Viva Las Vegas!
California millennials are fleeing to Nevada in large numbers, according to a new study.
“Millennials are the largest group of people relocating to Nevada from California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah,” according to StorageCafe, which combined data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nevada has the nation’s sixth-highest rate of net migration – the difference between the number of new residents and those leaving – with more than 14 newcomers for every 1,000 residents.
The largest percentage of those new residents are millennials from California, StorageCafe found.
The study also found that roughly 7.9 million Americans packed up their wagon and moved to another state in 2021. 2022 set a record with 8.2 million interstate movers.
During that timeframe, approximately 60,000 Californians moved to Nevada.
California, Alaska, New York and Illinois have all experienced double-digit negative net migration, according to the study.
So, what’s causing these moving trends?
“The verdict is still out, but it appears as though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on domestic migration. More people are moving to less-populated counties,” said Emily Skop, a professor of geography and environmental studies at the University of Colorado. “We have yet to see if this is a temporary blip or something more. Ask me again in two or three years.”