Between skyrocketing housing costs, pandemic restrictions, frequent wildfires, and high taxes, many feel that they have no choice but to leave the state they’ve long called home. According to the California Department of Finance, California only gained 21,200 new residents between July 21, 2019, and July 21, 2020, marking the state’s slowest growth rate in over a century.

Rural counties are no longer alone in losing residents; most coastal areas also declined in population over the last year. Low birth rates and deaths from COVID-19 along with other economic, political, and environmental factors have led many to move. Los Angeles County alone experienced a net loss of 40,036 residents, according to reporting by the L.A. Times.

Regardless, a downward trend in California’s population has been building momentum since 2016, and there’s no indication that it will slow down any time soon. Have you ever considered leaving the state? Call 866-893-5722 and let us know what factors have influenced your decision to stay or leave California.

Guests:

Taylor Marr, lead economist and data scientist on the research team at Redfin; he tweets @tayloramarr

Dowell Myers, demographer and a professor of public policy at USC; he tweets @ProfDowellMyers