Overall image with map created by Los Angeles Almanac. Avatar images by Vecteezy
Los Angeles County's population grew 2 percent from 2010 to 2020, or from 9,818,605 to 10,014,009 residents, according to recently released new Census numbers. The county's population grew by 195,404 residents, which would be like having added a second city of Glendale. The population of the city of Los Angeles grew 2.8 percent, from 3,792,621 to 3,898,747. This added 106,126 residents to the city, accounting for more than half of the county's growth.
Regionally, the Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley, both making up the northern half of Los Angeles County, saw the most notable changes, between 2010 and 2020. The population of the Santa Clarita Valley (centered on the city of Santa Clarita) grew 25 percent, adding 54,885 residents, with most of the growth in Santa Clarita. The population of the Antelope Valley (centered in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale) grew 10 percent, adding 25,922 residents, with most of the growth in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale.
The majority of Los Angeles County communities saw a population increase between 2010 and 2020. Those that saw the most notable increases are shown in the following table:
| Community | Population Increase | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clarita | +52,353 | +29.7% |
| West Rancho Dominguez* | +18,678 | +329.5% |
| Lancaster | +16,883 | +10.8% |
| Palmdale | +16,700 | +10.9% |
| East San Gabriel* | +7,895 | +53.1% |
| Redondo Beach | +4,828 | +7.2% |
| Azusa | +3,639 | +7.8% |
| Covina | +3,472 | +7.3% |
| Santa Fe Springs | +2,996 | +18.5% |
| Stevenson Ranch* | +2,621 | +14.9% |
| Marina del Rey* | +2,507 | +28.3% |
| Claremont | +2,340 | +6.7% |
| Westmont* | +2,060 | +6.5% |
| City of Industry | +45 | +20.5% |
About 40 percent of Los Angeles County communities saw population decreases in between 2010 and 2020. Those that saw the most notable decreases are shown in the following table:
| Community | Population Decrease | Percent Decrease |
|---|---|---|
| Willowbrook* | -11,688 | -32.5% |
| East Los Angeles* | -7,710 | -6.1% |
| Huntington Park | -3,231 | -5.6% |
| Bell Gardens | -2,571 | -6.1% |
| Lennox* | -2,430 | -10.7% |
| Maywood | -2,257 | -8.2% |
| Avocado Heights* | -2,094 | -13.6% |
| Malibu | -1,991 | -15.7% |
| Citrus* | -623 | -5.7% |
| Avalon | -268 | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 2010 | Change 2020 vs 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Total | 10,014,009 | 100.0% | 9,818,605 | 100.0% | +195,404 | +2.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native Alone | 163,464 | 1.6% | 72,828 | 0.7% | +90,636 | +124.5% |
| Asian Alone | 1,499,984 | 15.0% | 1,346,865 | 13.7% | +153,119 | +11.4% |
| Black or African American Alone | 794,364 | 7.9% | 856,874 | 8.7% | -62,510 | -7.3% |
| Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander Alone | 24,522 | 0.2% | 26,094 | 0.3% | -1,572 | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 2010 | Change 2020 vs 2010 | ||||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| White Alone | 3,259,427 | 32.5% | 4,936,599 | 50.3% | -1,677,172 | -34.0% |
| White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino | 2,563,609 | 25.6% | 2,728,321 | 27.8% | -164,712 | -6.0% |
| Some Other Race Alone | 2,784,180 | 27.8% | 2,140,632 | 21.8% | +643,548 | +30.1% |
| Two or More Races | 1,488,068 | 14.9% | 438,713 | 4.5% | +1,049,355 | +239.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,804,763 | 48.0% | 4,687,889 | 47.7% | +116,874 | +2.5% |
The most dramatic demographic shift in Los Angeles County, from 2010 to 2020, was the number of those who identified as either Multi-Race (identified as "Two or More Races") or “Other Races.” Persons identified as “Other Races” were those who did not identify singularly as American Indian, Native Alaskan, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White, or as Multi-Race. Their number increased 30 percent between 2010 and 2020, or by 643,548 people. Persons counted as Multi-Race, or “One or More Races,” increased 239 percent between 2010 and 2020, or by 1,049,355 people. Persons identifying as Mult-Race in 2020 made up 15 percent of Los Angeles County's population in 2020, as compared to only 5 percent in 2010.
Los Angeles County's American Indian/Alaska Native population also showed a dramatic 125 percent increase from 2010 to 2020. Although the county's Asian population grew a much less dramatic 11 percent, it did add 153,119 new residents.
Those who identified singularly as White in Los Angeles County in the 2020 Census made up 32.5 percent of the population in the 2020 Census, as compared to 50.3 percent in the 2010 Census. The White population overall declined by 34 percent. This decrease, however, did not appear to be exclusively due to shrinking numbers of White residents in the county - not even significantly. There has been a recent trend of persons of Hispanic or Latino origin shifting their racial identification from being exclusively White to identifying as Multi-Race, Other Races, or even American Indian. Persons identifying as White and Hispanic or Latino dropped 68 percent from 2010 to 2020 (a drop of about 1.5 million people). At the same time, 2020 saw the huge increase in those who identified as Other Races and Multi-Race, as noted earlier. It should also be noted that the number of White-not Hispanic or Latino persons in 2020 actually declined only 6 percent over the same time span, indicating the drop in the White population was predominantly among those who had also identified as Hispanic or Latino. In fact, the percentage of the White-not Hispanic or Latino population of the county's overall population dropped only from 28 percent in 2010, to 26 percent in 2020, not a dramatic change.
Los Angeles County's Black/African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations each also experienced a 7 to 6 percent decrease, respectively, from 2010 to 2020. Their relative proportions of the county's overall population, however, did not change significantly.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
People at Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
