From 2006 to 2016, over a million more people moved out of California than moved in, according to a new report from Beacon Economics and Next 10, which said, "A strong economy can also be dysfunctional."
Housing costs in California are much higher than in other states, but wages for lower income workers are not. Indeed, the socioeconomic forces at play in the Golden State are primarily shaping its migration patterns. MarketWatch reports that most people leaving California earn less than $30,000 annually, and work in the accommodation, construction, retail, and manufacturing industries. Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington are the most popular states for California out-migrants.
California homeowners spend an average of 21.9 percent of their income on housing costs, the 49th worst in the nation, while renters spend 32.8 percent, the 48th worst. The median rent statewide in 2016 was $1,375, which is 40.2 percent higher than the national average. And the median home price was, wait for it, more than double that of the national average.
