New census data shows that California has seen nearly three quarters of a billion people leave the state in just two years.

California’s population dropped by over 500,000 between April 2020, and July 2022 according to the most recent census data. Nearly 700,000 Californians have left the state. Los Angeles, California’s biggest city, is responsible for nearly half of the state’s population decline.

Paul Ong, Director of the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge at UCLA said that there was a rapid, clear, and sharp spike in the population during the pandemic.

Ong said that the exodus of Los Angeles was due to many factors, including rising housing prices and remote working. Ong also stated that the pandemic caused people to move “away from dense urban cores, where COVID-19 risks were perceived as higher.”

According to the state Department of Finance California lost approximately 211,000 people between July 2021 and July 2022. Nearly half of those who died in California were from Los Angeles County. Los Angeles lost approximately 160,000 residents in the previous year, according to records.

This trend is consistent with a decline in California’s population over many years. The COVID pandemic has further exacerbated the problem. California’s population decline is second only to New York’s, which lost around 15,000 people. But net migration from California is much higher than in any other state. New York is the second highest.

Experts blame the state’s high living costs, particularly in housing, and long commutes and dense urban populations for the exodus. People are also leaving because of pollution, crime, and overcrowding. Los Angeles’ homeless camps have been becoming more burdensome for residents. Karen Bass, the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles, declared a state-of-emergency in December 2022 to address the city’s homeless crisis.

Data shows that California’s population is shrinking, but other states have experienced population growth. Utah and other states have warned Californians against moving to their states. Gov. Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated last week that Californians should “stay in California.”

Between April 2020 and July 2022 Texas and Florida saw the largest population growth, with roughly 884,000 and 707,000.

Ong stated that while salaries in other states and regions are lower than those in the housing market, they are still much cheaper. This means they can live a better standard of life due to their higher disposable income and/or greater chance of owning.