California’s population dropped by 500,000 in two years as exodus continues

CNK Director Paul Ong spoke with The Los Angeles Times and NBC Los Angles about California’s continued decline in population. The California exodus has shown no sign of slowing down as the state’s population dropped by more than 500,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by nearly 700,000.

Dr. Ong pointed to economic, health and sociopolitical factors driving people to leave the state. “While salaries in other regions and states are lower, the cost of housing is even lower,” Ong said. “This means that they have a higher standard of living because of more disposable income and/or high chance of owning.”

Ong’s research showed that the bulk of departures in Los Angeles County were from the city of Los Angeles. According to his research, there is a clear spike during the pandemic with people moving away from the denser urban core, where COVID-19 risk was perceived as being higher. Remote work also added to this out migration.

Read the article here at: California’s population dropped by 500,000 in two years as exodus continues.

Listen to NBC Los Angeles here at: NewsConference: Californians Keep Leaving the State