More people moved out of California in 2011 than moved in, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, signaling that the Democrat-run state’s economic woes continue to drive residents away.
Most statisticians attribute California’s net loss of 100,000 people last year to its high cost of living, increased population density and troubling unemployment rate.
The widening middle class in Mexico is also encouraging some immigrants to remain in that country instead of moving to California.
Texas — home to lower taxes, less regulation and what the Manhattan Institute calls a “labor pool with the right skills at the right price” — is one of the most attractive destinations for companies departing from California, according to the Census Bureau.
California has been hemorrhaging residents since 2005, but some experts say good news is on the horizon.
“We expect over the next couple of years that we will add jobs,” Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation chief economist Robert Kleinhenz told NBC News. “This year, we’ve added jobs in California at a faster pace than in the nation as a whole. So, we are moving in right direction. As that happens, we’ll see the migration numbers turn around some.”
The Census Bureau reports that 468,428 people have moved to California from other states, and 269,772 have moved to the state from other countries.