San Francisco is seeing more people return to the city after losing tens of thousands of residents since 2020, according to a new estimate from the state of California.

The city's population grew by 4,925 people to 848,019 residents in the 12 months ended June 30, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Department of Finance. Populations also increased in nearby regions, including Silicon Valley, driven by the arrival of international and domestic migrants.

The population increase is welcome news for a city that has seen an exodus of residents and retailers in recent years, plunging San Francisco into a deepening budget crisis. The population decline has been driven by high housing costs and the rise of telecommuting, allowing tech workers to flee an urban center hit hard during the pandemic while earning Silicon Valley salaries.

HD Palmer, a spokesman for the Treasury Department, called the news a “devastating blow” to critics of San Francisco who saw the city entering a so-called doom loop of fleeing residents and declining tax revenues.

International migration has been hampered in recent years by restrictive federal immigration policies, he said, but authorities have begun approving the backlog of H-1B visas that built up during the pandemic, opening the door to skilled foreign workers open for relocation to the Bay Area, Palmer said.

While population gains in the San Francisco Bay Area provided a bright spot in the Golden State, California's total population fell again by 37,203 residents in 2023, marking the fourth consecutive year of losses. The state has seen a net decline of more than 430,000 people since 2020, resulting in the loss of a congressional seat in 2021.

Several factors exacerbated by the pandemic are contributing to the state's population decline, including a higher-than-average mortality rate, a declining birth rate, a decline in international migration and more Californians moving to other states.

Still, the state's population decline slowed in the last fiscal year. And despite four years of declines, California remains the country's most populous state, with about one in eight U.S. residents calling it home.

Subscribe to the CFO Daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the trends, topics and leaders shaping corporate finance. Sign up for free.

The post San Francisco inhabitants rises for first time since post-pandemic exodus—however California numbers are nonetheless dwindling appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Golden Gate Bridge at sunset in San Francisco Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images

San Francisco is seeing a trickle of people return to the city after losing tens of thousands of residents since 2020, according to a new estimate released by the state of California. 

The city’s population grew by 4,925 people to 848,019 residents during the 12 months ended on June 30, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Department of Finance. Nearby regions including Silicon Valley also saw boosts in their population, driven by the arrival of international and domestic migrants. 

The population gain is welcome news for a city that has seen an exodus of residents and retail businesses in recent years, plunging San Francisco into a worsening budget crisis. The population loss was driven by high housing costs and the rise of remote work, giving tech workers the ability to flee an urban center hit hard during the pandemic while still collecting Silicon Valley salaries.

H.D. Palmer, a spokesperson for the Department of Finance, called the news a “crushing blow” to critics of San Francisco who saw the city entering a so-called doom loop of fleeing residents and sinking tax revenue.

International migration had been hampered in recent years by restrictive federal immigration policy, but officials have begun approving the backlog of H-1B visas that piled up during the pandemic, opening the door for skilled foreign workers to move to the Bay Area, according to Palmer.

While population gains in the San Francisco Bay Area offered a bright spot in the Golden State, California’s overall population declined again in 2023 by 37,203 residents, marking the fourth consecutive year of losses. The state has seen a net drop of more than 430,000 people since 2020, leading to the loss of a congressional seat in 2021. 

Several factors exacerbated by the pandemic are contributing to the state’s population decline, including a higher-than-normal death rate, a falling birth rate, a drop in international migration and more Californians moving to other states.

Still, the state’s population’s rate of decline slowed during the lastest fiscal year. And despite four years of drops, California remains the nation’s most populous state, with roughly 1 in 8 US residents calling it home. 

The post San Francisco inhabitants rises for first time since post-pandemic exodus—however California numbers are nonetheless dwindling appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

A new law proposed by San Francisco supervisor Aaron Peskin on Tuesday aims to prevent laundromat closings, which Peskin said has declined significantly in the city over the past decade.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Peskin said the closure of laundromats, which mainly serve low-income people in densely populated neighborhoods, “is undoubtedly a social and racial issue.”

Citing data from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, one in three laundromats in the city has closed its doors in the past decade, with only 204 laundromats left, compared with 288 in 2013.

“It’s an issue that affects seniors and people with disabilities and everyone in the neighborhood who doesn’t have access to an on-site washer and dryer,” he said. “The steep decline in the number of laundromats in the city is something we should take note of and be concerned about.”

In order for another company to take over a laundromat or dry cleaning, the proposed law would require the city’s planning committee first to hold a public hearing to determine whether replacing the laundromat with another use is necessary and desirable.

Legislation would also require landlords to replace washing machines and dryers in residential buildings when they are removed to create an additional housing unit.

Peskin says his office has been working on the bill for a year and has found neighborhoods like Tenderloin, Lower Nob Hill, Mission District, and Chinatown to have the highest concentration of laundromats in the city.

“Laundromats are a profitable business, but that doesn’t mean they can always compete for rents with high-volume businesses and tourism-oriented businesses from bubbles. Tons of Bubbles has three locations across town.

“My customers live in neighborhoods where it is necessary for their daily life to have important services within walking distance. A laundromat fits that need, ”she said.

Planning Commissioner Deland Chan supports the bill.

“From a city-wide perspective, laundromats tend to be concentrated in apartment buildings and apartment buildings, and they disproportionately serve color communities,” she said. “That is a needs-based service and part of the social infrastructure of our city.”

Peskin’s office expects to hold a hearing in the Board’s Land Use and Transportation Committee on the matter sometime in September.

The post The trouble to save lots of San Francisco’s dwindling laundromats appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.