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Fact Sheet

California’s Population

By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Eric McGhee

Growth in the nation’s most populous state has slowed notably in the 21st century, with recent years bringing a drop in population due to higher deaths, lower births, and changes in migration. More than half of Californians under 24 are Latino while more than half of Californians 65 and older are white.

Fact Sheet

California’s Prison Population

By Joseph Hayes, Justin Goss, Heather Harris, Alexandria Gumbs

Many of California’s inmates live in overcrowded conditions, despite successful efforts to stabilize the prison population systemwide. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the state’s prisons, highlighting the most current information on racial disparities, health costs, and other key issues.

Fact Sheet

Immigrants in California

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Hans Johnson

California is home to more than 10 million immigrants—almost a quarter of the foreign-born population nationwide. Almost half of California’s immigrants are from Latin America, but a majority of recent arrivals come from Asia.

Report

California’s Future: Population

By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia

In 2019, California became the first state with 40 million residents. The state has been preparing for the 2020 Census, which will affect political representation and federal funding.

blog post

Homeless Populations Are Rising around California

By Jennifer Paluch, Joseph Herrera

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.

Report

How Has Proposition 47 Affected California’s Jail Population?

By Sonya Tafoya, Mia Bird, Ryken Grattet, Viet Nguyen

Passed by the voters in 2014, Proposition 47 reduced penalties for certain drug and property crimes. This change led to dramatic declines in the state's jail population, driven by decreases in arrests, convictions, and jail time for Proposition 47 offenders.

This research was supported with funding from The California Endowment.

blog post

How California Reduced Its Prison Population

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin

The state has reduced its prison population by the court-mandated target, but not—as reform proponents hoped—by a major reduction in costly prison incarceration.

Report

Planning for California’s Growing Senior Population

By Hans Johnson, Laurel Beck

California’s senior population is entering a period of rapid growth. By 2030, as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age, the over-65 population will grow by four million people. It will also become much more racially and ethnically diverse, with the fastest growth among Latinos and Asians. Many more seniors are likely to be single and/or childless—suggesting an increased number of people living alone. All of these changes will have a significant impact on senior support services.

We project that by 2030 slightly more than one million seniors will require some assistance with self-care, and that the demand for nursing home care will begin to increase after decades of decline. These changes will have direct budget implications for the Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) programs, both of which pay for care and services for low-income seniors. The state will need additional resources, including nursing care facilities and health care professionals, especially those who provide home- and community-based services. California’s community college system will be critical in training workers to meet the state’s health care workforce needs for the growing and changing senior population.

Fact Sheet

California’s County Jails

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Andrew Skelton

The statewide jail population is significantly lower than it was before the pandemic. The population is largely male and being held for felonies.

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