blog post Homeless Populations Are Rising around California By Jennifer Paluch, Joseph Herrera Feb 21, 2023 Between 2020 and 2022, California’s homeless population increased by 6%. While this growth was largely concentrated in urban areas, the number of people experiencing homelessness declined in San Francisco and Orange County.
blog post Shrinking Household Size Strains California’s Housing Market By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Julien Lafortune Nov 17, 2022 Changing demographic patterns during the pandemic—with Californians “spreading out” across more housing units—has boosted housing demand, while the pace of new construction has not kept up with the number of new households.
blog post California’s Native American Community By Eric McGhee Nov 15, 2022 The native people of California have lived in the state for tens of thousands of years and today represent a vibrant part of the California community. While California’s native community is the smallest among all major racial and ethnic groups, seven in ten Native Americans also identify with another race.
blog post Who Is the California Voter? By Stephanie Barton Nov 8, 2022 A near record-high share of eligible individuals are registered to vote in the Golden State. Likely voters tend to be older, white, affluent, college educated, and homeowners. Nonvoters, on the other hand, are more likely to be younger, Latino, lower income, less educated, and renters.
blog post How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting By Jennifer Paluch, Eric McGhee, Heather Harris Nov 2, 2022 For the purposes of drawing state legislative and congressional districts, California now counts state prisoners as residents of their last known address, rather than as residents of prisons. Though the effects are small, communities with large numbers of residents who have been sent to prison now do not lose representation to the few communities in which the prisons are located.
blog post The Politics of Leaving California By Eric McGhee, Hans Johnson Oct 17, 2022 California has seen multiple years of population decline, driven in part by a growing number of people leaving the state. Political differences as to the role of government in society could be a factor in some migration decisions.
blog post California’s Hispanic Community By Eric McGhee Oct 5, 2022 In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we look at our state’s large and dynamic Hispanic population, which accounts for nearly four in ten Californians—more than any other racial or ethnic group.
blog post Fewer California Adults and Far Fewer Children Are in Poverty in 2021 By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon Sep 22, 2022 New census data show that poverty in California declined among both adults and children last year. While economic downturns typically cause poverty to rise, pandemic relief measures drove a continued decline, especially among children.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: How Accurate Was California’s 2020 Census? By Eric McGhee Sep 7, 2022 The decennial census is critical to our democracy: it provides the foundation for political representation and federal spending. California’s investment in the 2020 census looks like it paid off with a highly accurate count. Among hard-to-count populations – including Black and Latino residents – it was better than almost every other state.
blog post California’s Population Shifts May Lead to New Income Divides By Eric McGhee Aug 16, 2022 While housing costs are often cited as a reason for leaving California, they can also drive migration within the state—with potential consequences for income patterns across regions.