Census: California has lower inbound domestic immigration rate than North Dakota

According to a new analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau, California had the lowest inter-state immigration rate in the United States in 2022, coming in at just 11.1%. In their analysis, immigration rates are the ratio of people moving into the state of all those moving into or out of the state. The North Dakota inter-state immigration rate is higher.

Meanwhile, Texas had the lowest outmigration rate — or ratio of people moving out of the state of all those moving into or out of the state — at 11.7%, with its outgoing residents moving to either California (42,479) or Florida (38,207).

According to a recent survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, 34% of Californians are considering moving out of the state due to housing costs amid the state’s 4.5 million unit housing shortage. Should the state’s level of outmigration — which reached nearly 1 million residents in 2022 — continue, S&P warns that the state could face decline in its credit rating, which would have cascading effects across the state economy.

“The new census data reveals an unpleasant truth: bad government continues to drive good people and businesses out of California,” said California Policy Center president Will Swaim in an interview with The Center Square. “As Florida governor Ron DeSantis preps for his big debate with Gavin Newsom, he’d do well to focus on census data that show there’s been a huge bump in Californians leaving for Florida. Neither our great weather nor Florida’s humidity, hurricanes and gnarly bugs can keep Californians in California.”

50,701 Californians moved to Florida last year, while 102,442 Californians moved to Texas.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis and California governor Gavin Newsom are set to debate Thursday, November 30 at 9:00 PM for 90 minutes on Fox with Sean Hannity.