Editing Southern California (section)

==Population==
{{See also|Greater Los Angeles#Demographics}}
{{US Census population
|1850=6492
|1860=33280
|1870=44158
|1880=91916
|1890=251770
|1900=337328
|1910=808408
|1920=1423786
|1930=3044978
|1940=3840733
|1950=5931975
|1960=9398722
|1970=12103559
|1980=14308742
|1990=18269095
|2000=20637512
|2010=22680010
|2020=23762904
|estyear=
|estimate=
|footnote=Sources: 1790–1990, 2000, 2010, 2020<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf|title=1990 Census of Population and Housing Unit Counts, Population Estimates 1790–1990 CPH-2-1, pages 26–27|publisher=United States Census Bureau, [[United States Department of Commerce]] (DOC) [[Economics and Statistics Administration]] (ESA)|date=August 20, 1993|access-date=January 1, 2012|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318022331/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html|title=California QuickFacts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 26, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228054319/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html|archive-date=December 28, 2009}}</ref><br />Chart does not include Indigenous population figures.<br />Studies indicate that the Native American<br />population in California in 1850 was close to 150,000<br />before declining to 15,000 by 1900.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americanindiantah.com/lesson_plans/ml_indians_in_northern_california.html|title=Indians of Northern California: A Case Study of Federal, State, and Local Policies, 1850-1860|website=AmericanIndianTAH.com|access-date=March 21, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317041607/http://americanindiantah.com/lesson_plans/ml_indians_in_northern_california.html|archive-date=March 17, 2012}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Southern California.png|thumb|330x330px|Ethnic origins in Southern California]]
[[File:Downtown San Bernardino.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Downtown San Bernardino]]]]
As of the [[2020 United States census]], Southern California has a population of 23,762,904. Despite a reputation for high growth rates, Southern California's population has grown slower than the state average since the 2000s. This is due to California's growth becoming concentrated in the northern part of the state as result of a stronger, tech-oriented economy in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] and an emerging [[Greater Sacramento]] region.

Southern California consists of one [[Combined Statistical Area]], eight [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]s, one international [[metropolitan area]], and multiple metropolitan divisions. The region is home to two extended metropolitan areas that exceed five million in population. These are the [[Greater Los Angeles Area]] at 17,786,419, and [[San Diego–Tijuana]] at 5,105,768.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2009/CSA-EST2009-alldata.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2009 Population Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division|date=March 23, 2010|access-date=March 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327135257/http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2009/CSA-EST2009-alldata.csv|archive-date=March 27, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-223&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&pt=a&va=&geo=-1049427|title=World Gazetteer; San Diego-Tijuana|publisher=World Gazetteer|access-date=March 20, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001005330/http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-223&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&pt=a&va=&geo=-1049427|archive-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> Of these metropolitan areas, the [[Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area]], [[Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area]], and [[Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area]] form Greater Los Angeles;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2008/CSA-EST2008-alldata.csv|title=Population Estimates|access-date=December 7, 2017|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117092845/http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2008/CSA-EST2008-alldata.csv|archive-date=November 17, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> while the [[El Centro metropolitan area]] and [[San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area]] form the [[Southern Border Region]].<ref>{{cite web|title=California Coast, Los Angeles to San Diego Bay|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36155|date=December 15, 2008|access-date=April 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525054533/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36155|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Loucky|editor-first=James|year=2008|title=Transboundary policy challenges in the Pacific border regions of North America|publisher=University of Calgary Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDc2r0SC5PIC&pg=PA8|isbn=978-1-55238-223-3|page=8|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184935/https://books.google.com/books?id=KDc2r0SC5PIC&pg=PA8|url-status=live}}</ref> North of Greater Los Angeles are the [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]], [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]], and [[Kern County, California|Bakersfield]] metropolitan areas.

===Cities===
{{see also|List of largest cities in California by population}}
Los Angeles (with a population of approximately 3.9 million people) and San Diego (at nearly 1.4 million people) are the two largest cities in all of California, and are among the top eight largest cities in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-01 |title=List of the largest U.S. cities by population {{!}} Estimate, Census, New York City, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=June 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605015550/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population |url-status=live }}</ref> In Southern California, there are also 14 cities with more than 200,000 residents and 48 cities over 100,000 residents. Many of Southern California's most developed cities lie along or in close proximity to the coast, with the exception of San Bernardino and Riverside.

===Counties===
[[File:Greetings from Southern California (NBY 437614).jpg|thumb|Curt Teich map postcard depicting SoCal attractions]]
*[[Imperial County, California|Imperial]]
*[[Kern County, California|Kern]]
*[[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]]
*[[Orange County, California|Orange]]
*[[Riverside County, California|Riverside]]
*[[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]]
*[[San Diego County, California|San Diego]]
*[[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]]
*[[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]]
*[[Ventura County, California|Ventura]]