California Exodus: Study Shows Alarming Rate of Migration From Golden State to Somewhere Else

The findings come amid California having some of the strictest anti-coronavirus policies in the country, which sparked a recall movement against Governor Newsom earlier this year and a slew of companies and celebrities moving out of the state to those with less restrictive anti-Covid measures as well as lower taxes and business regulations.

The number of people moving to California has decreased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, while the number of persons exiting the state has increased, a new study conducted by California Policy Lab revealed.

Comparing the end of September 2021 to the end of March 2020, the study indicated a 38% decline in persons moving to California. Residents relocating out of state increased by 12%, according to the results.

The most significant shifts were in the San Francisco Bay Area. The number of people coming to the Bay Area from other states has decreased by 45%, while inhabitants departing for other states has increased by 12%.

Sacramento County, which is home to the state capital, witnessed a 33% drop in new residents and a 13% increase in persons departing for other states. Overall, out-of-state entrances decreased by 25% to 45% in all regions of the state.

In an interview with the local KCRA TV station, Evan White, the study's co-author, admitted that he was "a little bit surprised" to see how much the entrances had dropped.

"It wasn't so much that we saw it in a particular area. For me, the surprise was that this was a statewide phenomenon," he is quoted as telling the outlet upon the findings.

And while the increased outflow from the state is noteworthy, White believes that the decline in persons moving into the state is "the bigger story."

More to that, due to the halt in population growth, California also lost one of its 53 House seats this year for the first time in its history.

According to an earlier report, the Republican Party chairwoman in the state, Jessica Millan Patterson, said at the time that California was "the capital of homelessness and poverty, suffocating gas and income tax rates, and the highest number of residents picking up and moving to more affordable and welcoming states."

"Californians will have one less voice to speak for us in Washington, which proves yet again that it’s time for change and real leadership," she added in April.

Also earlier, Tesla relocated to Texas, citing tax incentives and the fact that "getting employees is much cheaper and easier in Texas," thus following its founder Elon Musk, who reportedly lives in a small house not far from the headquarters of another of his companies, SpaceX.

According to reports, Disney also announced this year that it would relocate 2,000 employees from California to Florida, in part because of "Florida's business-friendly climate."

Last year, Kanye West, Joe Rogan, Matthew McConaughey and other celebrities and top taxpayers left the state, seemingly for good.

Overall, according to a report released in May by the California Department of Finance, the state's total population dropped by more than 182,000 by 2021.