Over the past few years California's population has stabilized and then begun to drop slightly. But that isn't necessarily bad for California:
In 2022, almost two-thirds of those who moved to California from another state had a bachelor’s degree or higher, as did more than half who moved from other countries, according to census data.
Though the state’s population declined between 2021 and 2022, the number of people with a bachelor’s degree rose by 1.6% and the number of those with a graduate degree rose 2.6%, the data show.
The reason for this is pretty obvious. First, California has a lot of high-tech industry. Second, the thing keeping people away is high housing prices, and college grads are most likely to have the incomes needed to live here.
California is expensive, and tax rates are high for the affluent. Still, if you want a Malibu beach house, you don't have a choice of where to live. California has you by the short hairs.
This is pretty funny, because just last week the very same LA Times was running a story about how all the rich, well-educated people were fleeing California:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-19/the-wealthiest-californians-are-fleeing-the-state-why-thats-very-bad-news-for-the-economy
Feud between the Times business desk and the CA beat?
Stats in last month's article was "according to an analysis of census data by William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution."
Citation in today's article is "according to census data."
Maybe it just depends on whether you want to listen to William Frey.
The difference is "the wealthiest" versus "the best educated". The wealthiest have a huge incentive to avoid California: the 10% top income tax rate. Even in a world with full SALT deductions only 39% of that 10% is "returned" as a Federal deduction.
As Kevin makes clear, well-educated people have the ability to afford the high housing prices and the intelligence and good taste to appreciate living in Paradise. Some of the wealthiest -- lookin' at you Apartheid Elon -- are too stupid to have that appreciation.
California might not attract the wealthiest, but it tends to attract those who are going to become the wealthiest. This probably started with the '49ers, but it goes on today. Even Elon Musk made his fortune in California, though he now scorns the baser rungs by which he ascended.
College grads are likely less impacted by some of California, major city, perceived challenges.
1. college grads tend to be higher income and thus high cost of living might be less of a concern
2. new college grads are likely not focused on buying a home
3. new college grads typically don't have kids. Thus, issues around California public schools is probably not topical
4. I am un sure/would need to see data, on new college grads perspective around homelessness, petty crime etc
"Still, if you want a Malibu beach house, you don't have a choice of where to live."
Well, the word Malibu makes that a truism. However...If you want a beautiful waterfront home, there are a lot of places on the East coast you can get for a small fraction of the price of Malibu beachfront. And you can choose whether you'd prefer to live on the oceanfront, or perhaps rather live on inland water such as the Chesapeake Bay, or maybe one of the many sounds and rivers in NC, SC, and GA. You can have a home where you can keep your boat at your own dock right behind your house, and you can take off in your boat and in a short time you can be in your fresh-water fishing grounds, or you can go a little farther and reach your deep-sea fishing.
Californians who think the only beautiful waterfront is on the Pacific Ocean need to get around more.
No love for the Gulf?-)
The prettiest places in California are absolutely spectacular, and at least some of them are accessible to the public. The prettiest places in Georgia are… nice? Your neighbors in rural GA are likely to be batshit crazy, though, and not in an entertaining way.
I wouldn’t want to be poor in California, but we’re currently considering the balance between relative standard of living (mostly housing size) and overall quality of life (education, culture, overall health/safety, activities, etc.). Red states tend to perform poorly on the latter measures.
Georgia has some high priced ocean front real estate. Try out Sea Island. You just have to have a live and let live attitude towards alligators, but that's true in a lot coastal Georgia and Florida.
More folks are moving to red states than blue. It's been a funny talking point for the wingnuts.
But...
Generally speaking, the people moving to red states are less educated and less wealthy, there's just more of them. Wasn't that data posted on this very site a few weeks back?
So red states are getting slightly bigger, but more stupid and poor. Blue states are seeing slight declines, but the people coming in are more educated, wealthy, and have higher end economic potential.
Good luck getting obstetrics care in rural Texas in 5 years...
If only we had a system in which educated people got multiple votes over the riff-raff.
Never mind.