Los Angeles hits a milestone: 4 million people and counting
Los Angeles gained 42,470 people from 2016 to 2017.
That might not seem like a lot, but it was enough to push the city’s population over the 4-million mark — to 4,041,707, according to a new state report.
The milestone isn’t much of a surprise, given that other studies already put the city’s population at 4 million. But it’s a mark that underscores Los Angeles’ place as the dominant population center in California.
The rest of the Top 10:
- San Diego: 1,406,318
- San Jose: 1,046,079
- San Francisco: 874,228
- Fresno: 525,832
- Sacramento: 493,025
- Long Beach: 480,173
- Oakland: 426,074
- Bakersfield: 383,512
- Anaheim: 358,546
Here’s a look at L.A.’s path to 4 million people:
1950
Population: 1.9 million
California was in the midst of post-World War II suburbanization. Much of the city was developed before the war, but the 1950s saw vast housing tracts going up in the San Fernando Valley.
Milestones: Los Angeles came out of World War II poised to become an economic powerhouse, thanks in part to defense spending.