INLAND EMPIRE - (INT) - New population estimates show that Riverside County was the fastest growing in Southern California last year at 1.3 percent.

The county added just under 30,000 residents while San Bernardino County picked up 18,000 bringing the Inland Empire's population to just under 4-and-a-half million.

Among the cities, the IE's five largest are Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Moreno Valley and Rancho Cucamonga.

Riverside County placed five cities over 30,000 in population among California's five, fastest-growing. Eastvale came in at number 2 followed by Beaumont and Lake Elsinore.

Among the largest cities, 2,900 people became citizens of Fontana last year.

By contrast, Los Angeles grew by more than 50,000 persons pushing over 4 million for the first time.

On a related note, the California Department of Finance said that California's statewide housing growth, as measured by net unit growth in completed housing units for 2015, was largely flat from the previous year.

Story Date: May 6, 2016