New study tracks California to Texas migration

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Within the past 10 years, Californians moving to Texas has become as clichéd as New Yorkers moving to Florida, according to a new study.

“Not only is Texodus not slowing down, but the route is getting more crowded, increasing by a whopping 80% in 2021 compared to figures from a decade before,” StorageCafe, a company that has tracked migration trends, said.

StorageCafe provided an analysis of Greater Austin counties after it conducted a Texas-wide study.

According to the analysis, more than 16,000 Californians relocated to Williamson and Travis counties in 2021.

“Travis County alone stars as by far the most preferred relocation destination among the state's top 25 routes for Californians,” StorageCafe said.

The analysis said a big reason people were leaving the Golden State was to get more for their housing dollar.

“A typical home in [Williamson and Travis] counties is 69% cheaper than in notoriously expensive LA County, resulting in a list price gap of $359K,” the study said.

According to the study, on average, homes are 17% bigger in Texas when comparing homes in California, whereas apartments are 6% larger.

The study said 2021 was a record-breaking year in terms of California to Texas move-ins, with roughly 111,000 people taking the route. Of the 111,000, half were millennials.