Los Angeles County, California, has recorded the nation’s largest population decline between July 2024 and July 2025, with approximately 54,000 residents departing the area, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. The county’s population, which was over 10 million in 2020, has now fallen below 9.7 million.
Neighboring regions, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties, gained more than 21,000 residents during the same period, while the Las Vegas metro area attracted over 20,000 people. However, Los Angeles County’s outmigration rate is not being offset by new arrivals—a trend that could severely undermine the local tax base in the long term.
The population decline coincided with a devastating wildfire season in early 2025. The lack of effective response from city, county, and state officials—including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA)—led to 12 fatalities in Pacific Palisades and 18 in Altadena. Over 6,000 homes and buildings were destroyed, including properties owned by high-profile figures such as Paris Hilton, Tom Hanks, and Mandy Moore.
A report from October 2025 indicated that Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man, was arrested for setting the Pacific Palisades fire.
California as a whole is also experiencing population losses, with 30 out of 58 counties losing residents in 2025. A sharp drop in foreign immigration has been a major factor, exemplified by San Diego County’s 65 percent year-over-year decline in foreign arrivals. This trend coincides with federal actions under President Donald J. Trump to crack down on illegal immigration and enhance border security.
Since 2010, nearly ten million residents have left California, driven by the state’s housing affordability crisis, violent crime, and declining quality of life issues including widespread drug use and homelessness. Additionally, the state has faced increasing federal scrutiny for social services fraud, with auditors identifying billions in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims and improper pandemic relief payments.
