Sacramento region bucks California population decline with rapid growth

Even as California's population decline continues, the Sacramento region is bucking the trend, with several Northern California cities now among the fastest-growing in the state. 

A year of restrictive federal policy changes cut legal international migration to California by more than half last year, driving a slight decline in the population, according to new data released by the Department of Finance.

But in Northern California, we're seeing something different.

"Sacramento is poised for more growth as more people find out about all the special things that are here," said Ryan Lundquist, a local housing analyst.

Some areas in the Sacramento region are seeing sizable growth. According to new population estimates, Mountain House and Lathrop in San Joaquin County tied as California's fastest-growing cities, each posting 5.6% population growth. Also in the top ten are Roseville in Placer County, and Folsom and Elk Grove, both in Sacramento County.

"Roseville had 2.7% growth, and for the size of the city, that's substantial. It's hard to be 2.7% for most cities in the area. I think there were only a couple of cities in the state that outpaced that, so I think that speaks to quite a bit of new construction," Lundquist said.

As for the fastest-growing counties, Placer comes out on top, followed by Yuba, with Sacramento, San Joaquin and Sutter counties also on the list.

"Placer County has continually been in the fastest-growing counties for a bunch of years now," said Gloria Stearns, economic development and housing director with Placer County.

She said the secret sauce is quality of life and balance.

"Our board of supervisors has prioritized controlling growth, especially in the western part of the county. These decisions balance a few things. The growth of housing, the growth of businesses and jobs, and conserving natural space," Stearns said.

"When you look at California, coastal cities are outrageous, Bay Area prices are outrageous. So I think that's what makes the Sacramento region appealing to a lot of people," Lundquist said.

The Sacramento region saw a big influx of people moving here from the Bay Area in 2021 due to the pandemic and that trend continues, according to Lundquist. But we're also seeing some people moving here from outside the state.

"Roseville, in particular, and Rancho Cordova. Some of these areas are going to look vastly different in the coming years. I don't think locals realize how much development is slotted in these places," Lundquist said.

Lundquist said this is a sign of a healthy region.