All but one SLO County city saw its population shrink last year. Here’s how your town compared
Fewer people are living in cities in San Luis Obispo County, according to new population data, and instead are seeming to favor the county’s unincorporated areas.
The California Department of Finance on Monday released new population estimates that show how California communities have changed between Jan. 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2022.
In California, the population dropped slightly — losing just over 117,500 total residents, according to the data. That brought the total statewide population to almost 39.2 million people at the start of this year.
According to the Department of Finance, that 0.3% decline was less than the 0.59% decline in 2020, meaning California’s population is still declining, but at a slower rate.
The department said the “plateauing of the state’s population growth” was due to Baby Boomers aging, fertility declining among younger residents and the continuing slowdown in “natural increase” — meaning the number of births minus the number of deaths.
Other factors such as coronavirus-related deaths, immigration and domestic out-migration also contributed to the drop, according to the department.
SLO County cities shrink
At a county level, San Luis Obispo County’s overall population grew by just over 1,000 residents between the start of 2021 and 2022 — a roughly 0.4% increase year-over-year.
Despite that apparent growth, all but one SLO County city actually shrunk in population during that time.
The cities of Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach all declined in population by more than 1% between 2021 and 2022.
The biggest percentage drop in population occurred in Morro Bay, which lost about 1.6% or 172 residents, in that time. The biggest numerical drop was in Paso Robles, where the population declined by 483 residents — about 1.5% of the city’s population, according to the data.
The only San Luis Obispo County city to report population growth in the last year was San Luis Obispo itself, which grew only just slightly in that time. According to the data, the city added 112 residents, for an increase of 0.2%.
SLO County was one of only three coastal counties to see an increase — however slight — in population in the past year, according to the data. This was attributed in part to college students returning to campus, according to the news release.
Unincorporated areas growing
Though most San Luis Obispo County cities shrunk in the past year, the county did grow a bit overall — and most of that was centered around its unincorporated areas.
According to the data, non-city areas of SLO County grew by about 2% between 2021 and 2022, adding more than 2,400 people in that time.
In total, approximately 121,964 people live in unincorporated SLO County, according to the data.
Unincorporated areas of the county include towns such as Nipomo and Los Osos, which do not have city councils.
As of 2022, the majority of San Luis Obispo County residents were living in cities, but that number did drop from 2021.
According to the data, the total number of people living in San Luis Obispo County cities dropped by more than 1,500 people between 2021 and 2022, falling to 158,757.
The Department of Finance did not release more specific population data by town, so it is unclear specifically which unincorporated areas grew or shrunk in the time period.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 10:17 AM.
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