California's largest group of migrants heads to Lone Star State

Source: Orange County (Calif.) Register

The Orange County Register's Jon Lansner reports on U.S. Census domestic migration trends, including analysis of who's exited California for other state destinations: "Texas gained an estimated 61,270 residents in 2009 who said that they had lived in California a year earlier. Conversely, Census found 35,104 new Californians who lived in the Lone Star state in 2008. Thanks to my trusty spreadsheet, that means Texas netted population growth of 26,166 folks from California in 2009 — highest net migration among the 50 states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico) away from the Golden State."

One critical piece of the local real estate puzzle who is moving where. And in 2009, new Census data tells us, a Californian on the go was likely headed to Texas.

This study on state relocation trends within the United States says:

Texas gained an estimated 61,270 residents in 2009 who said that they had lived in California a year earlier.

Conversely, Census found 35,104 new Californians who lived in the Lone Star state in 2008.

Thanks to my trusty spreadsheet, that means Texas netted population growth of 26,166 folks from California in 2009 — highest net migration among the 50 states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico) away from the Golden State.

Next, as a destination for California moving vans and the like, came Arizona with a net population gain of 12,881 from here. Third was Oregon that saw a 10,818 bump from California.

But not everybody’s leaving! California’s population benefited the most from Maryland.

• That state gained an estimated 6,639 residents in 2009 to California. But Census found 11,905 new Californians who previously lived in Maryland So, California netted population growth of 5,266 folks from Maryland in 2009 — best draw to the Golden State.
  
  


• Next came Michigan with a net population drop of 3,988 folks to California; then was Illinois with 3,587-person rush to California.

Overall, California in 2009 — by Census math — lost 546,589 residents in 2009 to other states. On the flip side, Census found 460,161 new Californians from other states. Thus, by our calculations, California suffered a net loss of 86,428 folks to other states in 2009. (Note: In total, California had 36.59 million residents in 2009 — up 171,000 due to net growth of foreign immigrants and births.)

Losing folks to other states is not good trend for real estate or the overall economy — but that 2009 loss is a relatively small slice of the population. For example, Census math also showed that 5.24 million Californians moved in 2009 — and chose to stay within the state. So, on a net migration basis, you could say that 98 percent of the Californians who moved — stayed home.

Census also reported, for 2010, some interesting broader trends about movers nationwide:

• 44 percent of those who moved did so for housing-related reasons, such as a need to live in a bigger/better residence.



• Other reasons for moving: family concerns (30.3 percent), such as a change in marital status, employment needs (16.4 percent) and other factors (9.5 percent).
  


• In 2010, 37.5 million people changed residences in the U.S. within the past year. That’s 12.5 percent of us — basically flat vs. 2009.

URL to original article: http://www.builderonline.com/builder-pulse/california-s-largest-group-of-migrants-heads-to-lone-star-state.aspx?cid=NWBD110525002

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