May 2025
Dear Fiscal Officer:
Subject: Price Factor and Population Information
Appropriations Limit
California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2227 requires the Department of Finance to transmit an estimate of the percentage change in population to local governments. Each local jurisdiction must use their percentage change in population factor for January 1, 20 25, in conjunction with a change in the cost of living, or price factor, to calculate their appropriations limit for fiscal year 2025-26. Attachment A provides the change in California’s per capita personal income and an example for utilizing the price factor and population percentage change factor to calculate the 2025-26 appropriations limit. Attachment B provides the city and unincorporated county population percentage change along with the population percentage change for counties and their summed incorporated areas. The population percentage change data excludes federal and state institutionalized populations and military populations.
Population Percent Change for Special Districts
Some special districts must establish an annual appropriations limit. California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2228 provides additional information regarding the appropriations limit.
Article XIII B, Section 9(C) of the California Constitution exempts certain special districts from the appropriations limit calculation mandate. The code section and the California Constitution can be accessed at the following website: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes.xhtml.
Special districts required by law to calculate their appropriations limit must present the calculation as part of their annual audit. Any questions special districts have on this requirement should be directed to their county, district legal counsel, or the law itself. No state agency reviews the local appropriations limits.
Population Certification
The population certification program applies only to cities and counties. California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 11005.6 mandates Finance to automatically certify any population estimate that exceeds the current certified population with the State Controller’s Office. Finance will certify the higher estimate to the State Controller by June 1, 2025.
Please Note: The prior year’s city population estimates may be revised. The per capita personal income change is based on historical data.
If you have any questions regarding this data, please contact the Demographic Research Unit at (916) 323-4086.
JOE STEPHENSHAW
Director
By:
ERIKA LI
Chief Deputy Director
Attachment
May 2025
Attachment A
A. Price Factor: Article XIII B specifies that local jurisdictions select their cost of living factor to compute their appropriation limit by a vote of their governing body. The cost of living factor provided here is per capita personal income. If the percentage change in per capita personal income is selected, the percentage change to be used in setting the fiscal year 2025-26 appropriation limit is:
Per Capita Personal Income
Fiscal Year Percentage change
(FY) over prior year
2025-26 6.44
B. Following is an example using sample population change and the change in California per capita personal income as growth factors in computing a 2025-26 appropriation limit.
2025-26:
Per Capita Cost of Living Change = 6.44 percent
Population Change = 0.28 percent
Per Capita Cost of Living converted to a ratio: 6.44 + 100 = 1.0644 100
Population converted to a ratio: 0.28 + 100 = 1.0028 100
Calculation of factor for FY 2025-26: 1.0644 x 1.0028 = 1.0674
FISCAL YEAR 2025-26
Attachment B
Annual Percent Change in Population Minus Exclusions*
January 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025 and Total Population January 1, 2025 City County Percent Change 24-25
Population Minus
Exclusions 1-1-24
Population Minus
Exclusions 1-1-25 Total Population 1-1-25
Antioch City Contra Costa 0.52 116,177 116,781 116,781
Brentwood City Contra Costa 0.60 65,353 65,747 65,747
Clayton City Contra Costa -0.46 10,793 10,743 10,743
Concord City Contra Costa -0.34 123,074 122,650 122,650 Danville Town Contra Costa -0.16 43,030 42,960 42,960
El Cerrito City Contra Costa -0.31 25,943 25,862 25,862 Hercules City Contra Costa -0.50 26,357 26,225 26,225
Lafayette City Contra Costa -0.08 25,073 25,054 25,054
Martinez City Contra Costa -0.15 36,871 36,817 36,817
Moraga City Contra Costa -1.98 16,973 16,637 16,637
Oakley City Contra Costa 1.32 46,218 46,826 46,826
Orinda City Contra Costa -0.23 19,395 19,351 19,351
Pinole City Contra Costa -0.45 18,344 18,261 18,261
Pittsburg City Contra Costa 0.64 75,887 76,374 76,374
Pleasant Hill City Contra Costa -0.28 33,694 33,601 33,601 Richmond City Contra Costa -0.24 113,872 113,594 113,594 San Pablo City Contra Costa 0.18 31,450 31,507 31,507
San Ramon City Contra Costa 0.18 83,245 83,391 83,391
Walnut Creek City Contra Costa -0.44 70,238 69,927 69,927 Balance of County Contra Costa -0.20 176,178 175,833 175,917 Incorporated Contra Costa 0.03 981,987 982,308 982,308
County Total Contra Costa 0.00 1,158,165 1,158,141 1,158,225 *Exclusions include residents on federal military installations and group quarters residents in state mental institutions, state and federal correctional institutions and veteran homes.