But the census data indicated that California was still growing — it was just not growing as rapidly as the rest of the country. The data showing a population loss in 2020, released on Friday as part of the state’s regular economic reporting, offered a glimpse of the state’s trends beyond the census. Mr. Palmer said the contraction was the first to be recorded by the state since 1900, when California began collecting population figures. The state data showed that the population of 39,648,994 in January 2020 had dropped to 39,466,917 in January 2021. Enrollment of international students in the state, for example, declined last year by 29 percent, Mr. Palmer said, as California colleges and universities pivoted to remote instruction.

Source: International New York Times May 07, 2021 17:37 UTC