POPULATION GROWTH SLOWING IN CALIFORNIA
California's Department of Finance is reporting that the lowest population growth rate in history was reached in 2018 with the addition of 186,807 residents, according to the Los Angeles Times. The overall growth rate slipped to 0.47% last year from 0.78% in 2017 which is the slowest since records started being kept in 1900. Births were down, immigration from Mexico was down while Asian immigration was up.
Perhaps the biggest force behind the change is higher education rates among women, Sharygin added. That broader trend historically has been masked by high immigration from Latin America, but that is no longer the case. “More education of women translates into later marriage, later childbirth and then fewer children,” he said. Dowell Myers, professor of demography and urban planning at USC, said the slow growth also was due to a lack of housing.
A report this year by a public policy think tank found that California’s housing supply law hadn’t triggered enough new home building to meet demand. Myers said the housing crunch makes it harder for younger residents to lay down roots and have children. That is especially concerning as California’s senior population continues to grow at a fast pace. The state faces numerous budget and policy concerns as those older than 65 make up a larger and larger share of the population.
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