California keeps attracting movers, even with high housing costs. Using iMoving’s live moving data (2023–2025), Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco received the most arrivals, but they also ranked high for departures. Meanwhile, smaller cities like Oceanside and Redding showed stronger net gains, hinting at a shift toward smaller California markets.
In this article:
California has a population of 39.43 million, and counting. Sure, plenty of people are moving out (so many that there’s even a Wikipedia article about the California Exodus), but our year-to-year and up-to-the-minute moving data tells a different story.
The iMoving database tracked all of our moves between 2023 and the present. The result? A surprising amount of people actually moving to California. And our system revealed what cities were gaining and losing the most people, too.
iMoving has been around for over a decade. Throughout all that time, we’ve helped thousands of customers relocate across all 50 states.
We compile our moving information through quote requests, completed moves, and our over 3,000 verified mover tariffs (and counting). The data we receive from user activity provides an up-to-the-minute picture of nationwide moving trends, right down to the most popular cities in every state.
Between 2023 and 2025, we completed 2,839 moves for our customers. 9.58% of those moves were headed to California - by far the most arrivals out of all the other states. Our data revealed which cities were receiving the greatest share of Californian relocations, and which Californian cities were losing the most people, too.
Quick Note: If you want to see where else Americans are moving, we’ve got you covered. Check out our study on nationwide moving trends to get a state-by-state analysis.
According to the latest moving data compiled by iMoving, these cities received the most arrivals in California between 2023 and 2025.
Choose Item
Percent of Arrivals
9.23%
Percent of Arrivals
3.69%
Percent of Arrivals
3.32%
Percent of Arrivals
2.95%
Percent of Arrivals
2.58%
Percent of Arrivals
1.48%
Percent of Arrivals
1.48%
Percent of Arrivals
1.48%
Percent of Arrivals
1.11%
Percent of Arrivals
1.11%
What stands out: California’s arrivals aren’t concentrated in just one metro. Big cities lead, but smaller markets are clearly showing up.
Our data also showed which Californian cities were losing the most people. Here are the cities that experienced the most departures from 2023 to 2025.
Choose Item
Percent of Departures
11.78%
Percent of Departures
3.03%
Percent of Departures
2.69%
Percent of Departures
2.69%
Percent of Departures
2.36%
Percent of Departures
2.02%
Percent of Departures
1.68%
Percent of Departures
1.35%
Percent of Departures
1.35%
Percent of Departures
1.35%
California Dreamin’? More like California nightmares. Despite all the people moving in, LA’s still number one for departures. It’s worth mentioning that Pasadena and Long Beach are both parts of LA County, too.
The data on the top 10 cities for arrivals and the top 10 cities for departures gives us quite a bit of overlap. One look at the stats, and you can pick out a few repeat customers. Certain cities lose residents, and gain new residents to replace them - or at least soften the blow of all those departures.
These Californian cities experienced the highest net arrivals: They gained new residents, but didn’t lose that many from 2023 to 2025:
Choose Item
Percent of Arrivals
2.58%
Percent of Arrivals
1.48%
Percent of Arrivals
1.11%
Percent of Arrivals
1.11%
On the other hand, these Californian cities had the highest net departures: They lost residents, but didn’t gain many new arrivals from 2023 to 2025:
Choose Item
Percent of Departures
3.03%
Percent of Departures
2.69%
Percent of Departures
1.35%
Percent of Departures
1.35%
Smaller towns and cities in California seem to be attracting more arrivals. Meanwhile, San Jose’s luster seems to be wearing off - maybe from tech layoffs, or maybe from something else.
Some cities had arrivals concentrated into a few neighborhoods:
Choose Item
City
San Francisco
Percent of City Arrivals
22.22%
City
Los Angeles
Percent of City Arrivals
12%
City
Los Angeles
Percent of City Arrivals
8%
Meanwhile, some communities were losing quite a lot of people. Here are the neighbourhoods (and their cities) that saw high concentrations of departures:
Choose Item
City
San Diego
Percent of City Departures
28.57%
City
San Diego
Percent of City Departures
28.57%
City
Los Angeles
Percent of City Departures
8.33%
South of Market Street (SoMa) is still a popular destination in San Francisco. On the other hand, it looks like San Carlos and Carmel Valley saw high amounts of departures compared to the rest of San Diego.
Our data also tracked which counties were gaining and losing the most residents across California. According to our statistics, here are the counties in California that experienced the most arrivals.
Choose Item
Percent of Arrivals
17.92%
Percent of Arrivals
11.32%
Percent of Arrivals
7.55%
Percent of Arrivals
6.6%
Percent of Arrivals
5.66%
Percent of Arrivals
5.66%
Percent of Arrivals
3.3%
Percent of Arrivals
2.83%
Percent of Arrivals
2.36%
Percent of Arrivals
2.36%
Additionally, our data revealed which counties were losing the most people. According to our database, these Californian counties experienced the most departures:
Choose Item
Percent of Departures
21.8%
Percent of Departures
7.58%
Percent of Departures
7.58%
Percent of Departures
6.64%
Percent of Departures
6.64%
Percent of Departures
5.69%
Percent of Departures
4.74%
Percent of Departures
4.27%
Percent of Departures
3.32%
Percent of Departures
2.84%
LA County, Riverside County, and San Diego County are the big players when you look at California moving per county. They saw high percentages of departures and arrivals - especially Los Angeles.
Some Californian cities are more popular than others - but how does California look at the national level? Our statistics also extended to state-to-state moving, including where ex-Californians were moving, and where the new Californians were coming from.
24% of moves that started in California headed to a completely different state. Here are the other states Californians were moving to:
Choose Item
Percent of Moves Leaving California
15.28%
Percent of Moves Leaving California
9.72%
Percent of Moves Leaving California
5.56%
Percent of Moves Leaving California
5.56%
Percent of Moves Leaving California
4.17%
Of all the moves that had a destination in California, 17.34% of those arrivals were coming from a completely different state. Here are where the new Californians are coming from:
Choose Item
Percent of Moves Entering California
15.28%
Percent of Moves Entering California
9.72%
Percent of Moves Entering California
5.56%
Percent of Moves Entering California
5.56%
Percent of Moves Entering California
4.17%
California is pretty expensive, so it’s no surprise that New Yorkers (who also have money) are the biggest demographics for folks moving in. On the other hand, it’d be interesting to see how Texas changes with the influx of Californians.
If you want to see the latest moving trends, iMoving publishes them every month. Our system compiles up-to-the-minute statistics and moving info, and updates it all on our dynamic, data-driven live moving page. On this page, you’ll find up-to-the-minute moving data, built with thousands of move requests, completed moves, verified mover tariffs.
If you’re ready to get moving, iMoving is ready to help. We’re the only place that lets shoppers compare prices and book moves, entirely online. We’ve made it super easy to find the best California movers in the game. Just check out our moving cost calculator, and get a free quote in just a few clicks.
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