West
California exodus continues as conservative states attract blue-state residents: Report
Californians fleeing the blue state over its high cost of living are showing no signs of slowing down, according to the latest report by a major moving and storage company.
“The Golden State has a reputation for imposing high sales, income, and property taxes. The cost of living is approximately 50 percent higher in California than the national average, and housing costs can be prohibitive,” according to a report on 2024 moving trends published by PODS.
The report, published May 20, found that more people are moving to the southern Appalachian region, which includes parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, all conservative states.
“California is number one in all the wrong things,” Will Swaim, president of the conservative think tank California Policy Center, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Add to that regulations that make building new homes almost impossible, and it’s no wonder that people are moving out.”
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California still tops list for most outbound moves according to new PODS report. ( MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / ContributorRobert Alexander / Contributor)
Businesses are getting in on the piece of the pie, too. The study noted companies are packing up to southern sunbelt states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and Tennessee, according to data collected from Iron Mountain. Why? Because these regions “offer lower operational costs, tax incentives, and better value for employees.”
Los Angeles and San Francisco landed in the top two spots for the cities seeing the highest numbers of residents moving out.
Terry Gilliam, the founder of the popular Facebook group “Leaving California” which has hundreds of thousands of members, told Fox News Digital in an interview the list confirms “you’re not just getting the high-end taxpayers, but the middle class taxpayers are leaving.”
“California is number one in all the wrong things.”
“I think that that’s what California’s been doing for the last many years, is eliminating the middle class, and Governor Newsom loves to brag about how California’s economy is top five in the world, and then he came out bragging about how there’s now more Fortune 500 companies based in California than anywhere else in the country,” Gilliam said. “But that’s for the wealthy, and in reality, the middle class is what’s suffering in California, and that’s why they’re leaving.”
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Homelessness in California under Governor Gavin Newsom has increased from 151,00 in 2019 to 181,000 in 2024. (Fox)
Gilliam and members of his group did a 10-day tour of the south, he said, and talked to people in every town who had left California.
“And really what it comes down to is the quality of life for their family, lower cost of living, better schools, politics that align with the way they feel in these southern towns,” he said.
According to the report, four California markets rank in the top 10 for the most outbound moves, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Stockton-Modesto.
“The various locations of these cities point to the fact that this is a statewide exodus,” the report concluded.
California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000.
In January, California topped U-Haul’s Growth Index list for having the largest net outbound movers in 2023.
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View of Pacific coast, Northern California ( Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Gov. Newsom’s office pointed Fox News Digital in an email to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook report “noting that California remains the 5th largest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a growth rate of 6.1% since the year prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.”
“California’s per capita GDP is the second largest among large economies,” Newsom’s office said. “California, which has the most equitable tax system in the entire country, is #1 in the nation for new business starts, #1 for access to venture capital funding, and the #1 state for manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.”
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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Recent reporting on Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford’s 420 days of out-of-state travel raises serious and reasonable questions about the level of transparency his office has provided.
As a lifelong Democrat who believes in good government and accountability, I’m troubled by the lack of information on the purposes of these trips all over the world. Many on the right are making this a political talking point, but my concern as an average Nevada voter is simpler — we should expect transparency from our elected officials, regardless of party affiliation.
Public service is a public trust. When officials spend significant time away from the state they were elected to serve, taxpayers have every right to understand why. What was the purpose of these trips? What concrete benefits did they bring back to Nevada? How did travel to places such as Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii or Ghana advance our state’s interests?
I’m not suggesting that all travel is inappropriate. Our attorney general may well have legitimate reasons to represent Nevada at conferences, build important partnerships or address legal matters that benefit our state. But 420 days is substantial, and the lack of detailed explanations makes it impossible for voters such as me to assess whether this travel served Nevada well.
This is where transparency matters most. A comprehensive accounting of these trips, their purposes, outcomes and benefits to Nevada, would address these concerns and effectively. If Mr. Ford’s travel delivered real value to our state, he should be proud to share those accomplishments. If some trips were less essential, acknowledging that would also demonstrate the kind of honest leadership we need.
Democrats have long championed government transparency. We’ve criticized Republicans when they’ve fallen short of this standard. We cannot apply different rules to our party. Good government principles don’t have a political affiliation.
The solution here is straightforward: Mr. Ford should provide the public with detailed explanations of this travel. Until that happens, this issue will continue to damage public trust and distract from the important work our attorney general should be doing for Nevada families.
We can and should do better.
Susan Brager is a member of the Nevada Board of Regents. She previously served on the Clark County School Board.
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