California renters show decreasing interest in moving to once-popular destination
As concerns about an issue California migration During the COVID-19 pandemic, media across the country speculated that the reign of coastal metropolises like San Francisco and Los Angeles would come to an end. It turns out that many residents I left those citiesthey tended to simply move other parts of the state to settle down. A. new report A report released this week shows a continuing trend as renters in California opt to ping-pong around the state rather than move to another state entirely.
40% of San Francisco renters looking for a new place to live are looking at a different metro area, according to a new report by rental site Apartment List. San Jose was the most popular destination, with 23.3% of searches focused on its Bay Area neighbor. Sacramento was the second most searched market with 10.3% of searches, while Los Angeles was searched for 6.3%.
The trend was similar for those looking to move to San Francisco; the majority of calls were from San Jose (20.5%). Next are Los Angeles (11.2%) and Sacramento (7%).
For San Jose residents looking for a change of pace, 33.1% of their searches were for San Francisco. Los Angeles had 6.9 percent and Sacramento had 5.6 percent.
The most questioned hotspot in Los Angeles was Riverside, with 18.3%. San Diego’s share was 9.5%. Phoenix came in third on the list, with 5.7% of searches looking at apartments in the Arizona city. It also appeared in Riverside’s top 3 search list, making it the only city outside of California to rank this high.
For those looking for a larger move, the states Californians were considering relocating to were no surprise. Texas is still the best place for renters; Nevada and Arizona are close behind. Washington state, another popular destination for Californians to escape to, ranked fourth. Meanwhile, Colorado is making progress, placing fifth this year.
It may be surprising that California renters seem to be losing their desire to move to Florida. More than 5% of renters were considering moving there in 2023, but that number dropped to 4.2% in 2024 and just 3.8% in 2025. At the same time, interest in Texas has increased steadily, from 11% in 2023 to 12.4% in 2024 and 12.8% in 2025.
Apartment List analyzed search data from its site and net domestic migration from the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate its report.
Rob Warnock, senior research associate at Apartment List, told SFGATE he doesn’t expect a major swing in these trends, especially in the coming year. Artificial intelligence jobs still attract great attention It’s strong for the Bay Area and the overall economy. Using San Francisco as an example, he said top searches from any given location almost always have a proximity leader (San Jose) and an affordability leader (Sacramento).
“It paints a good picture of the cycle of who is traveling to and from these major job centers,” he said.
More about California
– Stinson underwater, Ocean Beach halved: California’s beach tally is here
– America’s obsession with California failing
– What’s it like to live in a touristy part of California that’s been swallowed by the sea?
– There’s a quiet housing arrangement spreading across California
– Remote workers in California are taking their higher salaries elsewhere
– The unexpected (and unofficial) border between Northern and Southern California
This article was first published at: California renters show waning interest in moving to this once-popular destination.
