Cliff Notes on the News

Cliff Notes on the News

Veteran San Diego news director and reporter Cliff Albert shares his thoughts on the latest news and stories each weekday at 7:22am. Full Bio

 

What San Diego's Population Loss Could Mean

The new report out from the census bureau has a lot of people talking about what it means.

The report showed that San Diego County lost population in 2021 for the first time in a decade and it doesn’t happen very often at all.

On a percentage basis, the drop wasn’t much, under one percent or 11, 183 people.  But statewide the census bureau report shows that the California’s population last year fell by more than a quarter million people. Still a very small percentage of the state’s total 40 million or so population.

But it does appear to be more of a trend.  And some population and economic experts are wondering what it means if it continues.

And it’s not just people moving from California for other states. Much of it is, with more Californians moving to places like Texas, Arizona and Idaho. These experts say it’s also declining birth rates and lower levels of foreign immigration...as well as more California residents going to areas where it doesn’t cost as much to live.

And generally that’s not in the biggest cities. In fact, of the 10 counties nationwide with the largest population losses in the U.S. Census Bureau report, four were in California and four were in New York. So maybe it’s more people leaving big cities for smaller ones.

Something that’s likely to become more popular with the pandemic having convinced some businesses that it can be cheaper for them and their employees to have workers work remotely.

Wherever things are headed in the years ahead when it comes to population, it could mean less traffic and more room on the beaches in San Diego. And that wouldn't be so bad.

(Photo Getty Images)

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Photo: Getty Images


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