Arizona has become a top choice for those fleeing California

In efforts to escape “sky-high real estate prices” and rising costs of living, California residents are favoring Arizona as a top relocation destination behind only Texas.

That’s according to a report released Monday by StorageCafe, a national marketplace for storage space and an affiliate of real estate data provider Yardi. The report reviewed U.S. Census Bureau county-to-county migration data between 2013 and 2022 to identify the most popular and profitable moving routes from California to Arizona. The census report collected data from 3.5 million addresses nationwide, including an unspecified number from counties in California and Arizona.

StorageCafe’s analysis ranked the 50 most popular moving routes based on “individual move-ins,” referring to one relocation event where an individual household from California establishes a new residence in Arizona. StorageCafe also considered numerical and percentage differences in home and rent prices across counties in both states, homeownership or rental status, per capita income and generational demographics.

The report found that more than 630,000 California residents relocated to Arizona over the past decade — an average of 173 new residents per day. Among the top 50 moving routes, 36% of migrating California residents purchased homes during their first year in Arizona. According to StorageCafe, almost all top-ranked routes offered significant savings on home and rental prices, with the highest amount reaching nearly $1 million.

Additionally, the report noted that “homes in Arizona cost less than half of what they do in California ($321K vs. $659K), giving people a much better chance at homeownership. The same trend applies to rent, with Arizona apartments being 30% cheaper than in California.”

The No. 1 route between the states — and the route for five of the 10 most popular routes —was from Los Angeles County to Maricopa County. Encompassing the Phoenix metro area, Maricopa County experienced almost 8,700 move-ins from Los Angeles alone in 2022, with 43% of newcomers choosing homeownership.

Other common starting points for Californians moving to Maricopa County were San Diego County (5,173 movers), Orange County (4,021), Riverside County (3,302) and San Bernardino County (2,649).

About 34,000 California migrants relocated to Phoenix in 2022, with technology job opportunities heavily influencing the trend.

“[Phoenix] has always been a darling of tech companies, due to its top-notch universities and strong aerospace industry. Naturally, there’s a busy scene of home-grown tech companies, as well as California transplants. In the past few years, companies like Unical Aviation, Sendoso, and HomeLight moved their corporate headquarters from California to Maricopa County,” the report noted. “This trend is further boosting the local tech sector and contributing to the creation of thousands of attractive jobs.”

StorageCafe highlights tech and health care as two key drivers behind a consistent number of young professionals moving to the Grand Canyon State. According to census data, millennials (26%) led the migration charge among age groups, followed by Generation Z (20%). Baby boomers (18%), Generation X (14%) and Silent Generation (4%) movers followed as they sought better retirement options.

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