Could California’s Population Actually Shrink?
As the Golden State Hits 40 Million This Summer, Trends Point to a Less Populous—and Challenging—Future
This should be the summer when the population of California finally surpasses 40 million.
We should celebrate by reflecting on just how small we are.
Of course, we won’t. California, like an insecure male lover, is always bragging about how big it is. And so reaching the 40 million threshold—there is no red-letter date, though, by state figures, it’s likely to happen in late summer—will occasion another round of boasting about our size, not merely in population but in economic output and cultural impact. And this moment is likely to produce new …
