Rank 50 of 51 by domestic migration per 1,000

California

California lost 1,397,897 residents to other states and gained 932,858 from other countries — enough to offset 67% of the domestic loss, but not to reverse it. Net migration is still −465,039. International arrivals are slowing the decline here, not ending it.

Measured as counts rather than rates, the channel that moved the most people in California over 2021–2024 was domestic migration. That is a statement about volume, not direction: a channel can be the largest by losing.

Domestic migrationmoved the most people−1,397,897−35.5 per 1,000 residentsMovers arriving from, or leaving for, other US states.

International migration+932,858+23.7 per 1,000 residentsNet arrivals from outside the United States.

Births minus deaths+389,684+9.9 per 1,000 residentsNatural change. Not migration at all, and frequently mistaken for it.

Year by year

Counts of people. Bars share one scale across all 4 years and all three channels, so a short bar is a small number rather than a rescaled one.

California, components of population change. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates: components of change.
Year	Domestic	International	Births	Deaths	Natural
2021	−477,586	+44,127	412,507	345,285	+67,222
2022	−336,707	+234,953	424,071	318,719	+105,352
2023	−344,029	+292,721	410,377	303,733	+106,644
2024	−239,575	+361,057	400,601	290,135	+110,466

Ranked just above and below California

49Hawaii−31.8 / 1,000 51New York−45.0 / 1,000

More on California

California on the State Development Index What California is distinctive for Economic development offices All 51 jurisdictions, decomposed

Vintage-year 2020 is published for a partial period and carries no companion rate, so it is excluded rather than shown alongside four full years it cannot be compared with. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). Source file