Study finds people who flee California do much better economically in other states

Californians who have fled the Golden State for greener pastures elsewhere are finding those greener pastures and doing much better financially after leaving California, a new study has found. 

One of the biggest factors that has driven this Golden State exodus over the last 10 years, according to The Los Angeles Times, is the unrelenting rising cost of living. The study, conducted by researchers at U.C. Berkeley, found that people are leaving California for Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida, among other states.

Much attention has been brought to wealthy Californians bolting from the state with the proposed billionaire tax, which has been described as "reckless," but the study found people at all income levels are leaving California due to crippling high costs. In fact, it was the more limited income people who reaped the biggest benefits of moving to another state, the study found. 

The benefits were especially noteworthy when it came to housing, the research showed. People who fled California move saved nearly $700 in monthly housing costs, and were 48% more likely to own a home in whatever state they moved to than they were in California, the study found, an increase of 11 percentage points as can be seen in the graphic above.

The results of the study are bad news for California Gov. Gavin Newsom who has been desperately trying to mount a 2028 White House campaign, not to mention bad news for the Democrats running to be the state's next governor. The latest polling shows two Republicans in the lead ahead of the primary, meaning Democrats are in danger of not even having a candidate on the ballot for governor for the November general election.

Read the full study, titled "Priced Out: Relocation Amidst California's Affordability Crisis," here.