Roughly 5 million people
left California in the last decade. See where they went. By Phillip Reese.
An
unprecedented number of Californians left for other states during the last
decade, according to new tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service.
About
5 million Californians left between 2004 and 2013. Roughly 3.9 million people
came here from other states during that period, for a net population loss of
more than 1 million people. The trend resulted in a net loss of about $26
billion in annual income.
About
600,000 California residents left for Texas, which drew more Californians than
any other state. Roughly 350,000 people came from Texas to California.
The
housing boom, recession and housing bust, which hit California harder than most
states, likely played a role in the trend. The greatest net population losses
occurred during the housing boom, the IRS data show, when many Californians
were priced out of the market.
The
subsequent recession saw many people lose their homes
and jobs and go to states with lower unemployment.
Conservative analyst and Hoover Institute Fellow Carson Bruno also blames the state's high cost of living and tax structure.
Based
on tax returns, the IRS migration data is considered the gold standard for
measuring population shifts, though it lags two to three years behind the
current date. The latest, separate estimates from the state Department of
Finance showed net domestic migration losses slowing, but not ending, in 2014.
Despite
the loss of residents to other states, California continued to grow during the
last decade because of natural increase - more births than deaths - and foreign
migration.
This
graphic shows the number of people who came to and left California from each
state during the last decade.
Source:
IRS.
Click here to see graphic if using the Bee's
mobile app.
Notes:
Population figures reflect the number of exemptions claimed on tax returns. The
large majority of people, but not all of them, claim tax exemptions for
themselves and their dependents.| Likewise, the large majority of
people, but not all of them, file tax returns. The very poor, for instance,
often do not file tax returns. | The total number of exemptions in the IRS
migration data is equivalent to about 80 percent of the U.S. population. |
Numbers shown reflect tax years 2003-04 to 2012-13. | Updated text above
graphic on 9/1/2015 to add more context regarding housing prices and the
recession.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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