The University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s demographic insight report shows one in five transplants to Utah in 2022 were Californians.
Because California has more people than any other place in the country, when it's residents move from place to place — making what's known as a domestic migration — they can have big impact on the population of their new home, whether that's a city or a state. In 2022, a total of 18,669, or 2.3% of all Californian's who moved came to Utah.
The institute's report, which was released Aug. 9, used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to analyze Utah’s in-migration growth.
Utah isn't the only place Californian's move, in fact the state it the largest source of new residents for many U.S. States, according to the data. Out of all 50 states, Utah ranked 15th on the list of relocation choices for Californians. Researchers also said Utah and California have a “lengthy migration relationship” for geographic and religious reasons.
Among the new arrivals, 10% percent settled in Summit, Morgan, Rich and Cache counties. However, a bigger share of Californians relocated to Utah County cities, including Saratoga Springs, Payson, and parts of Lehi. Some 23% move to Salt Lake County and 9% chose the St. George area in the state's southwest corner.
Researchers also found that many of those who relocated to Utah — about one-quarter of them — were actually returning to the state because they were born here. About half of the newcomers were born in California.
Additional study data shows that Californians who relocate to Utah also have higher household incomes than those from other states. Around 40% have household incomes over $100,000 or more. Only 28% of all other people who came to Utah have the same income. Half of those that moved to Utah were between the ages of 15 and 39.
According to the report, that could explain why half of Californians own their Beehive State residence within the first year of moving. Only one-third of other migrants can say the same.
