Jan 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy

California sees drop in youth population, Texas sees a jump

Rashaan Ayesh

Kids running to the water with their surfboards — Photo: Stephen Simpson/Getty Images

California's youth population dropped by more than 400,000 throughout the past 10 years to 8.9 million young people, attributed, in part, to a drop in immigrant inflows and the state’s lowest birth rate in history, Bloomberg reports, citing the latest Census data.

The big picture: The youth slump is a trend across the U.S., where 30 states noted a dip in the under-18 age group between 2010 and 2019, newly released data shows.

Meanwhile: At the other end of the spectrum, Texas's youth population rose from 6.9 million in 2010 to 7.4 million as of 2019.

The state has one of the highest birth rates in the country, and "strong in-migration from places like California and New York and rising immigration from Asia," per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: Changing demographics can impact a state's political leaning and economy, especially as the federal government prepares for the 2020 Census. California has never lost a House seat, but could this November given the population shifts, per Bloomberg.

Go deeper: Census data projects shift in states' congressional power

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California sees drop in youth population, Texas sees a jump

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