A young family in East Los Angeles, 1952. Photo courtesy of the Moya Family.
Also see:
-- Historical Resident Population for Spanish & Mexican Period, 1781-1840
-- General Population by City in Los Angeles County 1850-1900
-- General Population by City in Los Angeles County 1910-1950
-- General Population by City in Los Angeles County 1960-2000
-- Population of L.A. County Cities & Unincorporated Communities, 1990-Present
-- Annual Population Estimates for Los Angeles County 1971-2021
Between the census counts of 1850 and 2020, the population of the city of Los Angeles grew to be 2,421 times larger than its 1850 number. Los Angeles County's overall population grew to be 2,837 times larger. By comparison, over the same period, the population for the entire state of California grew to be 427 times larger than where it was in 1850.
| Year | Population of City of Los Angeles | City of Los Angeles Population as Percentage of Los Angeles County | Population of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles County Population as Percentage of California | California Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850* | 1,610 | 45.6% | 3,530 | 3.8% | 92,597 |
| 1860 | 4,385 | 38.7% | 11,333 | 3.0% | 379,994 |
| 1870 | 5,728 | 37.4% | 15,309 | 2.7% | 560,247 |
| 1880 | 11,183 | 33.5% | 33,381 | 3.9% | 864,694 |
| 1890 | 50,395 | 49.7% | 101,454 | 8.4% | 1,213,398 |
| Year | Population of City of Los Angeles | City of Los Angeles Population as Percentage of Los Angeles County | Population of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles County Population as Percentage of California | California Population |
| 1900 | 102,479 | 60.2% | 170,298 | 11.5% | 1,485,053 |
| 1910 | 319,198 | 63.3% | 504,131 | 21.2% | 2,377,549 |
| 1920 | 576,673 | 61.6% | 936,455 | 27.3% | 3,426,861 |
| 1930 | 1,238,048 | 56.1% | 2,208,492 | 38.9% | 5,677,251 |
| 1940 | 1,504,277 | 54.0% | 2,785,643 | 40.3% | 6,907,387 |
| Year | Population of City of Los Angeles | City of Los Angeles Population as Percentage of Los Angeles County | Population of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles County Population as Percentage of California | California Population |
| 1950 | 1,970,358 | 47.5% | 4,151,687 | 39.2% | 10,586,223 |
| 1960 | 2,479,015 | 41.0% | 6,039,771 | 38.4% | 15,717,204 |
| 1970 | 2,816,061 | 40.0% | 7,032,075 | 35.2% | 19,971,069 |
| 1980 | 2,966,850 | 39.7% | 7,477,239 | 31.6% | 23,667,902 |
| 1990 | 3,485,567 | 39.3% | 8,863,052 | 29.7% | 29,811,427 |
| Year | Population of City of Los Angeles | City of Los Angeles Population as Percentage of Los Angeles County | Population of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles County Population as Percentage of California | California Population |
| 2000 | 3,694,820 | 38.8% | 9,519,315 | 28.1% | 33,871,653 |
| 2010 | 3,792,621 | 38.6% | 9,818,605 | 26.4% | 37,253,956 |
| 2020 | 3,898,747 | 38.9% | 10,014,009 | 25.3% | 39,538,223 |
* See comment box at end of page below.
† Annual estimate from data collected by the U.S. Census American Community Survey over the 5-Year period of 2015-2019.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Chart illustrating data from table above. Los Angeles Almanac chart.
Also see: Historical Populations by City in Los Angeles County
The 1850 Census for Los Angeles County was actually conducted in the first two months of 1851, due to California becoming a state only late in 1850. The census-taker for Los Angeles County was a single individual, John R. Everston, a local who was tasked with covering a county that then encompassed, not only present-day Los Angeles County, but also the present-day counties of Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino;(approximately 30,000 square miles). Considering the size of territory that he had to cover in a short time, despite its sparse population, Everston's count was considered inaccurate and a gross undercount. Since congressional representation depended on census counts, California conducted its own census in 1852 and counted a bit less than 8,000 residents in Los Angeles County, half of whom were American Indian.
