Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
California's Largest Cities Saw Significant Population Decline During 1st Full Year Of COVID
A recent U.S. Census report finds that around 160,000 people left Los Angeles County, resulting in a population decline of 1%. USC Professor Marcus Pastor says rising housing costs are a factor.
(
Alborz Kamalizad
/
LAist
)
California's largest cities saw a significant population drop in 2021, the first full year of the pandemic, according to data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Los Angeles County lost almost 160,000 residents — almost 1% of its population — while the San Francisco Bay Area followed closely behind, losing more than 116,000 residents.
Those losses breakdown into some key categories:
- The Census cites the pandemic as exacerbating existing patterns of "fewer births, an aging population, and increased mortality."
- More immigrants left than moved into California — one of the hardest hit states by this measure — creating a net international migration loss of 41.4%.
One of the most urgent reasons for the net migration loss has been the lack of affordable housing. The exodus of California natives and immigrants can be attributed to rising housing costs in both major cities, according to Manuel Pastor, a USC Professor of Sociology.
Support for LAist comes from
“What we're losing both in the domestic population and in the immigrant population is people who have less education, are more working middle class but have aspirations to be able to not see all of their paychecks go into housing costs,” Pastor recently told our newsroom's public affairs program, AirTalk.
Income Hasn't Kept Pace With Housing Costs
In 2020, the median home price for Los Angeles County was $660,000, according to data from the California Association of Realtors. Compare that with the median income for Los Angeles County, which the Census Bureau puts at $71,358 in 2020 dollars.
“We're going to have to make sure that the wages at the bottom of our labor market continue to be pushed upward by things like raising the minimum wage, unionization, etc," Pastor said, "but also that we're delivering on the promise of affordable housing."
Pastor noted that some affordable housing measures are already under way, citing state Senate Bill 9, which was signed into law in September 2021 and will allow up to four properties to be built on a single-family lot.
Where They Are Going
Population losses and gains in U.S. counties from 2020 to 2021.
(
Courtesy US Census
)
Support for LAist comes from
Some of the people migrating out of L.A. and San Francisco are moving out of state entirely, including to the Sunbelt states of Texas and Arizona. But others are staying in California, just moving away from the large urban centers to places like Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“Families that can no longer afford to live in the Bay Area or in the coastal regions like Los Angeles and Orange County [are] resettling into the Inland Empire and central California, and that's where our youth population is for the future, and that's where the affordable housing is,” Pastor said.
Riverside County saw the third-highest population gain in the country, with 36,000 new residents. The median home price in the Inland Empire that year: $450,000.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist