California lost a net 58,109 adults aged 18 to 27 to other states in 2024, LendingTree finds

The state rankings are net figures, and each net figure is the gap between two large flows. An estimated 60,223 Gen Z adults moved into South Carolina from other states and 37,380 moved out ^[3], a net of 22,843 ^[13]. California took in 128,718 and lost 186,827 ^[6], a net of minus 58,109 ^[14]. Both match the net totals LendingTree published ^[1][2]. California is still the second-largest destination for these movers ^[6]. On its busiest exit route, to Texas, about 19,287 young Californians left and 13,362 came the other way ^[7], a net of 5,925 ^[15].

HCA, the trade publication reporting the study, is cautious about the headline rate. It advises reading LendingTree's 23.9% figure as "a signal of direction rather than scale" ^[18]. We think the same discipline applies to the state tables, for a different reason: who is moving. LendingTree's Matt Schulz told Fox Business he believed that "affordability was driving at least part of this." ^[9] Education is another factor. Of the Gen Zers who crossed a state line, 38.1% were enrolled in college at the time of the survey ^[10], and HCA notes that many of those moves are to campuses, not jobs ^[11]. The reporting does not say how many of the other movers took jobs, or whether students stay in a state after they graduate.

In gaining states, the tradeoff is depth against opportunity. HCA writes that the pool is deeper but the ladder is shorter ^[21]. Nearly half of hiring managers say they would put money into AI tools before they would hire and train a new graduate, and entry-level hiring has tightened ^[20]. HCA says an employer in South Carolina, Tennessee or Arizona that is still filling junior roles may find fewer rivals for young talent than its peers on the coasts do ^[22].

In losing states, the tradeoff is location against retention. HCA says entry-level roles are the least likely to offer location flexibility, so a young worker leaving a high-cost state often has to choose between the job and the move ^[23]. It suggests giving early-career staff a hybrid or hub-based arrangement as a way to hold on to some of those workers ^[24]. It also notes that when Google moved teams to hybrid schedules, it paid a one-time relocation for some staff to move within 50 miles of an office ^[25].

HCA pushes back on the idea that mobile young workers are flight risks. It cites National Institute on Retirement Security research finding that younger workers' job tenure is about the same as older generations' was at the same age ^[12]. For compliance, it recommends a policy requiring staff to notify HR before a move, not after, to avoid retroactive payroll corrections and gaps in coverage ^[27].

In our view, these tables justify a look at where a company's own early-career applicants live, and do not yet justify moving recruiting budget. The figures cover one year, 2024 ^[1], and 38.1% of the movers were enrolled in college ^[10]. A budget shifted toward South Carolina this quarter on that basis would be tested next quarter by who the new applicants turn out to be: students or full-time candidates.