SACRAMENTO – (INT) – Population estimates issued Tuesday (April 30th) show that for the first time since 2020, California has grown and the Inland Empire contributed to much of the increase.

The State Department of Finance figures that the state added just over 67,000 for a total of 39-point-1 million residents in 2023. Foreign legal immigration led the increase. Processing backlogs were largely eliminated.

Geographically, Riverside, San Bernardino and 29 other counties, largely in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, set the pace.

Among the counties with the largest populations, Riverside County led with an increase of 13,800 or 20 percent of the state total.

Riverside County was among the top 10 in housing growth. Riverside County added 2-thousand 458 housing units. Single family housing is more likely to be built further inland in such cities as Menifee which gained 11-hundred-80.

Larger densely populated urban areas built most of the multi-family housing throughout the state. Accessory dwelling unit production (ADU’s) increased by 10.3 percent.

Among the ten fastest-growing cities in the state were Menifee, Beaumont and Coachella.

The total population for Riverside and San Bernardino counties (the Inland Empire) has surpassed 4-point-6 million.

Story Date: May 1, 2024