California’s population fell again amid pandemic’s 2nd year

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Officials have announced that California’s population shrank in 2021 for the second year in a row. The drops mark the first time ever that the population of the nation’s most populous state has declined. That’s according to a new estimate from the California Department of Finance. State officials say California lost 117,552 people in 2021, giving it a population of just over 39 million residents. California is still far ahead of Texas, which is No. 2 for population in the U.S. California officials blame the loss on a declining birth rate and more deaths because of the pandemic. Also, fewer people are moving from other states to California.