Young Adults Leaving LA and the younger generations are increasingly choosing to relocate to other cities within California rather than leaving the state entirely, with popular destinations including San Francisco and Fresno.
This trend contrasts sharply with the ‘California Exodus,’ which is primarily driven by retirees and older generations moving their lives to other states.
According to recent migration data compiled by moving service U-Haul from June of last year to June of this year, moving destinations for Los Angeles residents clearly differ by generation.
First, the top destination for Generation Z (ages 14–29) was San Francisco, followed by Fresno and Bakersfield. Notably, Fresno, a sprawling agricultural city in the Central Valley, has rapidly emerged as a new nest for the younger demographic.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer stated in an interview with the LA Times on the 7th that the number of residents moving from the Bay Area and LA has significantly increased since 2021. He explained that while initial migration was mostly family-led units capable of remote work, recent months have seen a noticeable influx of Gen Z and millennials in their 20s and 30s.
According to the City of Fresno, the average age of Fresno residents has dropped to 31. With median home prices hovering around the $400,000 range, the much lighter housing cost burden compared to coastal megacities like LA or San Francisco is analyzed as the core factor attracting young people.
Millennials (ages 30–45) also frequently remained in California even when leaving LA, choosing San Francisco, Bakersfield, Sacramento, and Riverside as their top destinations.
In particular, San Francisco has been drawing young professionals due to the booming artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
Erica Lee, 30, who moved from West Hollywood to San Francisco last February, landed a job at an AI-based insurance startup.
Lee stated her reason for moving was the desire to grab great opportunities in one of the most rapidly growing industry landscapes.
Conversely, older generations showed a clear pattern of fleeing California. The primary out-of-state destinations for Baby Boomers (ages 52–71) leaving LA were Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, and Utah. Generation X (ages 46–56) also joined the mass exodus to states like Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
This generational contrast is also reflected in nationwide statistics. California ranked as the 3rd top migration destination for millennials and 2nd for Gen Z, continuing to draw fresh blood. However, California’s name was entirely absent from the top 10 migration destinations favored by Baby Boomers and Gen X.
Meanwhile, despite these generational differences, California’s overall population outflow saga continues. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California’s net population outflow last year reached approximately 105,000, widening further from the previous year’s roughly 99,629. Los Angeles County also saw its population drop by 54,000 over the span of a year, failing to escape the shadow of population decline.
