The California Department of Finance released its annual July population estimates showing the state’s population at 39,529,000, the department and the governor’s office said; this marks the third straight year of growth after pandemic-era declines.
The release said international immigration contributed an estimated 126,000 people in 2024 to 2025 and births added 108,300; the release added that immigration was roughly half the level seen the previous year and linked the decline to federal restrictions on legal immigration.
The governor’s office framed the figures as a sign of recovery and stability; the release quoted Gov. , “Three years of population growth tells a simple message: California is still the place people choose.”
The release also presented public-safety and tax context; it said several crime categories fell from 2019 to 2024; including an 18.8% drop in burglary and a 9.1% drop in property crime; and it cited an Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy brief saying California’s overall state and local taxes are near the national average for most families.
The Department of Finance’s annual estimates are the state’s public population figures; the governor’s office used the release to underline economic and quality-of-life reasons people move to or stay in California, and it did not attach new policy actions to the updated total.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Sources & methodology
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