Pedestrians cross the street in downtown San Francisco. 

The California exodus that’s been declared over and over again isn’t real, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau published this week.

The Golden State’s population grew by 0.6% between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024. That’s an addition of almost a quarter of a million people, pushing the number of residents closer to pre-pandemic levels. 

Revised census data from 2022 to 2023 shows that the state population grew last year, too, though just barely, at 0.1%.

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This is a swift comeback from 2020-2021, which saw the state’s biggest decline of nearly 1%. “Gaining people is a good sign,” said demographer Hans........

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