Noticing More Neighbors? California Population Nears 40 Million

If you've been feeling more cramped in California lately, a new report will answer why.

The Golden State added approximately 309,000 new residents last year, according to new numbers released by the California Department of Finance. The year-to-year 0.78 percent bump in population growth means that an estimated 39,810,000 people call California home as of Jan. 1, 2018.

Los Angeles is far and away California's most populous city with an estimated 4,054,400 residents, according to the report. San Diego follows with 1,419,845 residents. San Jose checks in as the third-most populated city with 1,051,316 residents.

San Francisco (883,963 residents) and Oakland (428,827 residents) were the only other Bay Area cities among the 10 most populated cities in the state, according to the latest numbers.

When it comes to growth, Chino Hills led the way with a 4.6 percent increase in population surge this past year, according to the report. Dublin, which now features a population of 63,241 people, was labeled as the second-fastest growing city in the state. Newark — now home to 47,467 residents — was third with a 3.9 percent hike in population.

California as a whole in 2017 added roughly 85,000 housing units to shelter the swelling population, according to the report.

Los Angeles beat out all other cities by adding 13,852 housing units. San Diego (5,961 units), San Francisco (4,464 units), Irvine (3,798 units) and San Jose (2,590 units) followed suit, respectively.