More than half of Californians say they plan to leave as state leads U.S. in outmigration

By Bethany Blankley | Watchdog.org

California leads the nation in outmigration, and has experienced a domestic outmigration decline since 1991, according to the California Department of Finance.

According to a recent survey, 53 percent of all Californians, 63 percent of millennials, and 76 percent of residents in the Bay Area say they are seriously considering leaving the state.

California has recorded net domestic out-migration since at least 1991, according to state data, meaning it has lost more people to other states than it has brought in from them – nearly every year.

Wikimedia Commons/Eneas De Troya

But more than any other resident in California seeking to leave are the 76 percent of those surveyed living in the Bay Area.

In 2018, the Bay Area hit its highest level of outward migration in more than a decade, and still holds the top spot in the country for outmigration.

According to a new survey by Edelman Intelligence, 53 percent of Californians are considering moving out of state, citing its high cost of living. Millennials are more likely to leave the Golden State, as much as 63 percent said they wanted to leave.

But more than any other resident in California seeking to leave are the 76 percent of those surveyed living in the Bay Area.

Joint Venture Silicon Valley, which also studied the Bay Area’s outmigration patterns, found that workers are moving to Sacramento, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and Portland for several reasons. But their primary reason was the high cost of housing.

Bay Area residents are not alone in their concerns about high cost of living and affordable housing. These two concerns were cited most by those surveyed by Edelman. Among those surveyed, 62 percent said homelessness is a very serious issue for California, with 62 percent saying the best days of living in California are behind them.

According to SFGATE research, Californians have left the state to move to Texas or Colorado. Nearly all interviewed cited the high cost of living as the primary reason why they left.

In December 2018, one of the most frequently searched questions on Google among Californians was, “Should I move out?”

Businesses have also left. Jamba Juice moved its headquarters from the Bay Area to Frisco, Texas. Chevron and the North Face also moved their headquarters out of state and downsized their offices. Companies relocating also explained why: relatively high taxes, burdensome regulations, and labor costs that could not keep pace with a high cost of living.

Despite this outgoing trend, Kathleen Pender at the San Francisco Chronicle, asked, “So if people are leaving the Bay Area in droves, why are home prices still soaring and why aren’t there more houses for sale?”

The answer lies in a combination of people leaving for less expensive housing and some moving to the state for higher-paying jobs, she suggests.

But another contributing factor is the number of people moving to California who are not U.S. citizens.

Net immigration from people coming from other countries still outnumbers the out-migration, according to Census data.

Studies show that immigration in the 1970s lowered the wages of high school dropouts by between 10 and 16 percent annually, and in the 1980s, immigration primarily affected employment, with between 128,000 and 195,000 natives in California either unemployed or withdrawn from the labor force because of immigration.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Eneas De Troya

7 thoughts on “More than half of Californians say they plan to leave as state leads U.S. in outmigration

  1. What’s going be fun to see is how California pays its bills down the road. With this mass evacuation, tax revenues will tank and all these new comers from south of the boarder will end up on welfare.It’s will be a hoot to watch.

    • That’s what happens when you let the bums set up camp on the streets and let them crap and throw their needles on the sidewalks and charge the tax payers exorbitant tax to pay these bums. This shows the stupidity of electing a majority of the hate America first crowd of Demonrats..

      All I can say is don’t move here as we have enough leftards now, (they think voting dem some other place will work out better) unless your a registered Rep or Indi.

  2. According to a recent survey, 53 percent of all Californians, 63 percent of millennials and
    76 percent of residents in the Bay Area say they are seriously considering leaving the state.

    Just think about it, California will have it’s Elite Hollywood crowd, Illegals, and Homeless now
    that outstanding work from its Politicians ……………….Now that’s True Blue !!

  3. Notice people move to Red states. Kind of like the post I saw on line.

    When you’re too rich you embrace socialism, when your too poor, you leave socialism.

    Our Lt. Governor did acknowledge that our wages can’t keep up with the cost of living (in Vermont), it’s not just taxes that make it expensive, housing, fuel, medical, education, day care, transportation, all of this is artificially high in the state of Vermont, it’s why so many are suffering despite us having one of the highest minimum wage in the world.

    Sadly our average house hold income pales in comparison to other states, ask anyone who’s moved out of state, higher wages, lower cost of living and frequently a better climate (politically too) has people a bit euphoric.

    • Euphoric is certainly true. Best financial move I have ever made was leaving VT. Sorry to say but it’s true. Our family brings home good money and I got sick of watching folks with their property taxes being subsidized by my wife and I buy new cars ever 3 years, taking $5,000 vacations. While we made good money but had large student loan payments to be made, drove older cars with no payments.

      Now residing in a red state, I keep much more of my paycheck and everyone has a skin in the game when it comes to property taxes, of which are a fraction of what they were in VT. I get better schools, better infrastructure, and my trash and recycling is picked up weekly at the end of my driveway as part of my property taxes. And too boot I no longer have to make weekly trips to the redemption center to get MY bottle return money back.

      I admire you for sticking it out, but I certainly don’t envy you.

Comments are closed.