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Mapped: Which States Californians Moved To (2020-2021)

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Mapped: Where Californians Moved Between 2020–2021

Californians have had a hard time with it in recent years. Because of the state’s ballooning cost of living, many residents—particularly from middle and low income families—have departed for more affordable states.

But where did they go?

USAFacts tracked data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates, and visualized the states with the highest number of Californian transplants between 2020–21. The interactive heat map colors states by popularity—the darker the shade, the more Californians moved there.

Ranked: States with Highest Californian Transplants

More than 100,000 Californians moved to Texas between 2020–21, well ahead of second place Arizona (63,000 Californians) and third ranked Nevada (55,000).

Texas has recently emerged as a popular destination, not just for Californians, but Americans from all regions. No state income tax and lower cost of living, along with a growing tech hub is pulling in Americans from all income brackets. Meanwhile, Arizona and Nevada offer similar tax and affordability benefits as well.

Here’s the full ranking of which state Californians moved to in the first full year of the pandemic.

Rank State Californian Transplants
(2020–21)
1 Texas 105,434
2 Arizona 63,097
3 Nevada 54,740
4 Washington 46,677
5 Florida 40,730
6 Oregon 32,906
7 Colorado 26,911
8 New York 21,700
9 Idaho 26,233
10 Tennessee 23,403
11 North Carolina 21,961
12 Utah 19,930
13 Georgia 18,713
14 Virginia 18,441
15 Illinois 13,919
16 Massachusetts 9,568
17 Pennsylvania 10,072
18 Hawaii 10,743
19 Ohio 9,596
20 Michigan 9,190
21 Missouri 9,928
22 New Jersey 8,091
23 Oklahoma 9,815
24 Maryland 7,988
25 South Carolina 8,838
26 New Mexico 6,427
27 Indiana 7,046
28 Minnesota 6,239
29 Montana 6,563
30 Wisconsin 5,417
31 Arkansas 6,554
32 Alabama 4,876
33 Kansas 4,588
34 Kentucky 4,585
35 Connecticut 3,932
36 Louisiana 3,810
37 Iowa 3,598
38 Washington, DC 2,381
39 Nebraska 3,032
40 Wyoming 2,607
41 Alaska 2,273
42 South Dakota 2,484
43 Mississippi 2,423
44 Maine 1,965
45 New Hampshire 1,877
46 Rhode Island 1,343
47 North Dakota 1,367
48 Vermont 1,092
49 Delaware 961
50 West Virginia 884

On opposite corners of the country Washington (47,000) and Florida (41,000) round out the top five destinations for Californian expats.

On the other hand West Virginia and Delaware were the least popular spots for Californians to move to, with both attracting fewer than 1,000 people.

Ranked: Californian Net Migration

As startling as these numbers seem, it’s also useful to remember that many people also move to California, which is the biggest economic hub in the U.S.

Below we have California’s net migration numbers, accounting for those moving to the state, where a negative number implies that California lost more residents than it gained from a particular state.

State Californian Net
Migration 2020–21
Texas -69,342
Arizona -37,825
Nevada -30,386
Idaho -21,558
Florida -20,867
Washington -18,762
Tennessee -18,201
Oregon -17,109
Colorado -12,618
Utah -11,964
North Carolina -11,681
Georgia -8,872
Oklahoma -6,137
South Carolina -5,034
Missouri -4,920
Montana -4,813
Virginia -4,524
Arkansas -4,428
New Mexico -2,505
Alabama -2,502
Indiana -2,444
Kentucky -2,362
Ohio -2,217
Hawaii -2,201
Kansas -1,712
Wyoming -1,669
South Dakota -1,669
Pennsylvania -1,607
Michigan -1,344
Iowa -1,255
Wisconsin -1,189
Maine -1,122
Nebraska -1,033
Minnesota -984
Maryland -910
New Hampshire -865
Mississippi -584
Vermont -539
Connecticut -442
West Virginia -365
Delaware -310
Alaska -277
Louisiana -229
North Dakota -210
Rhode Island -191
Washington, DC +161
Massachusetts +537
New Jersey +1,311
Illinois +1,978
New York +6,031

Unsurprisingly, California lost the most net residents to Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. However Idaho jumps past Florida and Washington, with California losing 21,000 more residents than gained from the Gem State.

In fact, both Idaho and Nevada had the highest proportion of incoming Californians to their 2021 populations, at more than 1.38%.

On the other hand, California gained more residents than it lost from four states (New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts) and Washington D.C.

Why Are Californians Leaving?

A key driver of migration is the state’s continuing affordability challenges where housing costs have pushed home ownership out of many Californians’ reach. It is also one of the most difficult states to retire in, where $1 million can last as little as eight years.

Separately, the rise of remote work in 2020 allowed many Californians to move out of their more expensive state to cross into regions with a lower cost of living while maintaining their economic opportunities.

Within the state itself, the more rural, less populous parts have seen, proportionally, the most outward bound migration—a phenomenon occurring across America.

These sustained levels of outward migration, combined with slower population growth, has consequences. California already lost a seat in the House of Representatives after the 2020 Census (Texas gained two and Florida gained one) which results in one fewer vote in the Electoral College and proportionally lower census-guided federal spending.

At the same time however, while domestic outward migration continues, the Golden State is still successfully attracting international immigrants who are more than filling up the gaps.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: USAFacts.

Note: USAFacts sources their data from IRS tax returns which has information on tax filers who moved at county, state, and international levels. However, it misses low-income residents who choose not to file taxes. Please view their website for more details.

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