10 Largest Cities in California by Population (2025)

January 22, 2025 by Georges Benoliel

California is the most populous state in the country by a wide margin — and after two straight years of decline during the pandemic, its population is growing again. The state added roughly 108,000 residents in 2024 alone, reaching about 39.53 million as of January 2025, driven mainly by a rebound in international immigration. But that statewide growth isn’t evenly distributed: San Francisco, notably, is still shrinking while the rest of the state expands. Here are the state’s 10 largest cities, using current U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

1. Los Angeles (Population: 3,869,089)

Los Angeles is California’s largest city by more than double the runner-up, and it isn’t close. Part of that is genuine scale, but part of it is geography: LA’s city limits sprawl across roughly 469 square miles, allowing it to absorb far more low-density neighborhoods within its official boundary than a tightly bounded city like San Francisco ever could.

2. San Diego (Population: 1,406,106)

San Diego is California’s second-largest city and the only other one in the state to clear a million residents outside Los Angeles. Its economy leans on the Navy, biotech, and tourism, and its growth has stayed comparatively steady even as some of the state’s other major metros have seen population swings.

3. San Jose (Population: 989,814)

San Jose, the unofficial capital of Silicon Valley, has grown enough on the back of tech-sector job creation that it now outpaces San Francisco in raw population — even though San Francisco remains the more internationally recognized name. It’s a useful reminder that name recognition and population size aren’t the same thing.

4. San Francisco (Population: 826,079)

San Francisco is the one city on this list moving against California’s overall growth trend. Its Vintage 2025 population (826,079) is essentially flat to slightly down from Vintage 2024 (827,526), and the city remains meaningfully below its pre-pandemic peak.

San Francisco’s 47-square-mile footprint — a fraction of LA’s land area — also means the same raw population loss shows up as a much larger percentage shift than it would in a sprawling city.

5. Fresno (Population: 555,549)

Fresno anchors California’s Central Valley agricultural economy and is one of the state’s more affordable major cities, a contrast to the coastal metros further up this list.

6. Sacramento (Population: 536,449)

Sacramento, the state capital, combines government employment with a growing tech and healthcare presence, and has continued adding residents even as some coastal cities have plateaued.

7. Long Beach (Population: 450,469)

Long Beach, technically its own city rather than a Los Angeles neighborhood, anchors one of the busiest port complexes in the country and has a distinct waterfront identity from its much larger neighbor to the north.

8. Oakland (Population: 440,838)

Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, has a genuinely distinct culture and economy from its more famous neighbor, and has generally held its population steadier than SF has in recent years.

9. Bakersfield (Population: 422,165)

Bakersfield, at the southern end of the Central Valley, has been one of California’s more consistently growing major cities, helped by relatively affordable housing compared to the coast.

10. Anaheim (Population: 341,008)

Anaheim rounds out the top 10, best known nationally as the home of Disneyland, though its economy extends well beyond tourism into a genuinely diversified Orange County business base.

One to Watch: Irvine Has Overtaken Santa Ana

Just outside the top 10, there’s a genuinely current changeover worth flagging: Irvine (318,764) has overtaken Santa Ana (315,586) in the latest Census data — a reversal from a few years ago when Santa Ana ranked higher. Stockton (324,597) and Riverside (323,057) round out the cities closest to breaking into the top 10.

What Population Trends Mean for Housing Demand

Population growth and housing demand move together, which is why this data matters beyond trivia. Cities adding residents faster than they add housing supply — historically the case in much of coastal California — tend to see sustained upward pressure on both rents and home prices.

San Francisco’s ongoing population softness is the clearest counter-example on this list: even a modest, sustained population decline can show up in a housing market as softer rent growth or more negotiating room for buyers, which is worth knowing whether you’re evaluating an investment or just trying to time a move.

FAQ

What is the largest city in California?

Los Angeles, with a population of 3,869,089 as of the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate — more than double the population of San Diego, the state’s second-largest city.

Is California’s population growing or shrinking?

Growing overall — the state added roughly 108,000 residents in 2024, its second consecutive year of growth after pandemic-era declines. San Francisco is a notable exception, with a population that’s stayed essentially flat to slightly down over the same period.

Why is Los Angeles so much larger than other California cities?

Partly genuine population, but largely geography: Los Angeles’s city limits span about 469 square miles, letting it incorporate far more area — and far more residents — within its official boundary than compact cities like San Francisco (47 square miles) ever could.

For related guides, see the cheapest places to live in California, the state’s richest cities, or how California compares to the largest cities in Florida.

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