California

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 2022–2023 filing year, about 209,197 more people left California than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $12.9B in income (nominal) — in a state of 39,181,667 people.

The rate lets you compare California with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around California run about 12% above the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $89 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

The people of California

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

Jobs and natural hazards

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into California minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 2022–2023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

Among the highest earners ($200k+), California ranks #51 of 51 states for net household migration (-15,705).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

What California ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between California and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between California and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

What California collects in taxes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.