Monterey County grows at a higher rate than the state as population numbers trend upward.

For a few years it felt as if the shine of the Golden State might be dimming, as population numbers trended downward, pushed by various factors, including a net loss between births and deaths during the first three years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year the state bounced back, showing an annual growth rate of 0.17 percent. Monterey County bested that rate by growing 0.8 percent, according to estimates released by the California Department of Finance on April 30.

The state still has a way to go to regain its pre-pandemic numbers. In early 2020 the state’s population was estimated at 39.5 million. The population then began dipping each year, with 39.1 million estimated in a January 2023 report. This year’s report stated the population grew by more than 67,000 people.

Greenfield’s population grew by 2.0 percent, the largest increase among the county’s 12 cities, with Soledad and Marina right behind at 1.9 percent and King City at 1.8 percent. Seaside only grew by 10 people. Other cities grew between 0.3 percent (Sand City) and 0.7 percent (Salinas and unincorporated Monterey County). The City of Monterey shrunk by 0.3 percent.

The Department of Finance also estimated the growth of housing stock, and that’s where Soledad beat Greenfield, growing from 4,633 units to 4,755, a 2.6-percent increase. Greenfield added less than 100 units. Marina increased by 1.6 percent due to an increase in dormitory students at CSU Monterey Bay.

All together, California added 115,933 housing units, including 22,802 accessory dwelling units, or ADUs – 19.7 percent of the state’s new housing – bringing total housing in the state to 14.8 million units. New construction represented nearly 109,400 units.

The report cited three factors for the state’s uptick: foreign legal immigration rebounding after the pandemic; more people moving into the state compared to a slowed migration of people moving out; and a natural increase due to the net result of births minus deaths.