(May 10, 2005) -- LB's population edged closer to the half million mark -- 491,564 (as of January 1, 2005) -- according to the latest population estimates released by the CA Dept. of Finance Demographic Research Unit.

LB's population increased 0.9% (up from 487,305 a year earlier)...while Signal Hill's population grew by 3.0% to 10,951, the second largest percentage increase among L.A. County cities.

Lakewood's population is now home to 83,674 residents (up 0.6%)

The City of Los Angeles is approaching the four million mark: 3,957,875, up 0.9% from a year earlier.

L.A. County has reached 10,226,506, up 1.2% from 2004.

OC has reached 3,056,865...up 1.1%. Huntington Beach has topped 200k (200,763, up 0.9%). Anaheim has reached 345,317.

OC is the state’s second most populous county for the second year, after surpassing San Diego in January 2004.

[corrected statistic] Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, Contra Costa and Fresno counties account for over 72% of California's population.

California's population exceeds 36.8 million...with roughly 12.5% of the U.S. population (one in eight persons).

The CA Dept. of Finance report contains preliminary population data for January 2005 and revised data for January 2004.