California, the most populous state in the country
With some 39.2 million people spread over 92.45 per square kilometer, California is the most populous state in the country, which itself has 331.9 million inhabitants. If we were to establish a top 3, it would be far ahead of the second and third territories of the ranking, namely Texas and its 29 million residents, then Florida and its 22 million occupants. This concentration can be explained by several major demographic shifts, driven by economic motivations.
First, during the gold rush that began in 1848, the population of San Francisco exploded: in 1900, 2 million people lived in the Golden State. Then, the establishment of film studios in Los Angeles, symbols of the American dream, the post-war years and the rapid industrial development of the region brought the number of inhabitants to 10 million in 1950. Finally, with the rise of Silicon Valley and its technological innovations, the second half of the 20th century saw the population triple to 37 million residents by 2000. California's growth rate was then much higher than that of other states. Today, demographers estimate that the Golden State's population will reach 45 million by 2050.
Declining population growth
However, these figures need to be qualified: California's population growth has slowed drastically over the last two decades. Since 2000, its growth rates have been the lowest on record. Over the period 2010-2020, the state's population grew by 5.8% - or 2.4 million - compared to 6.8% in the rest of the country... Leading to the loss of a seat in the US House of Representatives for the first time in the Golden State's history.
The main cause: a fall in births, with the fertility rate dropping from 2.2 in 2007 to 1.5 in 2021, giving rise to the lowest scores in recent years - and mirroring the situation nationwide. Another explanation is the level of international immigration, whose growth is at its lowest for at least 40 years. In fact, over the last decade, the number of foreigners settling in California rose by just 600,000 - or 6% - compared with 1.3 million - or 15% - over the period 2000-2010. This compares with an estimated 2.4 million - 37% - in the 1990s. At the same time, the number of residents leaving the Golden State for other states is at its highest level since the end of the 20th century.
This downward trend, now characteristic of California's population growth, has been confirmed by the coronavirus pandemic: between January1, 2020 and July1, 2021, the population fell by 300,000. Covid-19-related deaths are estimated at 84,000.
A young and very diverse population
And while the state is no exception in terms of aging baby boomers, its population is the eighth youngest in the country. Overall, the median age is 37.3 in the Golden State - compared to 38.7 nationwide - while around one in five residents will be 65 or over by 2030.
A multicultural land, California is 39% Latino, 35% white, 15% Asian-American or Pacific Islander, 5% African-American, 4% mixed-race and less than 1% American Indian or Alaska Native. According to the 2019 American Community Survey, 27% of the state's population is foreign-born - the highest rate in the country - compared with an average of 12% in the rest of the territory. In other words, the Golden State is home to 11 million immigrants, a quarter of those spread across the entire nation. More specifically, foreign-born Californians make up at least a third of the population in five counties: Santa Clara - 39% - San Mateo - 35% - Los Angeles - 34% - San Francisco - 34% - and Alameda - 33%. Half of the state's children have at least one immigrant parent. Moreover, 54% of foreign-born Californians have been naturalized, the highest proportion in over 40 years.
Another important detail: half of all immigrants to the Golden State were born in Latin America, while 39% came from Asia. As a result, the countries most represented in the state are Mexico - 3.9 million people - the Philippines - 859,000 - China - 796,000 - Vietnam - 539,000 - and India - 513,000. A trend that could change, as more than half - 53% - of immigrants arriving between 2010 and 2019 were born in Asia, compared with 31% in Latin America. This diversity is synonymous with linguistic richness: most of them speak a language other than English when they're with their families, essentially Spanish and Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese included. Nevertheless, 70% of California's immigrants speak English fluently, and only 10% don't speak it at all.
Focus on Nevada, Utah and Arizona
The demographics of Nevada, Utah and Arizona are not easily comparable to those of the Golden State, starting with the number of people. These states have 3.1 million, 3.3 million and 7.3 million respectively - compared to 3.8 million in Los Angeles alone, for example - distributed in groups of 10.82, 15 and 24.72 per square kilometre. Arizona stands out for its aging population, with 18% of people 65 and older, while Utah has the youngest population in the country. The latter territory also has the whitest residents in the Great West, with 77.8% of residents. Next comes Arizona with 54.1%, then Nevada with 48.2%. Latinos are fairly represented in the region, estimated at 31.7% in Arizona, 29.2% in Nevada and 14.4% in Utah.
