{"id":414201,"date":"2026-07-27T19:25:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/414201\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T19:25:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:25:18","slug":"california-city-leads-nation-in-baby-bust-as-families-flee-urban-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/414201\/","title":{"rendered":"California city leads nation in \u2018baby bust\u2019 as families flee urban centers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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’s home to some of the state’s 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<\/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<\/p>\n

Falling birthrates nationwide are one factor driving the trend. ImageFlow \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\"Families<\/p>\n

Families with young kids have fled cities in search of more affordable lifestyles. \u00c3\u00c2\u00c3\u00c2\u00bd\u00c3\u00c2\u00b4\u00c3\u00e2\u00ac\u00c3\u00c2\u00b5\u00c3\u00c2\u00b9 \u00c3\u00e2\u00c3\u00c6\u00c3\u00e2\u00ac\u00c3\u00c2\u00b0\u00c3\u00c2\u00b2\u00c3\u00c2\u00bb\u00c3\u00c2\u00b5\u00c3\u00c2\u00b2 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Diego has lost 14% of its population under 18 over a decade. Gary \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\"Fresno<\/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

“Families had more exit options and they took them,” Connor O’Brien, 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

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