California may be the Golden State, but it seems to be losing some of its shine for some people who are opting to pack up and move to other states.
For the seventh straight year, more people left California than moved in, according to new census data. More than 86,000 people left California for Texas, nearly 70,000 left for Arizona and about 55,000 left for Washington.
In a recent University of California, Berkeley poll, 52% of registered voters said they've considered leaving the state for some of the following reasons:
- 71% cite the high cost of housing
- 58% cite high taxes
- 46% cite political culture (particularly conservatives who say the state's policies are not in line with their own)
Despite the population decline, according to the California Legislative Analyst's Office, the state is adding people at the higher income level, with most of them moving to the San Francisco Bay Area.
