As concerns spread about California’s exodus during the COVID-19 pandemic, national media outlets have speculated that the reign of coastal metropolises like San Francisco and Los Angeles is coming to an end. It turns out that while many residents did leave these cities, they often simply settled in other parts of the state. A new report released this week shows that trend is continuing, with California renters choosing to play ping pong across the state rather than move to another state entirely.
For San Francisco renters looking for a new place to live, 40 percent are considering a different metro area, according to a new report from rental website Apartment List. San Jose was the most popular location, with 23.3% of searches focused on its Bay Area neighbor. Sacramento is the second most popular market, accounting for 10.3% of searches, followed by Los Angeles at 6.3%.
The trend is similar for those looking to move to San Francisco, with the majority of searches coming from San Jose (20.5%). This is followed by Los Angeles (11.2%) and Sacramento (7%).
Among San Jose residents looking for a change of pace, 33.1% of searches focused on San Francisco. Los Angeles has 6.9% and Sacramento has 5.6%.
In Los Angeles, the most queried moving location is Riverside, accounting for 18.3% of searches. San Diego has 9.5%. Phoenix ranked third, with 5.7% of searches focused on apartments in Arizona. It also appears in the top three search lists for Riverside, the only city outside of California to appear in those top three.
For those looking for a bigger move, the state Californians are considering relocating to is no surprise. Texas remains the top location for renters, with Nevada and Arizona close behind. Washington state, another popular escape for Californians, ranked fourth. Colorado, meanwhile, has been improving, ranking fifth this year.
Surprisingly, California renters appear to be losing desire to move to Florida. More than 5% of renters hope to move there in 2023, but that number drops to 4.2% in 2024 and just 3.8% in 2025. Meanwhile, interest in Texas has risen steadily, from 11% in 2023 to 12.4% in 2024 and 12.8% in 2025.
Apartment List analyzed search data on its website and net domestic migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate its report.
Rob Warnock, senior researcher at Apartment List, told SFGATE that he doesn’t expect any big swings in these trends over the next year, especially as AI jobs remain a huge draw for the Bay Area and the overall economy is strong. He pointed to San Francisco as an example, saying there’s almost always a proximity leader (San Jose) and an affordability leader (Sacramento) among the top searches for any given location.
“It paints a pretty good picture of who cycles in and out of these major employment centres,” he said.
More about California
– Stinson Underwater, Ocean Beach Halved: California Beach Reckoning Is Here
– America’s obsession with California failed
– What it’s like to live in a California resort that’s been swallowed by the sea
– Housing rehabilitation is quietly underway across California
– California remote workers are taking their big paychecks elsewhere
– The unlikely (and unofficial) border between Northern and Southern California
This article was originally published on California renters show declining interest in moving to once popular destination.