> It seems like much of this comes from the shift to remote work.
A lot of it, as in 2020, came from the reduction in immigration to the United States (2020 and 2021 were about 300k below any time in the prior decade, due to pandemic-related restrictions.
California has had negative net domestic (within the US) migration offset by international immigration, for which it is a major destination for both employment- and family-based immigration, for quite a long time prior to 2020.
Another big chunk is retirements (which in 2020 and 2021 were accelerated by the pandemic); taking savings from working in California and retiring out of state to a lower CoL area has been common for a long time.
A lot of it, as in 2020, came from the reduction in immigration to the United States (2020 and 2021 were about 300k below any time in the prior decade, due to pandemic-related restrictions.
California has had negative net domestic (within the US) migration offset by international immigration, for which it is a major destination for both employment- and family-based immigration, for quite a long time prior to 2020.
Another big chunk is retirements (which in 2020 and 2021 were accelerated by the pandemic); taking savings from working in California and retiring out of state to a lower CoL area has been common for a long time.