California Growth Slows As Out-Migration Continues

California's growth rate of 1.17% for the fiscal year ending July 1, 2007 resulted in 438,000 new residents and was largely a result of children born within the state.

"The annual study by the Department of Finance showed that 89,000 more people moved out of California than moved here from elsewhere in the United States."

..."The shift dovetails with the state's weakening economy and is most likely related, said Howard Roth, chief economist for the Department of Finance."

..."The trend toward reduced "domestic migration" -- which began in 2005 and has increased dramatically since -- is a sharp turnaround from nearly a decade of sustained population growth.

..."The story was repeated in Southern California, where every county except Riverside and San Diego saw a decrease in 'domestic migration.'

..."The slowdown in the housing market attacks the fundamental strength of the Inland economy," said said John Husing, an economist who studies Inland Empire counties."

..."I personally think we're heading into a recession here."

Meanwhile, in northern CA, a different demographic picture was revealed by the Dept. of Finance report.

From "Santa Clara County, S.F. lead Bay Area in population growth":

"The Bay Area's population growth rate outpaced the state last year as the nine-county region, led by San Francisco and Santa Clara County, added nearly 90,000 new residents, according to the Department of Finance's latest data released Wednesday.

"I think it might be an indicator that the Bay Area is on the leading edge of turning around economically," said Mary Heim, chief of the demographics unit at the Department of Finance.

Heim also said one important factor is that the number of Bay Area residents moving out of the area has declined dramatically in the past year. San Francisco is a case in point. About 4,000 people moved out of the city to other parts of the United States between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006. That number dropped to 400 the following year."