Listen Now!  (4:41 Minutes)

Download the MP3  (1.6 MB)

• More LA Daily News Podcasts
• Podcast/iTunes FAQ
• Download the Latest iTunes Software
• Search All News Podcasts

Population growth slows to a trickle in both California and L.A. - DOWNTURN: Unemployment, housing crisis are fueling more departures from city, state

Dragged down by the recession, population growth in California and Los Angeles has slowed to historically low levels that even the state's still-healthy birth rate cannot overcome, according to data released Thursday.

The state's population grew by only 1.1 percent last year to reach 38.3 million, according to the California Department of Finance. By contrast, a decade ago annual growth of 2 percent or more was common.

Los Angeles also grew by about 1.1 percent, to reach an estimated population of 4,065,585 last year.

Los Angeles County grew by 0.9 percent for a total population of 10,393,185 - representing just over a quarter of the state's overall population.

About two-thirds of California's cities reported slower growth in 2008 compared with the rest of the decade.

"We really are seeing a slowing of population growth in-state, where some of the hot areas seem to be cooling," said Mary Heim, chief of the agency's demographics research unit   Read Full Article...