See how Sacramento area has changed since pandemic in 9 charts based on new Census data

California suffered well-publicized, but incremental, declines in population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a trove of 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau adds a new dimension to the state’s demographics — its residents are aging.

The median age increased 0.7 years since 2020 to 37.8 in 2022. The median age is the age at which half the population is older and half the population is younger.

Those changes track with an overall graying nation — the national median age is also increasing at a similar rate to California’s. California is currently the 13th youngest state.

While there are several factors driving up the median age, there’s one trend that’s not adding to California’s population: fewer births.

“This is really a story of declining birth rates,” said Eric McGhee, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. “And to a lesser extent out-migration.”

McGhee said there’s a national trend of declining birth rates, but that California’s has decreased at a rate much steeper than most.

The high cost of living in California may have played an indirect role in the aging population. In addition to driving California residents to other states, it may be fueling a delay in people having kids. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, reductions in the birth rate often coincide with economic downturns.

There’s a pretty high variance in the median age by county in California. Most of the counties surrounding Sacramento skew older — with the exception of Yolo County, which is the youngest county in California.

Sacramento County is the 23rd youngest, while El Dorado County and Placer fall at 41 and 47, respectively. Birth rates in the capital region also fell during the pandemic, especially in suburbs to the east of the city.

Another factor in the median age of a population is migration. Kevin Kane, a regional planner with the Southern California Association of Governments said that while migration may have less of an influence on median age, it played an interesting role from 2020 to 2022.

“Foreign immigration into California went to zero during the pandemic,” he said. “We rely on that population a lot for growth in the state.”

Statewide growth in Hispanic respondents

Since 2020, the population of Hispanic respondents in California has grown steadily. In 2022, about 40% of respondents identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino, according to the new census data.

The greatest increases in demographics came from people who identified as Hispanic. From 2020 to 2022, the number of respondents who identified as Hispanic increased by 0.61%.

• Asian and Hispanic (2.85%)
• Asian in combination with another race and Hispanic (2.70%)
• White alone and Hispanic (2.08%)

The greatest decreases in demographics came from people who identified as non-Hispanic. From 2020 to 2022, the number of respondents who identified as not Hispanic decreased by 2.53%

• White and not Hispanic (4.74%)
• White in combination with another race and not Hispanic (4.29%)
• American Indian or Alaskan native in combination with another race and not Hispanic (2.41%)

There was an overall decrease in both respondents who identified as white alone (2.16%) and as Black alone (1.61%). There was an increase in respondents who identified as Asian (1.78%) and as two or more races (1.79%).

Locally? Bigger, younger, more diverse

In the capital region, population growth was inconsistent with California as a whole. El Dorado County, Placer County and Yolo County each saw an increase in population between 2020 and 2022. Sacramento County’s population decreased by 0.06%.

Although the median age in the four-county region is still fairly varied, younger populations, especially in Sacramento and Yolo counties, are growing. People under 30 now account for almost 40% of the four-county region’s population.

For white-alone respondents, there was a similar decrease in white-alone populations in Sacramento County as there was statewide. Here’s how the age groups break down by race in the four-county region:

There was a marked increase in Black alone populations in both Placer and Yolo counties.

There were small increases in American Indian or Alaskan native alone populations in all four counties, similar to the 0.37% increase statewide.

There was a large, across the board increase in the Asian population in all four counties — including both Asian alone respondents who identified as Hispanic and Asian alone respondents who identified as not Hispanic.