Temecula's Population Increase Compared To Fastest-Growing Cities

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — For California cities that had populations greater than 50,000 during the 2010 census, Lake Elsinore has since grown faster than any other over the last 10 years, according to newly released 2020 census data.

The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released new statistics that illustrate population changes for the nation, states and communities down to the block level. The data, which shows an increase in the population of the nation’s metro areas compared to a decade ago, also shows population changes in smaller cities.

The data represents where people were living as of April 1, 2020.

Since 2010, Lake Elsinore has grown by 18,444 people to a population of 70,265, according to the 2020 census. The change represents a 35.59 percent increase, the largest for any California city that had a population of more than 50,000 during the 2010 census.

Another Southwest Riverside County city that had significant growth over the 10-year period was Menifee. It ranked just behind Lake Elsinore for California cities with populations greater than 50,000. Menifee saw its population jump by 25,008 people to 102,527, or 32.26 percent, during the last decade, according to the 2020 census.

Regardless of size, the 2020 census data show all Southwest Riverside County cities experienced growth over the 10-year period:

• Wildomar grew by 4,699 people to a population of 36,875 or 14.6 percent
• Temecula grew by 9,906 people to a population of 110,003 or 9.9 percent
• Murrieta grew by 7,483 people to a population of 110,949 or 7.23 percent
• Canyon Lake grew by 521 people to a population of 11,082 or 4.93 percent

Similarly, Southwest Riverside County's unincorporated areas also expanded:

• French Valley grew by 12,213 people to a population of 35,280 or 52.95 percent
• Winchester grew by 2,534 people to a population of 3,068 or 21.07 percent
• Lakeland Village grew by 823 people to a population of 12,364 or 7.13 percent

Overall, Riverside County grew by 228,544 people to a total population of 2,418,185. California grew by 2,284,267 people to a total population of 39,538,223.

Since the 2010 census, the population of U.S. metro areas has grown by 9 percent. Eighty-six percent of the country’s population was living in metro areas in 2020, compared to 85 percent in 2010.

Metro areas in the south and western United States saw the most growth, according to Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the Census Bureau.

“However, as we’ve been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to,” Perry said in a news release. “This decline is evident at the local level, where around 52 percent of the counties in the United States saw their 2020 census populations decrease from their 2010 census populations.”

Here are some other interesting findings from the data:

• The largest city in the United States in 2020 remains New York, with 8.8 million people.

• The largest county in the United States in 2020 remains Los Angeles County, with over 10 million people.

• The fastest-growing U.S. metro area between the 2010 and 2020 censuses was The Villages, FL, which grew 39 percent, from about 93,000 people to about 130,000.

• The U.S. metro areas with the largest declines in population were Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Danville, Illinois, losing 12.5 percent and 9.1 percent of their populations, respectively.

Read more about the 2020 U.S. Census results.