LOS ANGELES, California - The population of California grew last year for the first time since 2020, thanks to a drop in mortality and a rebound in legal foreign immigration, the state's Department of Finance said on Tuesday.The population rose by 67,000 people or 0.17 percent in 2023 to a total of 39,128,162, the highest of any U.S. state.Foreign legal immigration produced a net gain of 114,200 people in 2023, compared to 90,300 in 2022.
There were 118,400 more births than deaths in 2023, a rise from 106,700 in 2022 as the number of deaths declined from their COVID pandemic peak."With immigration processing backlogs largely eliminated and deaths returning to long-term trends, a stable foundation for continued growth has returned," the department said in a statement.