California’s Population Moves Past 34 Million

California’s population topped 34 million in mid-1999 as births exceeded deaths for the fourth consecutive year and more people moved into the state than departed.

The state Department of Finance said California’s population increased by 542,000 between July 1, 1998, and June 30, 1999, to just over 34 million.

Sandy Harrison, a department spokesman, said the one-year increase of 1.6% was in line with earlier population projections.

Most of the increase--297,302--occurred because the state had more births than deaths, but migration also was a factor. The 1998-99 fiscal year was the fourth in a row in which migration into the state exceeded departures.

During the economic downturn years from 1993 through 1995, more people left the state than moved in.

Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous, had the biggest increase in population in the most recent period. Its population rose by 150,200, to 9.8 million. Placer and San Benito counties had the biggest percentage increases. The populations of both counties jumped 4%, Placer’s to 232,000 and San Benito’s to 49,700.

Eleven counties--Alpine, Del Norte, Inyo, Lassen, Mariposa, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Trinity and Yuba--had small population losses, of 350 or less.

The department bases its figures on birth and death counts, driver’s license address changes, employment figures, school enrollment and income tax returns.

The report is available on the department’s Web page at https://www.dof.ca.gov.