What are the fastest-growing metro areas in California?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (+3.5%), Yuba City, CA (+3.3%) and Fresno, CA (+3.2%) grew fastest among California metro areas between 2020 and 2025.
Data as of 2025 · updated
All 7 ranked California metro areas
| Rank | Metro area | Change 2020–25 | People added | Residents 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | +3.5% | +161,361 | 4,769,007 |
| 2 | Yuba City, CA | +3.3% | +6,019 | 187,478 |
| 3 | Fresno, CA | +3.2% | +37,424 | 1,203,383 |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | +3.1% | +75,537 | 2,477,274 |
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | −0.6% | −11,401 | 1,984,473 |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | −2.4% | −115,812 | 4,630,041 |
| 7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | −2.6% | −338,236 | 12,844,441 |
How this is ranked
The percentage change in the Census Bureau's July 1 resident population estimates between 2020 and 2025, with the number of people added. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025). Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built.
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Questions
Which metro area in California is growing fastest?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: +3.5%, ahead of Yuba City, CA (+3.3%) and Fresno, CA (+3.2%), of 7 California metro areas ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
The percentage change in the Census Bureau's July 1 resident population estimates between 2020 and 2025, with the number of people added. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.