San Diego Appears Immune To Growth Deceleration

Recent reports indicate that
population growth across the state of California is slowing down at a perilous
and historically unique rate. The Golden State continues to gain new members
with each passing day, but recently released data indicates that it’s currently
suffering from lackluster growth rates which haven’t been seen since the 1900s.
Nevertheless, certain areas like the county of San Diego are powering through
this decline and seeing their populations surge.

Here’s an analysis of San Diego’s
immunity to the growth deceleration plaguing California, and how the city
manages to remain vibrant amidst a period of decay.

There are now 39.96 million Californians

According to new information published by the State of
California’s Department of Finance, there are now roughly 39.96 million
Californians. It’s never easy to determine the total population of any state,
let alone one as large and diverse as California, but these recent figures are
about as reliable as they come and indicate the Golden State is still chugging
along when it comes to growth. This puts California in opposition to states
like New York, Hawaii, and Alaska which in 2018 suffered from a population decline.

Growth across
California has slowed down, however, so it’s important contextualize the newest
growth figures. According to extensive reporting from the L.A. Times, California’s population is
largely seeing its rate of growth slow down because of fewer immigrants and the
departure of long-term residents. An aging population hasn’t helped matters,
either, nor has the lackluster immigration figures that the country has seen
since 2016. Economic opportunities like those provided by furniture companies
offering cabinet painting and other enterprises continue
to draw newcomers to the state, however.

In San Diego, however, things are
entirely different. The San Diego
Union-Tribune reports that San Diego County now makes up a
whopping 8 percent of California’s residential population, as it now totals
around 3.6 million. The county has about 13,000 more residents than this time
last year, per the Tribune, though
that hasn’t stopped some from leaving the county.

San Diego County remains the second
largest in the Golden State, behind Los Angeles. Since 2010, the Tribune posits that San Diego County has
increased by more than 250,000 people. Fewer births and more deaths from an
older-than-ever population are slowing growth across the state, but urban areas
like San Diego and Los Angeles are still more than capable of attracting new
residents and bolstering their overall population figures. 

At least twenty counties throughout
the state of California witnessed a decline in their population, per the
Department of Finance’s data.