SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — State officials announced that California's population shrank in 2021 for the second year in a row.
The drops mark the first time ever that the population of the nation's most populous state has declined. That's according to a new estimate from the California Department of Finance.
State officials say California lost 117,552 people in 2021, giving it a population of just over 39 million residents.
California is still far ahead of Texas, which is No. 2 for population in the U.S.
California officials blame the loss on a declining birth rate and more deaths because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Also, fewer people are moving from other states to California.
