San Mateo County, California – Though many areas saw general decline, the Bay Area saw minor population gain in 2024, adding about 2,500 more residents, according to figures from the California Department of Finance that was recently released. Amid this modest regional rise, two San Mateo County communities particularly stood out for their growth rates, underlining a tendency favoring smaller Peninsula municipalities.
With a population of little over 25,000, Belmont saw the fastest growth across the whole Bay Area, at 3.9%. Reflecting the city’s increasing attractiveness, perhaps because of its residential nature, enhanced infrastructure, and closeness to major job centers, this means more than 1,000 new people relocating to Belmont. Nearby Burlingame came in second with a significant 2.6% rise, bringing its population to over 31,500.
Berkeley appeared as another interesting example across the Bay, growing to be the largest city in the East Bay to show substantial growth. Berkeley’s 1.3% increase throughout the year brought in another 1,700 people. The rise indicates ongoing appeal potentially related to Berkeley’s job and educational opportunities.
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Other regional cities also reported increases above 1%. Modest but significant development was seen in Oakley in Contra Costa County, Dublin and Newark in Alameda County, and Gilroy in Santa Clara County, all of which point to various factors of growth—from home affordability to local job growth.
Larger cities, meanwhile, had an inconsistent set of results. Historically the largest city in the area, San Jose suffered yet another small decline, falling 0.08% to about 979,415 people. This keeps San Jose’s pattern of slow population decline and removes it from the select group of U.S. cities with more over one million people.
San Francisco lost almost 3,000 people, or 0.39%, even more dramatically, bringing its total population to roughly 842,000. The city’s continuing population decline can indicate ongoing problems including remote job patterns and high cost of living.
Of the 69 cities in the Bay Area, most—about 40—reported population losses. Moraga, Contra Costa County saw the largest loss, losing about 2% of its population and ending up with about 16,600 people by the beginning of 2025.
These shifts reflect more general demographic patterns in California at the state level. The state saw overall population growth of about 108,000 people, reaching approximately 39,529,000 residents. Statewide contributory elements were a significant increase in legal immigration, natural population growth, and an aging population.
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Reflecting cautious optimism as cities in the Bay Area adjust to changing demographics and economic reality, the little population increase of 0.04% in 2024 suggests stability following the upheaval of past years despite this mixed landscape.
