OUR POPULATION GROWTH IS SLOWING

Why Is This Important?

A region’s people are the growth engine that drives the economy, generates prosperity, and shapes its quality of life. Migration from around the country and around the world joined with natural population in creases has fueled the growth of new people in Solano Count y. With this growing population come the new resources and ideas that drive economic growth and regional prosperity.

How Are We Doing?
Solano County’s population continues to grow, though at a decreasing rate. In 2009, Solano’s population grew slightly (0.1%) while the state experienced annual growth just below 1 percent and the rest of the Bay Area incurred growth a little above 1 percent. Since 2 000, Solano has grown by 7 percent with a net increase o f 29, 250 residents, while the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area and California have grown by 9 percent and 13 percent, respectively. In contrast, Solano grew faster than both the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area and Cal ifornia in 2000 and 2001.

Natural change, due to births a nd deat hs, is currently driving population growth. Solano County has maintained positive population growth despite continuing negative n et migration for the last four years. Net migration includes all legal foreign immigrants, residents who left California to live abroad, and do mestic migration, the balance of people moving to and from the region from withi n the United States.

Domestic out-migration continues to outpace foreign in-migration for the fourth year in a row. Population growth due to foreign migration decreased 35 perce nt from 2008 to 2009, though still adding 1,549 new residents while the county had a net loss of 3 ,752 residents to other parts of the country.