County Population Rises to 751,600, State Says

Ventura County was among California’s fastest-growing counties last year, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Finance.

In the 12 months that ended July 1, the county added 13,400 residents and raised its total population to 751,600, according to state records.

“It’s up slightly, by about 1,500 persons” from the prior 12 months, said Steve Wood, a demographics specialist at the Ventura County Planning Department.

The state’s population estimates are based on city documents, Medicare records, driver’s license applications and information from the Internal Revenue Service.

Wood said about 65% of Ventura County’s growth was a natural increase based on births and the remainder can be chalked up to people moving from other counties, states and countries.

As to why the county’s population didn’t grow even more, Wood said eight of 10 cities in the county--all but Oxnard and Port Hueneme--have ordinances limiting the number of building permits issued each year.

Sweeping growth-control measures that restrict development of the county’s farmland and open spaces, known as SOAR, which were enacted in 1998, probably did not affect last year’s numbers, authorities said.

Ventura County ranked last on a list of the state’s 10 fastest-growing counties, trailing No. 1-ranked Los Angeles County, which grew by 150,200 residents during the 12-month period.

Just ahead of Ventura County was Contra Costa County, which added 15,100 residents, and Santa Clara County, which swelled by 16,200.

The other fast-growing counties, in order of growth, were San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sacramento and Alameda.

California’s overall population grew to slightly more than 34 million people, a jump of 542,000. Wood credited the rise to a strong state economy.

The statistics released Wednesday did not include city-by-city population breakdowns. The municipal numbers are released in May, when state officials calculate population totals for the 1999 calendar year.