The California Exodus

The main current of migration out of California in the past decade has flowed eastward across the Colorado River, reversing the storied passages of the Dust Bowl era. Southern California had about 55 percent of the stateâ??s population in 2000 but accounted for about 65 percent of the net out-migration in the decade that followed. More than 70 percent of the stateâ??s net migration to Texas came from Californiaâ??s south.The data have revealed several crucial drivers. One is chronic economic adversity (in most years, California unemployment is above the national average).