California migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 389,700 people moved into California and 590,247 moved out, a net of −200,547. Drag the year slider to watch the trend, hover any state to see the corridor, or click through to explore it.
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† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest corridors: Texas leads both directions, with 41,232 people in and 82,481 out in 2022–23.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −331,760 in 2020–21 to −200,547 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
39,355,309
▼ 0.0% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 2020
39,538,223
0.5% below the 2020 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic outflow led the population decline in 2025: −229,077, against births minus deaths (+109,715) and international migration (+109,278).
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 39,538,223 in 2020. The 2025 estimate of 39,355,309 is 0.5% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$11.9B
▼ $24.2B arrived · $36.1B left
Avg household income · movers
$96k in · $102k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 6%
California wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into California in 2022–23 reported $24.2B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $36.1B with them, a net loss of $11.9B.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $96k of income, vs $102k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 6%.
Drill into a metro
IRS data goes deeper than states. Pick a metro to see its own corridors.
- Los Angeles 12,844,441 people
- Riverside 4,769,007 people
- San Francisco 4,630,041 people
- San Diego 3,282,248 people
- Sacramento 2,477,274 people
- San Jose 1,984,473 people
- Fresno 1,203,383 people
- Bakersfield 927,068 people
- Oxnard 830,851 people
- Stockton 823,815 people
- Modesto 557,719 people
- Santa Rosa 486,444 people
- Visalia 485,146 people
- Vallejo 455,376 people
- Santa Maria 442,065 people
- Salinas 433,729 people
- Merced 297,260 people
- San Luis Obispo 282,367 people
- Santa Cruz 258,852 people
- Chico 209,211 people
- Yuba City 187,478 people
- Redding 181,648 people
- El Centro 181,411 people
- Hanford 154,327 people
- Napa 132,949 people
About the data
Migration figures come from the official IRS state-to-state files (exemptions ≈ people). Population figures are Census Bureau estimates, and the peak checks every census back to 1910. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported in the same IRS files. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details, caveats, and a suggested citation on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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