(The Center Square) – According to new annual reports from U-Haul, California led the nation for out-migration for the fifth year in a row, with neither the company’s top 25 growth metro nor city rankings including a single California destination.
“California experienced the greatest net loss of do-it-yourself movers in U-Haul equipment and ranks 50th for the fifth consecutive year,” wrote U-Haul in its annual report on each state’s net gain or loss of one-way movers. “Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California.”
In 2022, U-Haul reported that it “ran out of inventory to meet customer demand for outbound equipment” in 2021 due to the high volume of customers attempting to leave the state.
Last year, the IRS reported out-migration cost California $24 billion in lost personal income between 2021 and 2022 as taxpaying residents moving into the state had incomes 15% lower than those moving in.
In 2024, California finally ended its population decline that started in 2020, with sustained domestic out-migration more than offset by a 139% increase in international immigration.
According to a 2023 statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, one in three Californians are considering leaving the state due its high cost of housing.
With the Brookings Institute report finding a recent slew of over 100 new laws designed to increase housing production “aren’t making much of a dent,” and California housing permitting collapsing 45% between 2022 and 2023, the main structural driver of out-migration does not appear to be changing any time soon.
