California Continues To Have Massive Resident Departures Per New Report

March 11, 2024

Updated on March 12, 2024

California continues to have massive resident departures per a new report conducted in 2024 by the PPIC.

“California continues to lose residents to other states, as high housing costs and the flexibility of remote work have made other locations more attractive,” stated Public Policy Institute of California.

The main beneficiaries have been neighboring states, though high income earners have also shown a modest preference for states without an income tax, according to the report.

But as the pandemic has receded and more workers have been asked to report to the office in person, these patterns have begun to slow or even reverse.

During the worst of the pandemic, neighboring states—Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon—saw the highest rates of former California residents move in. (Net migration to Texas was also heavy, though not disproportionate to the state’s size.)

The pattern is similar for 2022: Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada still received disproportionate net migration from California, according to recently released census data. (Most other states have flows too small to distinguish from zero.)

A total of 343,000 people left California and moved to another state in 2022, the highest number of any state in the country, reported the US Census Bureau.

Of those leaving California, 102,000 moved to Texas, 74,000 to Arizona, 50,000 to Florida, and 48,000 to Nevada.

One notable reversal: California now has a net gain from Hawaii, which was a popular destination for remote workers during the pandemic but is now losing people to the Golden State.

Overall, the destination states for former Californians are broadly unchanged, though states that gained the most at the outflow’s peak have seen the largest reversions now that the worst of the pandemic is behind us.

All the same, a reversion to even the pre-pandemic status quo still means lots of migration to states like Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas.

And with the continuing flexibility of remote work and persistently high housing costs, high outmigration will likely be a part of California’s reality for the foreseeable future–with potentially far-reaching consequences for the state’s economic, social, and political makeup, reports PPIC.

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Also Read: Florida Now Has Massive Departures As Hundreds of Thousands Leave

Other Economy News Today

A massive clothing retailer is now closing in California after many businesses have been largely impacted by a rise in crime.

Zara is due to shutter its doors at the location in the Union Square shopping district in downtown San Francisco in January 2025.

This is due to an expiring lease that Zara will not be renewing, a company spokesperson told local news station KRON-TV.

But Zara has not permanently exited the city, reports The-Sun.

Located a few blocks away, the location inside the Emporium Centre Mall will remain open.

Customer feedback about the Union Square store was mixed, with recent Google reviews suggesting a need for improvements.

Some customers expressed dissatisfaction with the store’s messy interiors, limited options, and long checkout lines.

San Francisco has suffered badly from store closures compared to other US cities as retailers have found their stores to be heavily impacted by crime.

In the last two weeks, Macy’s and The North Face became the latest stores to announce their departures from the city.

Despite the closure of the downtown San Francisco store, Zara is pursuing a broader physical retail strategy.

The Spain-based brand has a wider plan to revamp the brand’s presence across the US.

Zara is renovating 12 stores across the country, including prominent locations on Fifth Avenue in New York City and Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Additionally, the chain is set to open 10 new stores, including locations at The Grove in Los Angeles and the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.

This expansion plan coincides with similar moves by other retailers, including Uniqlo, Ross Dress for Less, and Primark, all of which are eyeing growth opportunities.

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Also Read: SNAP Benefits Will Now Increase For The Year 2024

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