Nearly 1 Million Californians Fled the State Last Year — Where Did They Go and Why?

Have you thought of moving out of California or know any family or friends who have moved? You’re not alone — and we now have a number for how many fled the state in 2022.

New data from the U.S. Census shows that in 2022, more than 817,000 Californians moved to another state. That’s up from one of the last reports on record from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which shows that 716,948 Californians moved to another U.S. state or territory between 2020 and 2021.

California’s increasing population loss is so bad that the state lost a congressional seat due to reapportionment and redistricting during the 2020 U.S. Census. 

But why has there been such a high number of California residents who have chosen to flee the state?

Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, says the fault lies with Governor Gavin Newsom and California Democrats’ policies.

“California under Gavin Newsom has experienced a massive surge in cost of living, but there are many other reasons why people are fleeing the state, such as high crime rates, poor quality of schools, and the loss of jobs and businesses — there is one thing all of these problems have in common, and that is the failure of our government,” said DeMaio.

DeMaio says this is especially concerning since he believes Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” for president in 2024 — citing his recent trip to China and upcoming  nationally televised debate with Republican presidential hopeful Governor Ron DeSantis .

“If Newsom is wreaking this much havoc in California and causing people to flee, just imagine what he would do as president — that’s why we have to hold him accountable for his failures and expose him to the American public before it’s too late,” said DeMaio.

And exposure seems to be working to that effect. According to recent polling, Newsom has hit an all-time low in favorability among California voters, with 49% disapproving of his job as governor — up a whopping 10 points since February. Projections by Stack Data Strategy also show the California Democrat losing 219-319 in the electoral college and 1.5 million in the popular vote in a hypothetical presidential race against Donald Trump in 2024.

“Newsom and California Democrats’ policies are not popular with our hardworking families who feel the effects — if we can actually shine a light on them,” said DeMaio.

“California’s far-left media refuses to hold state Democrats accountable for anything — but the national spotlight on Newsom opens him up to independent analysis,” continued DeMaio. 

That is why Carl DeMaio and Reform California are leading a campaign to educate the public about how Newsom’s policies are hurting the state. You can join the campaign at ExposeGavinNewsom.org.

DeMaio also argues that Californians should not be fleeing and should instead stay and fight to make California better and hold Newsom and the state Democrats accountable.

“If you flee, then you are giving up and also allowing others to follow in your steps and bring California’s crazy policies with them to your new state — but if you stay and fight then we can help hold the wall and prevent these policies from infecting the rest of the country and defeat them on our own turf,” explained DeMaio.

“If all the people who fled would vote with their ballots instead of their feet, we would see a lot more change and a lot more balance in this state,” says DeMaio. 

DeMaio will be releasing his annual “Plain English” voter guide to educate the public on each part of the 2024 ballot, including judge races, in “plain english” so it’s easy to understand. You can view and share the guide at ElectionGuideCalifornia.org — the full guide will be available soon.

“We can’t take back this state and restore sanity without your help, so please do what you can to get involved in the fight today,” concluded DeMaio.