goodbye, golden state
The California Exodus Has Continued. Here's Where Most People Leaving The Golden State Moved To — And Why
New census data indicates the most popular states drawing the 690,000 people who moved out of California between 2022 and 2023.
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The Lede
Kellee Speakman, a native Californian, started dreaming about life in Texas. So, in January 2022, Speakman and her family packed up and left Temecula, California, for the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But it took only four months for Speakman to start planning her return to California, citing Texas' higher-than-expected cost of living and politics. Speakman and her family were part of both an exodus out of California and the influx into the state in recent years.
Key Details
- Census data indicates that more than 690,100 people left California for another state between 2022 and 2023, while just over 422,000 moved into the Golden State from elsewhere in the US.
- For Californians seeking greener pastures, Texas remains the top choice. Nearly 94,000 former Californians relocated to Texas between 2022 and 2023.
- Some pointed to political factors or job opportunities as their main reasons, while others mentioned that rising costs made living in California's major cities unsustainable.
