What Do These 14 California Counties Have In Common?
California has experienced significant population loss due to net domestic migration, with nearly 1.7 million people leaving from 2020 to 2025. Despite this trend, 14 counties in California have seen net population gains during the same period. Understanding the factors contributing to the success of these counties could provide insights for the rest of the state.
- ▪California lost nearly 1.7 million people due to net domestic migration from 2020 to 2025.
- ▪44 of California's 58 counties experienced population declines during this time.
- ▪14 counties in California had net gains in population over the past five years.
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Imaged generated with AI. California What Do These 14 California Counties Have In Common? John MerlineMay 22, 2026Add comment Editor’s note: This is excerpted, with permission, from the Pacific Research Institute’s “Right by the Bay” blog, which you can find here. ‘The exodus from California is real, troubling, and has become too large to ignore.” That was the message of “California Migrating,” the Pacific Research Institute’s report in 2021 on the mass migration of Californians to other states. The trend has not abated since. From 2020 to 2025, California lost nearly 1.7 million more people due to net domestic migration – meaning that more Americans moved out than in. And this exodus was widespread – 44 of California’s 58 counties were on the losing end.
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