Newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that California was one of the states with the nation’s lowest immigration rate in 2022. The organization defines inmigration rates as “the number of people moving into a state as a share of that state’s total number of movers.”
In other words, fewer people from other states moved to the Golden State.
California’s inmigration rate was 11.1%, meaning that only 11.1% of movers were new California residents. The District of Columbia had the highest immigration rates, with 44.3% of movers new to the area, the data showed.
On average, about 19.9% of movers moved from state to state, the data showed. California was one of 11 states that had lower immigration rates compared to the national average.
Researchers found that the Golden State’s low inmigration rate was most likely due to the large amount of people who moved from different locations in the state.
Of those who did move to California, researchers found that many came from Texas. About 43,000 people moved from the Lone Star State to the Golden State.
One major motivator when it comes to relocating is how much residents are paid; according to Forbes, the average salary in Texas for 2023 is $57,300, which ranks 24th in the nation. The average Californian’s salary is $73,220, which is third highest in America, only behind New York ($74,870) and Massachusetts ($76,600).
California’s outmigration rate was also below the national average. Researchers defined the outmigration rate as “the number of people moving out of a state as a share of that state’s total number of movers.”
The new data comes amid national conversations regarding the “California exodus.” The high volume of residents leaving the Golden State has been a thing for years but gained traction during the pandemic as permanent remote work became a reality for many employees.
No longer saddled with the burden of living in high-cost cities, many people moved to cities in more affordable states like Nevada and Arizona.