California Lost 229,000 Residents Last Year. 627 a Day, Every Day.

Chart of the Day

OCTOBER 11, 2026

PEOPLE & SOCIETY • MIGRATION

California Lost 229,000 Residents to Other States Last Year. That’s 627 People a Day.

When the economy slows down, people in expensive states feel it first... and they leave.

MOVED TO

N.C.

+84K

TEXAS

+67K

S.C.

+67K

LEFT

ILL.

-40K

N.Y.

-138K

CALIF.

-229K

Net domestic migration by state, July 2024 to June 2025. Excludes international migration.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025

Friday’s jobs report landed with a thud. The U.S. added just 29,000 jobs in September... barely a pulse for an economy this size. But there’s a number buried in the Census data that tells you even more about where this country is headed.

Most people think Americans move for weather. Sunshine, beaches, warm winters. And sure, that’s part of it. But pull up the tax rates. California charges a top state income tax rate of 13.3%. Texas and Florida charge zero. If you earn $150,000, that’s nearly $20,000 a year... just for the privilege of living somewhere you can barely afford a house.

Now look at the chart. Last year, California lost a net 229,000 residents to other states. New York lost 138,000. Where did they go? North Carolina picked up 84,000. Texas, 67,000. South Carolina, 67,000. Every single one of those destinations has lower taxes, cheaper housing, or both.

And here’s the part that really gets me. Between April 2020 and June 2023, high-tax states lost a combined 2.8 million residents to low-tax ones. That’s not a blip. That’s a verdict. When those people leave, they take their income, their spending, and their tax revenue with them. California keeps posting budget shortfalls in the tens of billions. Now you know one reason why.

A weak economy speeds this up. When hiring slows and prices stay high, the math in a high-cost state stops working. People don’t move because they want to. They move because their paycheck finally told them they had to.

THE FEDS JUST CLAIMED

YOUR CASH ISN'T PROPERTY

SO WHAT STOPS THEM FROM TAKING IT?

What if the money sitting in your bank account...

Isn't legally YOURS?

Sounds insane.

But that's exactly what the Department of Justice just argued in court.

Cash isn't property.

YOUR cash.

The money YOU earned.

The money YOU saved.

The money YOU planned to retire on.

Now ask yourself the terrifying question:

If your cash isn't your property... what stops Washington from taking control of it?

Your bank accounts?

Your retirement savings?

The money you spent 30 or 40 years accumulating?

Think your savings are safe?

Think again.

SEE THE 3 STRATEGIES TO HELP SHIELD YOUR MONEY »

Because when governments become desperate, the rules can change FAST.

And by the time ordinary Americans realize what happened...

The trap may already be shut.

That's why we created a FREE information kit revealing 3 strategies Americans can consider right now to help shield their savings and put more control over their wealth back in their own hands.

GET MY FREE INFORMATION KIT »

Don't wait until Washington makes its next move.

THE TAKEAWAY

“Last year, 627 people a day left California for another state, on net. Between April 2020 and June 2023, 2.8 million Americans moved from high-tax states to low-tax ones. It’s not about the weather. It’s about the math on your paycheck.”

If you’re in a high-tax state and you’ve been thinking about a change, spend ten minutes with a cost-of-living calculator this weekend. Compare your zip code to three places that interest you. You might find your money goes a lot further than you thought. That’s worth a conversation with your accountant this month. Not next year. This month.

More tomorrow. Stay sharp.

— Ray Calloway

California Lost 229,000 Residents Last Year. 627 a Day, Every Day.

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