only it is the most populated city in California, it is also the second most populous city in the United States with population around 4 million, which accounts for 10.13% of the California population. The city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of educational and professional fields … read more about Los Angels population 2022.

San Diego – The city is located in south of California on the border with Mexico. It has population over 1.4 million, which accounts for 3.5% of the state population. The city is best known as “the birthplace of California” because it was the first European landfall and the first European. San Diego ranks the second most populous city in California… read more about San Diego population 2022.

San Jose – With population of over 1 million, the city is California third most populated city after Los Angels and San Diego. Its population account for 2.5% of the state population. The city is located in Northern California. The city has a nickname “Capital of Silicon Valley” due to it is the economic, cultural, and political center of Silicon Valley… read more about San Jose population 2022.

San Francisco – It is fourth largest city by population in California with population over 0.87 million that accounts for 2.2% of the state population. In terms of density, the city is also It is the most densely populated major city in California and the second most densely populated major city in the United States, only after New York City…read more about San Francisco population 2022.

Fresno – It has population over 0.52 million that accounts for 1.3% of California population. The city is located near the geographic Fresno is the largest inland city in California. It is very close to famous Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park… read more about Fresno population 2022.

 

Facts About California

  1. California would rank 34th in population in the world. It has a larger population than either Canada or Australia.
  2. In 1962, California surpassed New York to become the most populous state in 1962. California’s population growth has slowed dramatically in the 21st century.
  3. California has the highest number, and second highest percentage, of Asian Americans by state.
  4. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not accept his governor’s salary of $175,000 per year because of his already substantial wealth from his acting career.
  5. California makes the same amount of money as Italy every year, and that Texas makes as much as Russia.
  6. The city has the largest American population of Southeast Asians, concentrated in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, Sacramento, and Fresno areas.
  7. California is the only state that has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
  8. World’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened in San Bernardino, California.

References

The following links provide data for this topic: