San Diego population shrunk in 2023: By the numbers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Open embedded content from datawrapper.dwcdn.netSan Diego County lost more than 25,000 residents from 2020 to 2023 — a 0.8% drop in population, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: San Diego is no longer a growth machine, as the city has become one of the most expensive in the nation, making homeownership unaffordable for many.
By the numbers: Nearly 3.27 million people lived in San Diego County as of July, per census data.
- That's down 7,200 from 2022, a year that saw population growth after a pandemic exodus statewide.
- The region's population stood at 3.295 million in July 2020, but high cost of living has since driven population declines.
Driving the news: Data was released last week for the Census Bureau's annual Population Estimates Program, which calculates the population between censuses.
Zoom in: San Diego's natural population change — the number of people born here compared to the number who died — was positive in 2023, with births outpacing deaths by 12,882.
- Yes, but: The population overall took a hit, because 30,745 more people left the county than moved here.
- That's the largest one-year decline in domestic migration in nearly 30 years, excluding the first year of the pandemic, the Union-Tribune reported.
- And international migration added 10,767 people to the county's population.
Between the lines: The region grew by 1 million people from 1980 to 2000; however, San Diego added only half a million people in the past 20 years.
- Part of the reason: While the region's death rate increased, its birth rate decreased and migration stayed flat.
Open embedded content from datawrapper.dwcdn.netThe big picture: San Diego County had the ninth-largest domestic out-migration in 2023.
- Los Angeles was first, with nearly 120,000 people leaving the county.
Zoom out: Other California cities saw some of the largest drops in population among major U.S. metros, including LA (-2.9%) and San Francisco (-3.7%).
- Meanwhile, several Florida cities saw an explosion of growth, topped by Lakeland (12.1%) near Tampa.
- Provo, Utah (8.4%) and Austin, Texas (7.5%) also grew considerably.
- And there was a 1% increase nationwide.