This Revealing Chart Shows You Exactly What the Calif. Exodus Looks Like

Between municipal bankruptcies, rising taxes, the proposal of new taxes, and the promise of friendlier business climates in other states, the exodus of business leaders and U.S. residents from California is wholly unsurprising.

And this isn’t some new phenomenon. No, the Golden State has been bleeding residents for years, which is a shame considering all that the state is capable of.

“For most of its history, California has occupied a special place in the mind of most Americans. From the height of the Gold Rush through the 1980s, California’s warm weather and booming economy drew enterprising, educated and talented immigrants from across the country. California was the melting pot of America’s melting pot, leading all states in the number of residents who were born in other U.S. states,” the Washington Examiner’s Conn Carroll writes.

Sadly, as Carroll notes, that California does not exist anymore.

“According to a 2012 University of Southern California study on state demographics, you have to go back to the early 1990s to find a time when more Americans were moving to California than leaving it for other states,” he writes. “Thanks to high housing prices and a weak job market, California is now a net exporter of U.S. citizens to other states.”

And in case you’d like help visualizing some of this, we have you covered. The below chart from the U.S. Census Bureau perfectly illustrates Carroll’s point:

U.S. Census Bureau

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