California Population 2026

California Population

Data after 2023 is projected based on recent change

Year ↓	Population	Growth	Annual Change
2029	40,594,100	232,600	0.58%
2028	40,361,500	232,500	0.58%
2027	40,129,000	232,600	0.58%
2026	39,896,400	232,600	0.59%
2025	39,663,800	232,500	0.59%
2024	39,431,300	232,600	0.59%
2023	39,198,700	56,300	0.14%
2022	39,142,400	-200	0%
2021	39,142,600	-379,400	-0.96%
2020	39,522,000	84,400	0.21%
2019	39,437,600	100	0%
2018	39,437,500	99,700	0.25%
2017	39,337,800	188,600	0.48%
2016	39,149,200	244,900	0.63%
2015	38,904,300	317,600	0.82%
2014	38,586,700	332,900	0.87%
2013	38,253,800	309,200	0.81%
2012	37,944,600	308,300	0.82%
2011	37,636,300	316,700	0.85%
2010	37,319,600	3,448,000	0.97%
2000	33,871,600	4,111,600	1.3%
1990	29,760,000	6,092,100	2.32%
1980	23,667,900	3,714,800	1.72%
1970	19,953,100	4,235,900	2.41%
1960	15,717,200	5,131,000	4.03%
1950	10,586,200	3,678,810	4.36%
1940	6,907,390	1,230,140	1.98%
1930	5,677,250	2,250,390	5.18%
1920	3,426,860	1,049,310	3.72%
1910	2,377,550	892,500	4.82%
1900	1,485,050	271,650	2.04%
1890	1,213,400	348,706	3.45%
1880	864,694	304,447	4.44%
1870	560,247	180,253	3.96%
1860	379,994	287,397	15.16%
1850	92,597	0	0%

Median Age

Overall: 37.6 years
Female: 38.6 years
Male: 36.7 years

California Adults

There are 30,513,800 adults, (5,994,490 of whom are seniors) in California.

Sex Ratio

Female: 19,636,900 (50%)
Male: 19,605,900 (50%)

Demographics

The racial composition of California includes 43.95% White, 17.38% other race, 15.28% Asian, 5.54% Black or African American, and smaller percentages for Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and multiracial populations.

Population by Race

Race	Population ↓	Percentage (of total)
White	17,248,750	43.95%
Other race	6,820,298	17.38%
Two or more races	6,410,240	16.33%
Asian	5,997,074	15.28%
Black or African American	2,173,348	5.54%
Native American	445,219	1.13%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	147,827	0.38%

Race	Population ↓	Percentage (of total)
Other race	6,610,380	16.84%
Two or more races	4,805,040	12.24%
White	3,675,550	9.37%
Native American	337,840	0.86%
Black or African American	96,948	0.25%
Asian	90,074	0.23%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	14,989	0.04%

Race	Population ↓	Percentage (of total)
White	13,573,200	34.59%
Asian	5,907,000	15.05%
Black or African American	2,076,400	5.29%
Two or more races	1,605,200	4.09%
Other race	209,918	0.53%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	132,838	0.34%
Native American	107,379	0.27%

California Marital Status

Economics and Income Statistics

California 's average per capita income is $54,437. Household income levels show a median of $96,334. The poverty rate stands at 11.97%.

Families: A family includes the owner or renter of the home along with everyone related to them - whether through birth, marriage, or adoption. This includes relatives like spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and any other family members.

Households: A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit (such as a house or apartment) as their usual place of residence.

Non Families: A nonfamily household is either someone living alone or when the owner/renter lives with people they aren't related to, like roommates.

Name	Median ↓	Mean
Married Families	$132,245	$178,126
Families	$110,108	$152,870
Households	$96,334	$136,730
Non Families	$61,846	$93,218

$54,437

Average Income

$96,334

Median Household Income

11.97%

Poverty Rate

Population by County

California’s population is anchored by Los Angeles County, home to over 9.5 million residents despite a 4.4% decline since 2020. The state’s population shifts show a complex pattern: while coastal urban counties are experiencing declines, with San Francisco County dropping 6.8% and San Mateo County falling 5.4%, inland regions are growing significantly. Riverside County leads the growth at 14.4%, while smaller counties like Lassen County and Alpine County have seen dramatic declines of 17.9% and 13.4% respectively. The state shows extreme population density variations, from San Francisco’s 17,264 people per square mile to Inyo County‘s sparse 2 people per square mile despite its vast area.

Page: Counties in California

Population by County

2026 Pop.

1M

2M

3M

4M

5M

6M

7M

8M

9M

Population Growth by County

Change (2020)

-0.05

-0.025

0

0.025

0.05

0.075

Population Density by County

Density

2K

4K

6K

8K

10K

12K

14K

16K

California