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Also see: 2020 Census vs. 2010 Census - Los Angeles County
According to the most recent Census estimates, Los Angeles County's population dropped 2 percent from 2020 to 2023, or from 10,014,009 to 9,848,406 residents. The county's population decreased by about 165,603 residents, which is like losing the entire city of Palmdale. The population of the city of Los Angeles decreased 1.0 percent, from 3,898,747 to 3,857,897. This was a loss of 40,850 residents to the city, which is about like losing the entire neighborhood of Mar Vista.
Regionally, the Santa Clarita Valley is the only region in Los Angeles County showing any population growth since 2020. The population of the Santa Clarita Valley (centered on the city of Santa Clarita) grew a tiny 0.6 percent, adding a miniscule 1,763 residents. Most of this growth in the unincorporated communities of Stevenson Ranch (at the southwest corner of Santa Clarita) and Val Verde (at the northwest corner of Santa Clarita). Stevenson Ranch was the only community in L.A. County to gain more than a thousand new residents. The smallest population loss was among the Westside Cities (a population loss of 0.4 percent). The smallest regional population loss was among Westside communities (-0.4 percent), with the smallest decrease in Malibu and Santa Monica. We may expect the Palisades Fire in February 2025 to negatively impact population numbers in this region. The biggest regional population loss was in the Southeast L.A. County region at 2.7 percent. Long Beach, Downey, Compton, Norwalk, Lakewood, Lynwood, and Bellflower lost the largest numbers, amounting to between 1.8 to 2.9 percent of their numbers.
| Community | 2023 Estimated Population* | Increase from 2020 | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson Ranch† | 21,317 | +1,139 | +5.6% |
| Del Aire† | 11,115 | +777 | +7.5% |
| Hacienda Heights† | 54,956 | +765 | +1.4% |
| East San Gabriel† | 23,521 | +752 | +3.3% |
| Desert View Highlands† | 3,389 | +713 | +26.6% |
| Community | 2023 Estimated Population | Population Increase from 2020 | Percent Increase |
| Val Verde†td> | 3,074 | +675 | +28.1% |
| Ladera Heights† | 7,249 | +595 | +8.9% |
| Citrus† | 10,813 | +570 | +5.6% |
| South Monrovia Island† | 7,072 | +557 | +8.5% |
| North El Monte† | 4,115 | +385 | +10.3% |
| Community | 2023 Estimated Population | Population Increase from 2020 | Percent Increase |
| Westmont† | 34,291 | +378 | +1.1% |
| Hidden Hills | 2,079 | +354 | +20.5% |
| Santa Clarita | 229,021 | +348 | +0.2% |
| Lake Hughes† | 875 | +331 | +60.8% |
* Annual estimates calculated from data and surveys over a 5-year period for the Census American Community Survey.
† Unincorporated community
About 40 percent of Los Angeles County communities saw population decreases in between 2010 and 2020. Those that saw the most notable decreases are shown in the following table:
| Community | 2023 Estimated Population | Population Decrease from 2020 | Percent Decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3,857,897 | -40,850 | -1.0% |
| Long Beach | 458,491 | -8,251 | -1.8% |
| Glendale | 192,270 | -4,273 | -2.2% |
| East Los Angeles† | 114,617 | -4,169 | -3.5% |
| Palmdale | 165,487 | -3,963 | -2.3% | Community | 2023 Estimated Population | Population Decrease from 2020 | Percent Decrease |
| Torrance | 143,499 | -3,568 | -2.4% |
| Lancaster | 170,013 | -3,503 | -2.0% |
| Pomona | 148,391 | -3,322 | -2.2% |
| Willowbrook† | 21,642 | -2,653 | -10.9% |
| Downey | 111,793 | -2,562 | -2.2% |
* Annual estimates calculated from data and surveys over a 5-year period for the Census American Community Survey.
† Unincorporated community
| 2023* | 2020 | Change 2023 vs 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Total | 9,848,406 | 100.0% | 10,014,009 | 100.0% | -165,603 | -1.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native Alone | 125,310 | 1.3% | 163,464 | 1.6% | -38,154 | -23.3% |
| Asian Alone | 1,480,146 | 15.0% | 1,499,984 | 15.0% | -19,838 | -1.3% |
| Black or African American Alone | 769,139 | 7.8% | 794,364 | 7.9% | -25,225 | -3.2% |
| Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander Alone | 21,691 | 0.2% | 24,522 | 0.2% | -2,831 | -11.5% |
| 2023* | 2020 | Change 2023 vs 2020 | ||||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino | 2,477,324 | 25.2% | 2,563,609 | 25.6% | -86,285 | -3.4% |
| Some Other Race Alone | 2,320,096 | 23.6% | 2,784,180 | 27.8% | -464,084 | -16.7% |
| Two or More Races | 1,642,818 | 16.7% | 1,488,068 | 14.9% | +154,750 | +10.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,753,369 | 48.3% | 4,804,763 | 48.0% | -51,394 | -1.1% |
* Annual estimates calculated from data and surveys over a 5-year period for the Census American Community Survey.
The only racial group to increase in numbers in Los Angeles County, from 2020 through 2023, were those who identified as Multi-Race or of "Two or More Races".” Their number increased 10 percent between 2020 and 2023, or by 154,750 persons. The number of those estimated to be Multi-Race, or “One or More Races,” increased 239 percent between 2010 and 2020, or by 1,049,355 people.
Although all racial groups but one, in Los Angeles County, lost numbers between 2020 and 2023, some decreases were significant. With a 23 percent decrease, Los Angeles County's American Indian/Alaska Native population saw the most dramatic decrease. The Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population decreased by a lesser percentage, but still dropped 11 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
People at Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
