With 88 incorporated cities within its boundaries – including five here on the densely populated Westside – it is little wonder Los Angeles County is the nation’s most populous.
According to data released by the United States Census Bureau this week, Los Angeles County is the first county in the nation to break eight digits. Through July 1, 2013, the most current estimates released by the Census Bureau, the 4,083-square-mile county is home to 10,017,068 residents, more than three times the size of California’s second largest county (San Diego).
Even more, Los Angeles County is almost double the size of the second largest county in the nation. Illinois’ Cook County, which is home to an estimated 5,240,700 people, is home to the City of Chicago and trails Los Angeles County by almost five million residents.
If Los Angeles County were its own state, it would be the eighth-most populous in the union, ranking just ahead of Michigan and Georgia and just behind Ohio and Illinois.
The County’s population is up 0.65 percent from last year’s reported data, which estimated 9,951,690 people living within Los Angeles County. In the two previous years, the County population was estimated to be 9,885,201 and 9,826,044, respectively.
Los Angeles County includes the Westside cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Malibu, Santa Monica, and portions of the City of Los Angeles such as Brentwood, Century City, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Palms, Rancho Park, Venice, and Westwood, among other areas.
According to data released in 2010, the estimated population for the entire Westside region is about 541,000, though the number could be higher considering the overall growth of Los Angeles County between 2010 and 2013. The County’s net natural population growth – counting those residents born and died between July 1, 2012 and July 1, 2013 – was 68,476.
Interestingly enough, the County did have a net migration loss of 2,737. Specifically, 39,399 foreign-born residents moved into Los Angeles County between July 1, 2012 and July 1, 2013. However, 42,136 people who lived in the County prior to July 1, 2012 and left it by July 1, 2013, the Census Bureau estimates.
Rounding out the Top 5 most populated counties within California: San Diego (3,211,252); Orange (3,114,363); Riverside (2,292,507); and, San Bernardino (2,088,371).
Nationwide, Harris County, which includes Houston, Tex., is the third largest county with 4,336,853 residents. The only other county with more than 4 million residents is Arizona’s Maricopa (4,009,412), which includes the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Glendale.
Kings County in New York, which is home to the Borough of Brooklyn, is the fifth largest county in the nation with 2,592,149 people.
As of Feb. 1, the Census Bureau estimates the total U.S. population is 317,456,363.
The Census Bureau released the county estimates March 27.
