DeSantis Campaign Press Release - People are Flocking to Florida and Fleeing California

Florida:

• Florida now is the nation's fastest-growing state for the first time since 1957, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 population estimates.
• Florida's population increased by 1.9% to 22,244,823 between 2021 and 2022 (U.S. Census Bureau).
• From the U.S. Census Bureau's numbers, an estimated 655,221 people moved to Florida from 2020 to 2022.

California:

• After peaking in January 2020 at 39.6 million, California has lost 600,000 people as of July 2022.
• California's population loss since 2020 is the first time in the state's history that California's population has ever declined year over year. [Source]
• Most of the loss occurred during the first year of the pandemic. An increase in deaths, sharp declines in international migration, and a rise in residents moving to other states account for the losses. (Public Policy Institute of California)
• According to polling reported by the LA Times, in spring 2023, more than 40% of California residents say they're considering moving out of the state with nearly half saying they are "very seriously" considering leaving.
• The LA Times poll found that 61% of Californians who are considering leaving indicated that California is no longer affordable to them. A middle-class family of three earning $130,000 a year faces a shocking "Cost of California" penalty of more than $26,000 per year compared to the national average of yearly expenses.
• U-Haul Trends:
  • U-Haul 2022 Report: Demand for equipment out of California remained strong in 2022. California ranked 50th on the U-Haul Growth Index for the third consecutive year, meaning that state saw the greatest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks.
  • In 2022, U-Haul announced that California had run out of trucks because so many people were leaving the state.