People leaving California as living costs stay high


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For the fifth consecutive year, California has maintained its position as the state with the lowest number of U-Haul move-ins, reflecting ongoing challenges with high taxation and elevated living costs that continue to drive residents away.

According to recently released data from U-Haul, which analyzed over 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer, and moving container transactions throughout 2023, the exodus from California persists while southern states experience significant growth.

In this year’s rankings, South Carolina claimed the top spot for the first time, with Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee rounding out the top five positions. The western region’s strongest performer was Arizona, securing the sixth position overall.

Population growth statistics reveal the District of Columbia leading nationwide with a 2.2% increase, closely followed by Florida at 2%.

While California maintains its appeal for technology professionals and aspiring entertainment industry workers in the early stages of their careers, the state continues to witness a decline in its middle-class population.

The situation has become particularly challenging for small business owners and middle-class homeowners. The state’s stringent regulations have created a crisis in home insurance availability, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration to take delayed action by permitting insurance providers to pass reinsurance costs onto their customers.

“Never before has such a state, so rich in natural resources and endowed with such a bountiful human inheritance, self-destructed so rapidly,” noted conservative commentator Victor Davis Hanson in his assessment of California’s situation last July.

 

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