People Are Fleeing California, Oregon And……Salt Lake City?

It seem we have been bombarded lately with report after report of people pulling up stakes and making their way here to the Beehive State. Indeed, you would have to be pretty unrealistic to not acknowledge a growing population base here in southern Utah, and really throughout the entire state.

But what if I were to tell you that there is an area in Utah that is hemorrhaging population...and it's a pretty big area.

24-7 Wall Street recently published a study listing the cities Americans are “abandoning in droves” and Utah's capitol city made the list.

The attractiveness of a city is influenced by various factors, both subjective and objective, which can lead to population shifts when they become unfavorable. Subjective factors such as weather, community, and vibrancy, along with objective ones like economic opportunity and affordability, play pivotal roles in determining a city's allure.

In the 24-7 Wall Street report, data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population and Housing Unit Estimates program were analyzed. The list includes various metropolitan areas, from major cities like New York and Los Angeles to smaller ones like Eagle Pass, Texas, and Minot, North Dakota.

Metropolitan statistical areas were ranked based on the net migration from July 1^st, 2022 to July 1^st, 2023. They came up with a list of 36 cities where net migration contributed at least a 0.04% population decline, even if the the population of the area grew.

Median home value and unemployment rates were factors 24-7 Wall Street considered in compiling the list along with migration in and out of the area, total population, and total population change.

The West region dominates the list, with 16 cities, particularly in California, where median home values often surpass the national average.

So, what were the figures that landed Salt Lake City, or more particularly Salt Lake City-Murray statistical area? The population change due to migration from 2022 to 2023 was a -0.52%, even though total population grew 0.11%. An interesting note in the migration figures is that the Salt Lake area gained 6,007 international immigrants from 2022 to 2023, but lost 12,606 domestic immigrants.

Keep scrolling if you want to see the other 35 cities that made the list and their ranking.