Despite claims of a “mass exodus” from California last year, a new study published Thursday by a nonpartisan think tank found that by 2020 it leaves the most populous U.S. state that largely reflects historical patterns.
California Policy Lab, which partners with state governments to provide data on key issues, he said in a press release announcing the report’s findings that most of California residents ’movements in 2020 occurred in the state.
The group found that the most significant change recorded was a drop in the number of people who moved to California.
The city of San Francisco, however, saw a record number of people leaving the coronavirus pandemic.
From last March through the end of 2020, the net outflows from the Northern California city increased by 649 percent compared to the same period in 2019, from 5,200 outflows to 38,800, the Policy Lab reported.
“While there was clearly no mass exodus from California in 2020, the pandemic changed some historical patterns, for example, fewer people moved to the state to replace those who left,” Natalie Holmes said. policy lab researcher and a graduate student at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California-Berkeley.
Holmes added, “However, at the county level, San Francisco is experiencing a unique and dramatic exodus, which is causing a 50% or 100% increase in migration from the Bay Area in some counties. the saws “.
Since 2015, the proportion of removals that actually leave the state has increased from 16% to 18%.
Evan White, executive director of UC Berkeley’s Policy Lab, said that while the state has yet to see evidence that wealthy residents are leaving the state in large numbers, the outflows of higher-income groups could affect negatively the state economy in the future.
“Unfortunately, because the state is heavily dependent on income taxes from the über-rich, the outflow of a small number of rich people can negatively affect income if they are not replaced by new entrants,” White said in a statement.
The study was based on data from the University of California Consumer Credit Board, which includes information on adults with a credit history who have lived in California since 2004.
The dataset includes a person’s zip code and credit information, which are updated quarterly, according to Friday’s press release.
Policy Lab defines a change as a change in zip code from quarter to quarter, meaning that there may be delays in the data if a change of address is not reported immediately.