Worker exodus from Bay Area continues apace

Image by MyUHaulStory

Along with LA and Sandy Eggo, Bay Area continues to hemorrhage CA citizens for more affordable, lower-tax states. Power Line reports.

“Los Angeles ranks No. 1 in move-outs for second year, PODS data shows,” reports KTLA-5 on the continuing exodus from the Golden State. The station adds,

The report, analyzing customer move data from January 2024 through March 2025, found that California, with seven cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area, ranked among the top 20 areas with the highest number of move-outs.

The latest PODS study, released last week, shows that nine of the top ten destinations are in the Southeast (North Carolina west to Texas) plus Boise, Idaho (#7, up from #11 last year).

Go Deeper:

• The Bay Area’s diminishing child population
• "She turns around to find her old room bare/Looks at the U-Haul, it has to fit in there"
• SF case study: “Progressive” policies tied to explosions of homelessness, safety crises, outmigration

As KTLA noted, Los Angeles repeated as the #1 departure city. Nine of the top ten losing cities are located in blue states, with the lone exception being Miami, Florida.

PODS notes some trends under the radar,

While not in the top move-in cities quite yet, there was a notable uptick in moves to the Midwest compared to the previous year. Many of these moves originated from Florida, the Northeast, Arizona, and Nevada. Midwestern cities are appealing for their balanced lifestyles, true four seasons, and affordable living costs.

In another encouraging sign, Washington, DC, ranked #14 on the top-20 leaving list, having not been ranked before. In directly related news, PODS reports,

As of now, every PODS service area in California is on the move-out list, save the lone holdout of Sacramento.

Read the whole thing here.

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