Bay Watch: Bay Area Population Loss Since 2020 Surpasses 200,000 People

New data released this week by the California Department of Finance shows a continuation of population losses in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area during 2022. For the third straight year, the region and the state experienced a decline in population. The Bay Area and California each lost 0.4% of their populations during 2022, 34,000 people and 138,000 people, respectively. The Bay Area’s population now sits at an estimated 7,549,000, down a full 200,000 people from the January 2020 estimate of 7,749,000. 

Marin and Napa counties experienced the largest percentage losses of 2022 in the region, both falling in population by 1.0%. In terms of overall population numbers, Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties saw the greatest population losses. The population numbers represent a slowing pace of population loss compared to 2020 and 2021, which is attributable to increases in international immigration and reduced outflows from net domestic migration across the state and region.

Read additional economic insights on the Bay Area region in the Economic Institute’s weekly Bay Watch.