Article

Patterns of population change in California 2000-2010

The primary purpose of this research was to describe and understand distributional changes between 2000 and 2010 in California’s total population and its four leading race/ethnic groups: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. We described these changes by means of maps and obtained greater detail by using as area units the state’s 387 census county divisions rather than its 58 counties. Hispanics and Asians had very few areas of decline. Black numbers decreased most in Los Angeles and Alameda counties, and White populations declined there and in older parts of some surrounding counties, as well as in San Diego. All four groups showed greatest gains in outer suburban areas and beyond, especially in the interior of the state. The increased dispersal of population continued trends of earlier decades, further reducing race and ethnic concentrations in older coastal cities as well as their political influence. The leading growth area for all groups in Southern California was Riverside County; in Northern California it was the region extending from the San Francisco Bay cities into the metropolitan areas of Modesto, Stockton, and Sacramento. Although the maps might suggest that the four groups are becoming more alike in their distributions, comparing their distributions in terms of neighborhoods shows very small changes in levels of segregation since 2000.

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