Californians Moving: Census Survey Shows Californians Moving To Texas, Arizona, Washington, Nevada And Other States

In a recent report, the US Census Bureau reveals that Californians are leaving California at a faster rate than residents leaving any other state.

The Census found that Americans are changing residences at a record low rate--11.6 percent between 2010 and 2011. That's down from 20.2 percent in 1985 and the lowest the rate's been since the Census Current Population Survey started collecting the statistic in 1948.

And yet, while fewer Americans are moving, many of those who are moving are Californians leaving the golden state. According to the survey, four of the top-ten most common state-to-state moves between 2009 and 2010 were from California:

California to Texas (68,959 movers)
California to Arizona (47,164)
California to Washington (39,468)
California to Nevada (35,472)

The move from California to Texas was the number one largest national state-to-state move, with a significant lead above the number two largest move (New York to Florida - 55,011 movers). Four years earlier, one of the largest national moves was, as it is today, California to Arizona (85,497).

According to the report, when people moved 500 or more miles, it was usually for employment reasons (cited by 44 percent of those surveyed). When the move was less than 50 miles, it was usually for housing reasons (cited by 40 percent of those surveyed).

As CBS reports, California's lack of jobs, high housing prices and high business taxes are also likely reasons why the state's population more closely resembles 1900 than the 1950's boom when Americans flocked to the state.

Comments

[jkraft]

01:16 PM on 12/05/2011

I am planning to move from California to Washington state. My reason for this is more quality of life, things like noise, traffic, crime etc. Growing up in California was pure joy, but the influx of people has made it unpleasant for those of us who grew up here. I bet many, if not most, of the people leaving are doing it for similar reason. States like Washington are progressive and affordable for people used to the high cost of living in California. And there is still room to walk your dog off-leash. However, I will always be a Californian at heart.

[enigma2]

04:36 PM on 12/01/2011

I wonder what the number is of people who left and would like to come back but can't, seems those numbers could have been included..also too you betcha!

[cbrown1389]

04:27 PM on 12/01/2011

those are all tourists....not real locals.....good riddance....state is too full as it is

[brad4143]

05:25 AM on 04/28/2012

Wrong some are like me lived there since 1960 and grew up there. We moved because of the crowdedness and high cost of living. Now we have a paid for home on 11 acres in a rural uncrowded setting near lakes with less then a 1/3 of the taxes. I was able to get a job that paid more then what I was making in California. So when we miss California now we have the money to go anywhere and visit.

[gurke75]

01:35 PM on 12/01/2011

I'm not going anywhere. I love California.

[enigma2]

04:37 PM on 12/01/2011

Me too, I didn't know how much until I moved to Nevada. Thankfully we were able to move back, Yay!!

[luvobama]

01:28 PM on 12/01/2011

I was born in San Francisco and raised in Northern California.  I know several people who have moved out of state because Swamp states like Texas and Arizona have cheaper housing food etc.  Without exception, they would all move back, if they could afford to.  After all, even if you're paying 99 cents for a gallon of milk in one of those states, you still have to wake up there.   I will pay more taxes and higher prices for the quality of our lives.  The people, air, weather and food is by far superior to those fly over states.  Not that I am prejudice.  tee hee

[Garspies]

11:55 AM on 12/01/2011

Their not "moving" to Texas, they are moving BACK to Texas. Big difference.
Now, if we could just convince the Okies to go back home we would be in business.

[Garspies]

11:45 PM on 12/01/2011

*They are not*

[OC4Obama4Pres]

05:21 PM on 12/02/2011

Are they or aren't they?

[LargeJ]

07:46 AM on 12/01/2011

The moves to Texas have nothing to do with Texas undercutting and getting Toyota to move its longtime plant in northern calif. It has nothing whatsoever to do with things like that.

[skraeling]

12:50 AM on 12/02/2011

it has everything to do with the race to the bottom....

[Milash]

07:09 PM on 11/30/2011

Considering that there are approx. 38 million people in our state, those numbers aren't all that large. I'm guessing that quite a few of them aren't natives either.

[Just-a-Guy]

05:30 PM on 11/30/2011

California to Texas (68,959 movers)
California to Arizona (47,164)
California to Washington (39,468)
California to Nevada (35,472)

However, California isn't really losing population.

We are just replacing the citizens who are leaving with an unlimited flow of undocumented workers.

[LargeJ]

07:47 AM on 12/01/2011

That's not true. They aren't coming over in the droves they once were.

[Garspies]

12:14 PM on 12/01/2011

Haven't you figured out yet that the truth does not matter to these haters? They supply their own stats.

[cbrown1389]

04:29 PM on 12/01/2011

the JOBS are in Mexico now fool.....do try and pay attention

[Just-a-Guy]

10:56 AM on 12/02/2011

So why are they still coming? I will refrain from returning your petty name-calling in kind. :)

[Lego87]

05:17 PM on 11/30/2011

Housing is pretty insane their compared to the rest of the country, wish them the best though.

[field-man]

01:48 PM on 11/30/2011

More Liberal Progressive Policies in action, I just hope when they leave that state they leave there Progressive Policies also

[OC4Obama4Pres]

05:24 PM on 12/02/2011

Most of the folks leaving are probably right-wing, bible thumping rednecks like you.

[larmarch5]

11:42 AM on 11/30/2011

I've lived in NM, CO, TX, MA, CT and CA. CA is the best and MA was second best.

[larmarch5]

11:35 AM on 11/30/2011

Prop 13 keeps property taxes at 1978 levels while making up the difference on new buyers. My neighbor pays $1200 a year and I pay $12,000 a year -- same townhouse. Young people cannot afford to buy a house, businesses simply put their title in a holding company so they can buy and sell properties without having their property taxes change, and schools are declining. In addition the three strikes law has increased private prisonsindustries and prison guard union power. More money to be make locking our kids up than in educating them.

[LargeJ]

07:52 AM on 12/01/2011

Thanks for your comment. It's one thing people never understand about calif. the reason it's in the dumper is because of republican policies. Any dem attempt to fix it results in recalls. But, the clowns who broke it get re elected governor here. Prop 13 is an absolute albatross.

[skraeling]

12:54 AM on 12/02/2011

Prop 13 is the best thing to happen in Calif. It is the implementing of it, excluding commercial property, that is at fault and that was done by Dems...sorry..I am liberal as can be but if, after 30+ years, the legislature cannot adjust to prop 13, then they should be removed...

[peacekitten]

02:44 AM on 12/03/2011

it's going to take a while to clean up the mess left by the last republican governor.

[Neil Patrick Allen]

05:32 AM on 11/30/2011

This is a misleading story because of the way it's framed and told. The weird negative spin seems to imply that California is losing people overall. It isn't.

The last sentence makes no sense at all. "As CBS reports, California's lack of jobs, high housing prices and high business taxes are also likely reasons why the state's population more closely resembles 1900 than the 1950's boom when Americans flocked to the state."

How can the present CA population be likened to either 1900 OR the 1950s? In 1900 it was about a million and a half, in 1950 it was 15 million, and in 2010 over 37 million. Since 1860 EVERY decade has seen an increase in California's population, and the decade ending in 2010 was no exception: the increase was about 10% from 2000. From this story, you'd think California was the new Dust Bowl and that's how a lot of the morons commenting are reading it.

[DMSmith]

01:56 AM on 11/30/2011

California has been filled at an amazing rate for decades by people from all over the country and the world. It's reasonable that after some time, many of those will find it wasn't what they expected or imagined and move on.
Not that CA hasn't changed - it has. Along with the rest of the country/world. I've been here since 1967 and lived through it. I have yet to bail.