Which is the Most Populous State in the US: California with nearly 40 million Residents

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Which is the most populous state in the US?

Are you planning on moving and are wondering ‘What is the largest state by population?’ Thankfully, America has plenty of wonderful places to call home. From the East Coast to the West Coast, there are 50 beautiful states in the U.S. to choose from when making a long distance move decision.

By far, the most populous state in the United States is California. It has nearly 40 million residents, comprising a whopping 12% of the country’s population. If California were a country, it would have the eighth largest economy in the world and the 36th highest population, World Population Review reported.

California Area

California is the 3rd largest state by area, putting its population density at 251.3 per square mile, which ranks 11th in the country. It is currently the 21st fastest growing state with a yearly growth rate of 61%. This growth rate has slowed somewhat in recent years however, according to Worldpopulationreview.

California Population

One out of every eight US residents lives in California.

California’s population is diverse.

No race or ethnic group constitutes a majority of California’s population: 39% of state residents are Latino, 37% are white, 15% are Asian American, 6% are African American, 3% are multiracial, and fewer than 1% are American Indian or Pacific Islander, according to the 2018 American Community Survey. Latinos surpassed whites as the state’s single largest ethnic group in 2014.

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More than 10 million Californians are immigrants.

According to 2018 estimates, 27% (or 10.6 million) of Californians are foreign born—this share is larger than that of any state (New York is second with 23%) and double the share nationwide (14%). The leading countries of origin for California immigrants are Mexico (4.0 million), the Philippines (848,000), China (798,000), Vietnam (515,000), India (532,000), El Salvador (462,000), and Korea (312,000). In recent years, immigration from Asia has outpaced immigration from Latin America by a two-to-one margin, PPIC informed.

California is aging, but it is young compared to the rest of the country.

California’s population is aging along with the baby boom; by 2030, about one in five Californians will be 65 or older. But the state’s population is slightly younger than that of the rest of the nation: according to 2018 Census Bureau estimates, the median age in California is 36.7, compared to 38.2 for the entire country. California has the fifth-youngest population in the country (Utah has the youngest).

Photo: CHCF.com

Californians could be undercounted in the 2020 Census.

The US Census Bureau is conducting its decennial population count this year. Three in four Californians belong to at least one demographic group that is “hard to count”: children, young men, Latino and African American residents, and renters. There is particular concern about low participation rates among non-citizens, given the Trump administration’s hostile posture toward immigration–and its attempt to put a citizenship question on the census form. Another cause for concern is the coronavirus pandemic, which has upended media and community-based outreach efforts and altered the timeline for in-person follow-ups by census workers.

Other highlights

Friday's report did not address migration trends. But the department in December said more people were leaving California than moving in, thwarting projections from demographers who have predicted the state would top 40 million, Nbclosangeles noted.

• The fastest-growing counties were, in order, Glenn, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, San Benito, San Joaquin and Kern.
• The state for the first time added more housing units than people. California has been struggling to address a severe affordable housing and homelessness problem.
• Bakersfield had the largest population gain, by percentage, among the state's 10 largest cities.
• The fastest-growing cities from housing construction not related to wildfires were, in order, Colma in San Mateo County, Calimesa in Riverside County, Lathrop in San Joaquin County, Wasco in Kern County, and Rio Vista in Solano County.

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