California exodus to neighboring state plummets as overall migration slows, new data shows

Californians aren’t betting big on the Silver State anymore.Golden State residents are still headed for the exits — but far fewer are choosing neighboring Nevada as their new home after years of flooding across the border, new data shows.Californians surrendered 33,296 driver’s licenses or ID cards in Nevada in 2025, a 14.6% plunge from the 38.970 from the previous year, according to Nevada DMV data reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.That works out to 5.674 fewer Californians trading their IDs for Nevada credentials, according to the Review-Journal.The outlet reported that even with the sharp drop, Golden Staters still accounted for more than 40% of all out-of-state licenses and IDs surrendered.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The California slowdown nearly mirrored Nevada’s overall decline in newcomers — as the total decline across the board was 14%.The turn is especially jarring after Nevada emerged as the biggest per-capita beneficiary of California’s exodus.For every 10,000 Nevada residents, the state gained a net 81 Californians each year between 2016 and 2025 — more than any other state.Californians who fled generally landed in significantly cheaper communities, where monthly rents were an average of $672 lower and home prices were nearly $400,000 cheaper.But the latest DMV figures suggest the once-roaring migration pipeline into Nevada is finally losing steam.That doesn’t mean California’s broader exodus has suddenly reversed.The Golden State’s population fell by approximately 54,000 people in 2025 — it’s first annual decline since the pandemic — while Los Angeles suffered a 0.9% population drop.Instead, fewer Californians appear to be making major moves at all as the pandemic-era relocation frenzy fade...