Santa Clara County Migration Statistics
Santa Clara County lost 87,760 residents on net to other United States states between July 2020 and July 2025, yet its population still rose by 4,162 to 1,930,033. Natural increase and net international immigration covered the gap: 37,800 natural increase and 54,122 net immigration. The county ended the period close to its 2020 population level, with a materially different mix of components behind that total.
Key Santa Clara County Migration Statistics
California Department of Finance- Santa Clara County's population was 1,930,033 on July 1, 2025. (California Department of Finance)
- Net domestic migration was -14,858 in the year ending July 2025. (California Department of Finance)
- Across five years the county lost 87,760 residents on net to other states. (California Department of Finance)
- That is 7.0% of California's entire net domestic loss. (California Department of Finance)
- Net international immigration added 10,799 in the latest year. (California Department of Finance)
- Natural increase added 7,807, the difference between 18,626 births and 10,819 deaths. (California Department of Finance)
- Total five year population change was +4,162, on a base of 1,925,871. (California Department of Finance)
- Santa Clara County ranks 3rd in California for net domestic migration loss, behind Los Angeles and Orange. (California Department of Finance)
- All ten of California's largest counties recorded negative net domestic migration in the latest year. (California Department of Finance)
Is Santa Clara County Losing Population?
No, but only because natural increase and net international immigration offset the domestic loss. Santa Clara County grew by 4,162 people between July 2020 and July 2025 while losing 87,760 residents on net to other United States states.
The county population was 1,930,033 on July 1, 2025, making it the sixth largest in California. Three forces move that number: natural increase, which is births minus deaths; net international immigration; and net domestic migration, which is moves to and from other states. In Santa Clara County the first two are positive and the third has been deeply negative every year for five years. Nine tenths of the five year gain of 4,162 arrived in the final year alone, at 3,748, so the county was effectively flat from 2020 to 2024 before turning up.
| Year ending July | Natural increase | Net immigration | Net domestic migration | Total change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | +6,928 | +414 | -36,739 | -29,397 |
| 2021-22 | +8,250 | +10,340 | -17,533 | +1,057 |
| 2022-23 | +7,368 | +15,177 | -13,521 | +9,024 |
| 2023-24 | +7,447 | +17,392 | -5,109 | +19,730 |
| 2024-25 | +7,807 | +10,799 | -14,858 | +3,748 |
| Five year total | +37,800 | +54,122 | -87,760 | +4,162 |
Source: California Department of Finance, report E-2, California County Population Estimates and Components of Change by Year, July 1, 2020 to 2025, released December 2025. The 2025 figures are preliminary.
How Many People Are Leaving Santa Clara County for Other States?
Net domestic migration was -14,858 in the year ending July 2025, and -87,760 across the five years since 2020.
That five year figure is roughly 4.5% of the county's current population, and it is 7.0% of California's entire net domestic loss over the same period. The pandemic year was the worst by a wide margin at -36,739. The outflow then narrowed for three straight years before widening again in 2024-25.
| Year ending July | California | Santa Clara County | County share of state loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | -369,152 | -36,739 | 10.0% |
| 2021-22 | -278,895 | -17,533 | 6.3% |
| 2022-23 | -246,433 | -13,521 | 5.5% |
| 2023-24 | -140,142 | -5,109 | 3.6% |
| 2024-25 | -215,540 | -14,858 | 6.9% |
Source: California Department of Finance, report E-2. Net domestic migration counts persons moving to California from another state minus those moving out to another state.
Why Is Santa Clara County Still Growing?
Net international immigration and natural increase. Net immigration added 10,799 and natural increase added 7,807 in the year ending July 2025, together more than covering the -14,858 domestic loss.
Across five years the arithmetic is stark. Natural increase contributed 37,800 and international immigration 54,122, against a domestic loss of -87,760. Net result: 4,162. Santa Clara County ended the five year period close to its 2020 population level, but the components of that population changed materially as international immigration and natural increase offset sustained domestic losses.
A county can record substantial domestic outflow without an equivalent decline in total housing demand when international migration and natural increase offset the population loss. The composition of that demand may change. This migration dataset does not identify tenure, household formation, or whether movers rent or own, so it cannot establish who sells and who rents. For those measures see the Aegis homeownership and housing inventory pages.
How Does Santa Clara County Compare to Its Neighbors?
Santa Clara County lost more residents to other states than San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey combined, at -14,858 against -7,471. Santa Cruz County was the only one of the four to finish negative, at 608, because its natural increase of 140 was the smallest in the group by a factor of 16.
| County | Net domestic migration | Net immigration | Natural increase | Total change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County | -14,858 | +10,799 | +7,807 | +3,748 |
| San Mateo County | -4,706 | +2,805 | +2,298 | +397 |
| Monterey County | -1,555 | +970 | +2,396 | +1,811 |
| Santa Cruz County | -1,210 | +462 | +140 | -608 |
Source: California Department of Finance, report E-2, preliminary July 1, 2025 estimates.
Which California Counties Lose the Most to Other States?
Los Angeles County at -79,784, Orange County at -22,891, and Santa Clara County third at -14,858.
Every one of California's ten largest counties recorded negative net domestic migration in the year ending July 2025, without exception. Placer County was among the few California counties to post a positive figure, at +860. Statewide the net domestic loss was -215,540. The five largest county losses total 143,463, which is 67% of that statewide figure.
| County | Net domestic migration | Net immigration | Total change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | -79,784 | +30,303 | -28,484 |
| Orange County | -22,891 | +13,173 | -1,430 |
| Santa Clara County | -14,858 | +10,799 | +3,748 |
| San Diego County | -13,845 | +12,548 | +10,807 |
| Alameda County | -12,085 | +8,691 | +2,144 |
| San Bernardino County | -10,207 | +4,636 | +3,463 |
| Contra Costa County | -8,546 | +5,183 | -1,044 |
| Riverside County | -7,195 | +5,204 | +5,050 |
| Sacramento County | -5,797 | +9,913 | +8,756 |
| Fresno County | -876 | +748 | +5,374 |
Source: California Department of Finance, report E-2. These ten counties hold roughly 72 percent of California's population.
How These Figures Are Calculated
All figures come from the California Department of Finance report E-2, the official state and county population estimate series. Five year totals and share calculations are derived by adding the published annual values.
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Source | California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, report E-2 |
| Reference date | July 1 each year; annual figures cover July to July |
| Natural increase | Births minus deaths |
| Net domestic migration | Moves into the county from elsewhere in the United States minus moves out to elsewhere in the United States |
| Net immigration | Moves in from a foreign country minus moves out to live abroad |
| 2025 status | Preliminary; 2020 through 2024 are revised |
| Known limitation | Finance states this series could not incorporate federal tax return data or Census Bureau county proportions because of the federal shutdown from October 1 to November 12, 2025, so future revisions may be larger than normal |
| Method change | Finance added asylum seekers and temporary protected status arrivals for 2020 to 2024, raising prior international migration estimates by 321,000 statewide |
| Derived figures | Five year totals, percentage shares and county comparisons, computed by Aegis from published annual values |
No figure on this page originates from a consumer portal or a commercial aggregator. Source values come from the Department of Finance release; five-year totals, percentage shares and county comparisons are calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate from those published values.
Official Sources
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Using these figures
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Timothy Alston. "Santa Clara County Migration Statistics." Aegis Luxury Real Estate, DRE# 01328224, updated August 17, 2026. https://aegishomesre.com/santa-clara-county-migration-statistics/
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Santa Clara County losing population?
No, but only because natural increase and net international immigration offset the domestic loss. Santa Clara County grew by 4,162 people between July 2020 and July 2025. Over the same period it lost 87,760 residents on net to other United States states, offset by 54,122 net international immigrants and 37,800 natural increase.
What is Santa Clara County’s net domestic migration loss?
Net domestic migration was -14,858 in the year ending July 2025, meaning that many more residents moved to other states than moved in from them. The five year total is -87,760.
Why is Santa Clara County still growing?
Two sources offset the domestic outflow. Natural increase added 7,807 in the latest year, and net international immigration added 10,799. Without international immigration the county would have shrunk in the year ending July 2025.
What is Santa Clara County's population?
1,930,033 as of July 1, 2025, from the California Department of Finance preliminary estimate. That makes it the sixth largest county in California and one of ten with more than a million residents.
Which California county has the largest net domestic migration loss?
Los Angeles County, at -79,784 net domestic migration in the year ending July 2025. Orange County follows at -22,891 and Santa Clara County is third at -14,858.
Did the pandemic exodus from Santa Clara County reverse?
Partly, then it resumed. Net domestic migration was -36,739 in 2020-21, improved every year to -5,109 in 2023-24, then widened again to -14,858 in 2024-25. The outflow is smaller than the pandemic peak but has not stopped.
Timothy Alston
Timothy Alston is a licensed California real estate Broker serving all 15 cities of Santa Clara County. This reference page is maintained as part of an ongoing statistical series and is updated in place when its source data or methodology materially changes.