How America Moves

California vs Arizona

Net migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

How they compareCaliforniaArizona
Population
Census estimate
39,181,6677,452,073
Net migration rate
net people per 1,000 residents
-5.3+3.6
Per-capita income
BEA, nominal
$81,196$63,032
Cost of living
100 = U.S. average prices
112.2100.7
Unemployment rate
BLS annual average
4.7%3.7%
Major disasters
federal declarations, 2023
91
State tax per resident
Census STC
$5,556$3,315

Bold marks the higher number, which is not always the better one (cost of living, unemployment, and disasters are here too). Sources: Census, BEA, BLS, FEMA. A different universe from the IRS filer figures below.

California
Net income (AGI)
-$12.9B
nominal dollars
Net households
-106,205
tax returns
Net people
-209,197
exemptions

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$25.1B
Moved out$38B
Net -$12.9B (nominal)
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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$119.6B (-1,868,956 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$2.2M-19,901
2013-$3.8B-47,458
2014-$4.2B-59,111
2015-$2.1B-44,162
2016-$2.2B-92,872
2017-$6.9B-179,388
2018-$8B-151,536
2019-$8.8B-167,563
2020-$17.8B-261,273
2021-$29.1B-330,513
2022-$23.8B-305,982
2023-$12.9B-209,197
Arizona
Net income (AGI)
+$2.7B
nominal dollars
Net households
+16,853
tax returns
Net people
+26,663
exemptions

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$10.8B
Moved out$8B
Net +$2.7B (nominal)
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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$33.4B (+533,230 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$946M+19,829
2013+$1.5B+16,549
2014+$1.2B+23,125
2015+$1.2B+17,142
2016+$2B+46,941
2017+$3.8B+75,428
2018+$3.5B+66,009
2019+$3.7B+66,714
2020+$4.8B+80,652
2021+$4.4B+57,254
2022+$3.7B+36,924
2023+$2.7B+26,663

Direct moves between them

California Arizona
28,402households$2.5B AGI
Arizona California
16,283households$1.2B AGI

Counts are returns (households) with associated AGI, where the IRS published the flow above its disclosure threshold.