California would be, if it were an independent country, the 5th largest economy in the world. This means that it is one of the most powerful and productive cogs on the planet. However, a part of its population does not feel this way and is leaving.

Just one example: according to the Census Bureau, the city of Los Angeles had an estimated population of 3,898,841 in April 2020. This figure dropped to 3,820,914 in July 2023. Nearly 78,000 people left the city. It is the same story in San Francisco with an estimated population of 873,950 in 2020 falling to 808,988 in 2023. Nearly 65,000 fewer.

Newsweek reported in a recent article that “In March the U.S. Census Bureau reported the population of California was 38,965,000 as of July 2023, a fall of 573,000 from 39,500,000 three years earlier. This decline occurred despite the U.S. population growing as a whole, with Florida, Texas, and South Carolina recording increases of 1.9 percent, 1.6 percent, and 1.7 percent respectively in the year to July 2022.” The text was written by Suzanne Blake and published at the end of August.

Official sources responded to the Magazine that January 2024 saw an increase of 67,000 people to a total of 39,128,162. In any case, less than the 39,538,223 recorded in the 2020 Census. The trend cannot be denied.

What are the causes? Several, but one of the most important, the maths. The numbers don't add up.

Jason Collins wrote an article in Bezinga published in early July. He explained that “Data from Rentcafe showed that the cost of living in California is a staggering 38% higher than the national average. For example, housing in the Golden State is 97% higher than the national average. Everything in California is above the national average, including food, utilities, health care and transportation. The cheapest city in California is Fresno, which is 9% higher than the national average”.

Dave Ramsey, the personal finance expert, said during an episode of his successful podcast that the problem is a sum of factors such as taxes, inflation and the environment. He told the story of one of his friends who decided to leave.

Quoted in that Benzinga article, Ramset said: “One year with no California income tax bought him a cash house in Nashville. That's why people are leaving. It's math. I also understand that it's a beautiful, wonderful place, and it's hard to leave home. Mathematically, if I'm you, I'm gone."

According to the Newsweek article mentioned above, more people are seriously considering leaving the state. The magazine said “More than 46,000 people were looking to move out of California between May and July of this year, according to recent Redfin data. Residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco took the first and third spots for top areas people are moving away from, based on a sample of 2 million Redfin.com users who searched for homes across more than 100 metro areas”.

Some social media users, residents of California, have posted that the exodus is overrated because it is such a small part of the population. But the California trend runs counter to most of the country, where more people are arriving.

Something is happening in California. The authorities must manage the situation to stop the transition. Has the time come, as the song says, “Going to California”?