John MerlineEditor’s note: This is excerpted, with permission, from the Pacific Research Institute’s “Right by the Bay” blog, which you can find here.
‘The exodus from California is real, troubling, and has become too large to ignore.”
That was the message of “California Migrating,” the Pacific Research Institute’s report in 2021 on the mass migration of Californians to other states.
The trend has not abated since. From 2020 to 2025, California lost nearly 1.7 million more people due to net domestic migration – meaning that more Americans moved out than in. And this exodus was widespread – 44 of California’s 58 counties were on the losing end.
That is real, and troubling. But there is a tiny silver lining. Census data show that 14 of California’s counties had net gains in population over the past five years.
Understanding why would be a good idea. As the 2021 report noted, the consequences of the California exodus “are dire” and “understanding the drivers of the exodus is essential.”
So, what did those 14 winning counties have in common? What did they do right? What can they teach the rest of the state about drawing people in?
Is it location?
That doesn’t seem to be the case, since none of the 14 counties is on the ocean. And while several are close to Sacramento, the rest are scattered.
Read the entire blog post here.
I & I Editorial Board
Pacific Research asks the question about the 14 counties in California that are gaining (while the rest of California is losing) population: Are they education powerhouses?
Not really. In fact, six of the 14 counties have high school dropout rates above the state average. (However, that might be the reason they are gaining population-because those who live there are smarter, as suggested by their high dropout out rates.
I don’t know why (at least I didn’t see it portrayed in the article by Pacific Research) homelessness and drug addiction and the enforcement of public nuisance weren’t featured in the stats. This “livability” stat (and not only economic stats) is important, I believe.
Perhaps those are the reasons most California counties are losing their populations while these few 14 counties are seeing net inflows: viz. Homelessness is not a problem nor is drug addiction in the 14 (because the concomitant public nuisance enforcement is practiced in the 14).