Panel Preview: 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop

News

2024 Demographic Workshop BannerSouthern California population growth has slowed in the past decade, creating long-term effects for the region’s economic and cultural landscapes. 

Register today to join SCAG and event Master of Ceremonies Professor Dowell Myers of USC to discuss the new growth reality from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the SCAG offices in downtown Los Angeles or to attend online. 

The program for SCAG’s 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop will gather local leaders, elected officials, and demographic experts to discuss how changing population growth affects regional planning—from accommodating development to improving quality of life and cultivating the economy. 

2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop Program 

Panel 1: Demographic Check-Up: The Numbers Behind the Current Growth Outlook 
This annual panel shares and interprets the latest data and insights on the region and state’s demographics. The California Department of Finance will present the latest long-term demographic projections for California and its counties. SCAG will also report on recently released 2023 American Community Survey demographic and socioeconomic indicators for the region.     

Panel 2: What Does the New Growth Reality Mean for Regions? 
Three years of population decline in the region have given way to modest growth, but the outlook for population in Southern California—and an increasing number of United States and global regions—is significantly lower than a decade or two ago. Panelists will discuss how regions like Southern California should plan for a future different from the state’s long history of rapid growth, allowing stayers to stay, movers to move, families to have the number of children they want, workers to benefit from a strong and equitable economy, and everyone to enjoy a high quality of life.  

Panel 3: Evolving Southern California Neighborhoods 
This panel will focus on the evolution of place and diversity at the neighborhood level in Southern California. Panelists will discuss the richness of Southern California neighborhoods while highlighting historical and continuing challenges in promoting equity. Cultural diversity crosses neighborhood boundaries and contributes to the region’s demographic mosaic but also raises questions of place-based identity and who gets to call a neighborhood home.  

The afternoon session will include three roundtable discussions with experts on topics including: 

  • U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates and Projections  
  • Getting to Know the Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit’s Data Hub: Population Estimates, Census Data, School Enrollment, and More 
  • The Neighborhood Data for Social Change Platform 

Registration is open for the 35th Annual 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop on Sept. 24, 2024, at 9 a.m. presented by SCAG and the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy at SCAG’s main office in Downtown Los Angeles with an online attendance option.