California’s population doubled since 1970
By Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle
If it seems more crowded in California, that’s because it is.
California’s population is nearly 40 million, a number that has steadily grown despite birth rates declining to the fourth-lowest level in more than a century, according to state estimates released Thursday.
State Department of Finance data showed that between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, California’s population grew by 301,000 people to 39.6 million, a growth rate of nearly 1 percent. That’s an increase of 2.4 million people since 2010 and double the number of residents who lived in California in 1970.