By Reagan Steele – Business & Economic Policy Writer

Roseville recorded the largest numeric population increase among California cities with fewer than 300,000 residents last year, according to new estimates from the California Department of Finance covering January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026.

The Placer County city added 4,293 residents, bringing its population to 165,455 and securing the top spot on the state’s list of the 10 cities under 300,000 with the largest numeric changes. Nearby Sacramento-region communities also made strong showings, with Elk Grove ranking third at a gain of 3,824 residents (population now 188,319) and Folsom seventh with an increase of 2,001 (population 95,680).

The data highlights continued growth in suburban and exurban areas of Northern California, even as the state as a whole has struggled with flat or declining overall population trends in recent years. Other top gainers included Santa Clara (3,923 new residents), Ontario (2,517), Lathrop (2,151), Menifee (2,034), Twentynine Palms (1,951), and Sunnyvale (1,929). Norco rounded out the list with a numeric decline of 1,774.

Analysts and local leaders point to factors like more affordable housing relative to coastal hubs, family-friendly amenities, and job opportunities in sectors beyond tech as drivers for these gains. In the Sacramento metro area, for instance, Roseville, Elk Grove, and Folsom have long appealed to families and working professionals seeking a balance of suburban living with access to the capital city’s economy.

Yet the figures come against a backdrop of broader challenges for California. While select smaller cities in more Republican-leaning suburbs posted notable increases, the state’s largest urban centers—many dominated by Democratic leadership—have continued to see population outflows. Los Angeles County, for example, led the nation in raw numeric losses, shedding tens of thousands of residents amid high housing costs, persistent crime concerns, and regulatory burdens that critics say have made daily life untenable for many middle-class families.

San Francisco, long a symbol of progressive governance, has faced its own well-documented exodus in recent years, with residents citing skyrocketing taxes, visible homelessness and property crime, and the erosion of basic public services as key reasons for leaving. Statewide estimates from the Department of Finance and U.S. Census data reflect a pattern where net domestic migration has trended negative, even as international inflows provide some offset. Many of the cities experiencing growth, such as those in the Sacramento region, lean more Republican than California at large, according to voter registration patterns.

These demographic shifts raise pointed questions about the long-term sustainability of policy priorities that have defined much of the state’s governance. Residents appear to be voting with their feet, suggesting that for a growing number of Californians, the balance of high taxes and perceived under-delivery on core government functions, like effective crime prevention and cost-of-living relief, has tipped unfavorably. As suburban strongholds like Roseville, Elk Grove, and Folsom draw new arrivals, the data underscores a quiet but significant realignment in where people choose to build their futures in the Golden State.