In 2024, California experienced a greater number of people moving out than moving in, as reported by major moving companies like U-Haul, Atlas Van Lines, and United Van Lines. All the companies observed a trend of outbound migration from California, consistent with data from the U.S. Census Bureau. U-Haul positioned California last among “growth states,” noting that only a little over 49% of its one-way traffic was inbound, while 51% was outbound.
The statistics were even more skewed for Atlas and United. Atlas reported that 60% of its California shipments were outbound compared to 40% inbound, while United reported 58% outbound versus 42% inbound. States such as North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona, and West Virginia saw higher percentages of inbound migration.
The motivations for leaving California vary individually. United’s survey highlighted that 29% left for family reasons, 21% for jobs, and nearly 12% for retirement. Only 10% cited cost of living as the main reason. More than half of those who left had incomes of $150,000 or more. Michael A. Stoll, an economist and professor at UCLA, noted that rising housing costs are prompting Americans to move to more affordable, lower-density areas.
Despite these trends, California’s population grew, with the Census Bureau reporting an increase of 232,570 people from July 2023 to July 2024. This suggests that while many are leaving, others are still moving to the state.
