Between 2020 and 2021, 159,000 residents moved out of L.A. County — the largest population decline of anywhere in the U.S. That’s according to new U.S. Census data, which again underscores the extent of the “California exodus.”
Nearly half of the top 10 counties in America that experienced large population declines in 2021 were in the Golden State:
- Los Angeles County, California — Decline of 184,465 residents
- New York County, New York — Decline of 117,375 residents
- Cook County, Illinois — Decline of 102,395 residents
- Kings County, New York — Decline of 95,022 residents
- Queens County, New York — Decline of 74,321 residents
- San Francisco County, California — Decline of 58,764 residents
- Santa Clara County, California — Decline of 50,751 residents
- Bronx County, New York — Decline of 47,706 residents
- Alameda County, California — Decline of 33,797 residents
- Miami-Dade County, Florida — Decline of 38,990 residents
As a percentage, San Francisco saw the greatest population loss in California (6.7%). It was the second-greatest percentage loss nationally, following New York (6.9%).
The following cities lost the most people:
- New York — Decline of 328,000
- Los Angeles — Decline of 176,000
- San Francisco — Decline of 116,000
- Chicago — Decline of 92,000
- San Jose — Decline of 43,000
Population loss is a national story. A New York Times analysis of the data found that, overall, the U.S. experienced the slowest year of growth in 2021. Births outnumbered deaths in only 828 out of the 3,100+ counties in the United States. That’s a 1,900+ decline from ten years ago.