Nearly the same amount of Californians are moving out of state as the number of people moving into the state, according to a new study.
United Van Lines’ National Movers Study found that 54.4 percent of movers are leaving the Golden State and 45.6 of them are settling in, and it may come as no surprise that the majority of people moving in and out make $150,000 or more per year.
The study tracked people's primary reason for moving and 62.49 percent of inbound movers said the reason was for a job. The majority of outbound movers, 41.19 percent, also moved for their career.
"Unlike a few decades ago, retirees are leaving California, instead choosing other states in the Pacific West and Mountain West," said Michael Stoll, economist and professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the study's release.
Twenty-two percent of retirees moved out of the state compared to 10.13 percent of retirees who moved in, the study found.
The age of the people moving in and out are mostly balanced but people age 18-34 appear to be moving to California more than any other age group. People older than 55 are also moving out more than the younger generations.
California
The study was based on 2018 household moves handled by United. The moving company said it has been tracking migration patterns on a state-by-state basis since 1977.
New Jersey was the state that had the most people move away from, according to the study.
California remained the most populous state in 2018, with nearly 40 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. California's growth was driven by about 200,000 more births than deaths and a net migration of 21,000.
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
