Palm Desert's Population Changed In 2024: What To Know

PALM DESERT, CA — Communities across the Golden State and nationwide are growing once again.

The U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 shows population gains across every corner of the U.S., with the Southern and Western reaches leading the charge.

While Los Angeles was the city that saw the biggest boom in population between July 2023 and July 2024, California cities, large and small, followed the national trend, according to the report.

In Palm Desert, the population inched up from 52,284 in 2023 to 53,147 in 2024 — a 1.65 percent change.

Across Riverside County, the data showed some notable shifts in Menifee, which saw a nearly 3 percent growth in population last year, Beaumont with a 2.5 percent growth and Perris, which recorded just over 2 percent in growth.

“Many population growth rates reversed or saw major changes between 2023 and 2024,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.

In total, 12 of the 15 cities with the highest numeric gains were in the South or West, reflecting broader migratory shifts and economic development in those regions.

Smaller cities in California weren’t left behind either.

Tracy, in San Joaquin County, crossed the 100,000-resident mark this year, alongside Federal Way in Washington and five Southern cities. California now has 13 cities with more than 100,000 residents.

The state also retained its title as the nation's housing heavyweight, with nearly 14.9 million housing units — more than any other state. Los Angeles County alone added 32,000 units, second only to Maricopa County, Arizona.

“Cities in the Northeast that had experienced population declines in 2023 are now experiencing significant population growth, on average," Delbé said."In fact, cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same."

Last year, California's population climbed over 39.5 million, marking a second year of growth after a few years of COVID-era declines.

In 2021, the state lost more than 117,000 people. It was the second consecutive year the population declined.

The population of California, the nation's most populous state, was likely shrinking amid an aging population of Baby Boomers and a decline in younger Californians having children, according to state demographers.

The state's population began its decline before the pandemic, but COVID-19-related deaths, federal policies restricting immigration and an increase in residents moving out of state during the pandemic contributed to the dip.

Through it all, California remained the nation's most populous state. Today, about one in nine people living in the United States reside in California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the state's continued growth earlier this year.

"People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected. As the fourth largest economy in the world — from the Inland Empire to the Bay Area," he said.

Here are some national highlights from the report:

• Washington, D.C., added nearly 15,000 residents in 2024 — almost twice its 2023 growth.
• Los Angeles returned to the top gainers list for the first time since 2016, adding over 31,000 people and ranking third nationally.
• Jacksonville, FL (1,009,833) and Fort Worth, Texas (1,008,106) both surpassed 1 million residents.
• Twelve of the 15 biggest population gainers were in the South or West, though New York City topped the list with an increase of 87,184. Others in the top five included Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Fort Worth.
• Seven cities passed 100,000 residents, five of them in the South. The remaining two — Tracy, Calif., and Federal Way, Wash. — are in the West.
• Twenty-two cities in 16 states surpassed 20,000 residents, with most located in the South.