Children are disappearing from major cities, and urban centers in California are leading the trend.<\/p>\n
The number of kids living in cities has fallen 6% nationwide over the past 10 years, according to a Wall Street Journal<\/a> analysis, as families increasingly ditch big-city life for more affordable pastures<\/a>. <\/p>\n San Jose<\/a>, the Silicon Valley hub that\u2019s home to some of the state\u2019s most expensive real estate, has lost a staggering 20% of its population under 18 \u2014 coming in first on the list of cities that have lost the largest percentages of kids. <\/p>\n San Jose lost 20% of its population under 18 between 2015 and 2024, according to a report. f11photo \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Even more dramatic, the number of kids under age 5 in San Jose has plummeted 34% in a decade, according to the report. <\/p>\n In Los Angeles, meanwhile, the number of children under 18 fell by 16% between 2015 and 2024.<\/p>\n Of the 25 cities that have lost the most children in that time frame, six were in California. <\/p>\n San Diego has lost 14% of its children while Fresno, Sacramento and San Francisco have lost 5%, 4% and 3% respectively, according to the analysis, which examined cities with more than 500,000 residents. <\/p>\n Falling birthrates nationwide are one factor driving the trend. ImageFlow \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Families with young kids have fled cities in search of more affordable lifestyles. stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n San Diego has lost 14% of its population under 18 over a decade. Gary \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Fresno lost 5% of its kids in ten years. Jacob \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Falling birthrates \u2014 a nationwide trend, with the number of births falling by 9% over the past decade \u2014 are only one factor driving the disappearance of kids from major cities. <\/p>\n The Covid pandemic accelerated the flight of families choosing to leave cities in search of more space and affordable living, the report noted. <\/p>\n \u201cFamilies had more exit options and they took them,\u201d Connor O\u2019Brien, a fellow at think tank the Institute for Progress, told the WSJ.<\/p>\n A handful of large cities, particularly in the Sun Belt, have bucked the trend and increased their share of kids. <\/p>\n The number of children in Fort Worth, Texas, and Jacksonville, Fla., increased by 11% over a decade, followed by Washington, D.C. and Seattle, which have each increased their kid populations by 10%. <\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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