Where Californians are moving out of state, and who's moving in
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
When Californians decide to leave the state, most of them are heading to Texas, new census data shows.
State of play: While moving overall is at an all-time low, there's been an uptick in state-to-state migration.
By the numbers: A five-year pooled average over 2018-2022 shows that almost 90,000 Californians made the journey to Texas.
- Arizona comes in second at more than 64,700, while Nevada is third at about 54,100.
Meanwhile, the top five counties where people from California end up are:
- Clark County, Nevada
- Maricopa County, Arizona
- King County, Washington
- New York County, New York
- Ada County, Idaho
Zoom in: The biggest cities in those areas are Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Manhattan and Boise.
The other side: San Diego County is a top destination for people moving from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, census data shows.
- More than 6,600 people moved here from Virginia over 2018-2022, representing the biggest pool of transplants. The military is likely one of the driving forces behind that.
- The county was Arizona residents' top spot for relocation in that time period.
- Axios Denver readers have their eyes on San Diego because of the city's "similar laid-back vibes."
Flashback: Last year, we asked Axios San Diego readers where they would move in the U.S. if they had to leave California, and the Pacific Northwest was the clear winner.
The fine print: These maps are based on new 2018-2022 five-year state-to-county migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
- The estimates are best understood as a pooled average covering that time frame.
The bottom line: Most Americans stay close to home — but plenty are still making big moves, whether for a job, an education or family reasons.