State Total Climbs to 26.36 Million : County Falls Behind San Diego in Population

Orange County lost its ranking as California’s second most populous county in 1985, falling 3,700 residents behind San Diego County’s 2,131,600 residents, according to figures released Wednesday by state Finance Director Jesse R. Huff.

California remained the nation’s most populous state with 26.36 million residents, a 2.2% increase, or 570,000 people, over the previous year, the department said in a report covering the fiscal year that ended July 1, 1985.

Los Angeles County remained the state’s most populous county with 8.08 million residents and had the largest numerical gain with a net increase of 120,000 residents.

California experienced its largest one-year gain in population since the “boom years” of the 1950s and early 1960s, Huff said. New York State, the nation’s second most-populous state, has 8.5 million fewer residents than California.

Fifty-six of the 58 counties grew in population between July 1, 1984, and last July 1. San Luis Obispo was the fastest-growing county in California with a 5.3% increase.

Elizabeth Hoag, research manager for the department’s population research unit, said the numerical increase was the greatest since 1962-63, when the total was 579,000. She said a typical increase in the 1950s was the 596,000 recorded in 1955-56.

Hoag said major factors of growth in 1984-85 were a higher influx of people from foreign counties, an increase in the number of people coming to California from other states and a decline in Californians moving to other states.

The report said the population increase is derived from rounded-off figures of 458,000 births, 204,000 deaths and a net migration of 315,000. It said the natural increase of 254,000 is the largest in California history.