L.A. City Population Up Slightly : Growth: Local estimates say the Valley lost 1,940 people between 1990 and 1993.

The Los Angeles city population increased slightly between 1992 and 1993 but remains below the population count provided by the 1990 census, according to a city Planning Department estimate released Friday.

The San Fernando Valley’s population decline since 1990 was slightly less than the citywide decrease, and city analysts speculated as a reason that the Valley was less affected by the April, 1992, civil unrest, which prompted a moderate exodus from areas nearest to the city’s core.

As of October, 1993, the city was home to 3,467,785 residents, according to the city Planning Department’s annual population estimate. That is up 0.2%--more than 5,300 people--from the department’s population estimate for October, 1992.

The 1993 population estimate is down half a percentage point--more than 17,600 people--from April, 1990, when the federal census estimated the population at 3,485,398.

In 1993, the Valley was populated by more than 1.2 million people, down 0.3%--1,940 people--since the 1990 census, according to the city’s estimates.

City analysts attribute the citywide drop in population to the region’s sluggish economy.

“When there are no jobs, people leave,” said Jeffrey M. Beckerman, a demographer for the Planning Department. “The job loss is probably the best explanation.”

The population estimate does not include the period since the Jan. 17 earthquake. But Beckerman said he expects that the Valley’s population has dropped significantly since the Northridge temblor and that this will be reflected in the next estimate.

City analysts based the city’s annual population and housing estimate on housing stock, vacancy rates, household size and other factors, Beckerman said. The report includes population figures for each of the 35 planning areas in the city.

He said the most telling factor in the current estimate was that the number of people living in multiunit buildings had dropped by more than 22,000, indicating the population decrease since 1990 was mainly among residents of apartments, condominiums and townhomes.

The greatest population change in the Valley since the 1990 census was a 0.78% decrease in the Mission Hills, North Hills and Panorama City areas, a drop of nearly 3,000 residents, according to the estimate. Analysts said they did not conduct an in-depth analysis to determine why some neighborhoods differed from others.

Slight population decreases were also estimated in North Hollywood, Arleta, Pacoima, Van Nuys, Sylmar and Reseda.

Meanwhile, population increases were found in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Sun Valley, Granada Hills, Canoga Park, West Hills, Winnetka, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Northridge, Encino, Tarzana, Sunland and Tujunga, according to the estimate.

Population Changes

Valley community figures for 1990-1993.

April October % Planning Area 1990 1993 Change Sherman Oaks-Studio City- Toluca Lake 68,219 69,859 2.4 North-Hollywood 123,412 123,246 -0.2 Arleta-Pacoima 91,367 90,180 -1.3 Van-Nuys-North Sherman Oaks 136,889 134,406 -1.8 Mission-Hills-North Hills-Panorama City 109,072 106,133 -2.7 Sun Valley 76,573 77,073 0.8 Sylmar 59,479 59,070 -0.6 Granada Hills- Knollwood 54,352 54,506 0.3 Canoga Park-West-Hills- Winnetka-Woodland Hills 150,560 151,823 0.8 Chatsworth-Porter Ranch 79,784 80,099 0.4 Northridge 58,867 59,436 1.0 Reseda-West Van Nuys 89,279 88,861 -0.7 Encino-Tarzana 66,487 66,824 0.5 Sunland-Tujunga 52,510 53,594 2.1

Source: Los Angeles Planning Department