A new report from NumbersUSA argues that California’s rapid population growth has helped transform millions of acres of farmland and natural land into housing, roads and other development over the past five decades.
The September report, titled Paving Paradise, examined the expansion of California cities from 1970 to the present and concluded that 91% of land development was tied to population increases. The group says that growth was driven largely by immigration.
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According to the report, California’s population has doubled over the past 50 years, increasing demand for land, housing and infrastructure. NumbersUSA also links that growth to water shortages, wildlife loss, wildfire risk, traffic congestion and rising housing costs.
Millions of Acres Developed
The report says California lost 2.4 million acres of agricultural and natural land from 1982 to 2022, describing the area as roughly three times the size of Yosemite National Park.
Jim Robb, vice president of NumbersUSA, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that traffic has become one of the state’s most visible symptoms of growth.
“There’s been a huge amount of population growth since we were looking at California last and one of the biggest issues is the length of commutes and constant jamming of all the highways,” Robb told the outlet.
Voters Worried About Traffic, Water and Farmland
The report also cites an August survey of 1,030 California residents commissioned by NumbersUSA and conducted by Noble Predictive Insights.
In that survey, 78% of respondents expressed concern about growing commute times, 80% said they were worried about future water supply, and 93% said protecting California’s remaining farmland, forests, wetlands and open spaces from further development was important.
Housing Pressure and Immigration Debate
NumbersUSA argues that California’s status as a sanctuary state and its economic pull have made it a major destination for illegal immigrants. The source article cites the Public Policy Institute of California as saying between 400,000 illegal immigrants came to the state between 2021 and 2023 during the Biden administration.
Robb told the Daily Caller News Foundation that California remains attractive because of its beauty, large economy and welfare benefits, but argued that limited land and jobs increase pressure on existing residents.
“There’s a lot of reasons California is a big draw, its a beautiful state with a gigantic economy, and major welfare benefits but there’s also limited land and limited jobs so it puts pressure on the people who are already there,” Robb said.
The report’s conclusions are likely to fuel a larger debate over whether California’s growth problems are mainly the result of immigration policy, state housing and land-use decisions, environmental rules, or broader economic forces. The supplied source presents NumbersUSA’s findings and comments from Robb, but does not include a response from California officials, immigration advocates or independent demographers.
