Covid-induced mass exoduses from the major U.S. cities have largely be debunked, but the fact remains that more people are leaving California than moving in.
According to U.S. Census data reported by the L.A. Times, the state’s population dropped by more than 500,000 people between April 2020-July 2022. Additionally, the number of residents leaving surpassed those moving in by nearly 700,000.
The population decrease was second only to New York, which lost about 15,000 more people than California.
The L.A. Times notes that the primary reason for people moving out of state is California’s high housing costs. Other reasons given include but other reasons include crime, pollution and the ability to work remotely while maintaining California employment.
Interestingly, between July 2021-July 2022, California lost about 211,000 people—nearly half from L.A. County.