Remember when Newsom ran ads in Florida encouraging Sunshine state residents to ditch freedom and move to California? Well, I guess it didn’t work out so well.
On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that 300,000 residents left California in 2022 — the largest exodus out of any state.
“Eighteen states experienced a population decline in 2022, compared to 15 and DC the prior year. California, with a population of 39,029,342, and Illinois, with a population of 12,582,032, also had six-figure decreases in resident population,” the U.S. Census reports. “Both states’ declining populations were largely due to net domestic outmigration, totaling 343,230 and 141,656, respectively.”
Related: Will the U-Haul Revolution Save America?
Meanwhile, Florida earned the title of the fastest-growing state in the nation. “While Florida has often been among the largest-gaining states,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, noted, “this was the first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percent increase in population.”
According to The Sacramento Bee, this marks the third consecutive yearly decline for California, even though births exceeded deaths.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member