California is suffering a major demographic reversal, one that threatens both the state’s economic future and the durability of its progressive model.
The numbers speak for themselves: The Golden State’s population has started declining for the first time, with new data from the state Department of Finance showing a population loss of 173,000 for the year ended July 1, 2021—a number that includes more than 56,500 pandemic related deaths, mostly of older Californians.
