San Francisco's population is shrinking as birth rate declines, state says

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Fewer San Franciscan's are having babies. That's the latest finding from California's Department of Finance.

According to the state's demographer, by 2025 CA is projecting more people will die in San Francisco due to age than babies will be born.

"Births have been declining in the city," said Andres Gallardo, demographer for the state, "We are seeing right now a little bit over 7,000 births a year and we expect that to decline to roughly around 6,000 in the next 40 years."

According to Gallardo, there are two factors working together towards this decline.

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"As the population gets older, we are going to see higher death counts. Just because there is more people over 70 and 80 than before," said Gallardo.

The Children's Council of San Francisco says the cost of living continues to push families out of San Francisco.

"Housing is really a big problem and we hear that from all our clients and families we are working with," said Amie Latterman, chief advancement officer for Children's Council of San Francisco.

According to Latterman, 60% of San Francisco children ages 0 to 5 live in a household that struggles to make ends meet.

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"For families who have children under 5, the cost of childcare is substantial. It can be around 30% of your income and that is if you are making ends meet. Which really requires around $165,000 for a two adult household with two kids," said Latterman.

On average, child care can cost $20,000 to $25,000 a year per child. The Children's Council is hoping their nonprofit can serve future families.

"The research is showing all sorts of decisions being made by young San Franciscans. They are hesitating to take on the cost of having a family here and we want the city to be family friendly," said Latterman.

Every year that San Francisco's population shrinks, experts believe that can also translate to a weaker economy.

For information on childcare resources in San Francisco, visit here.

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