Moving to California, or moving out

Or so says the LA Times.

Frankly, I think the stats are erroneous, because the in migration is based upon prior year tax returns, and doesn't count immigrants who didn't pay a tax return in 2005, legally or illegally.

Still, even only counting U.S.A. citizens, the stats are revealing:

Tax returns from 2005 show the net migration difference between California and all U.S. counties outside the state:

Migration from California
High: (200 to 11,375)
Low: (1 to 199)
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Migration to California
High: (114 to 1,217)
Low: (1 to 113)
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Following the money:
In net terms, those leaving are wealthier than those arriving, based on tax returns filed in 2005.
Money out of California / Tax Returns out of California:
Midwest: $1,637,329,000 / 34,019 returns
Northeast: $1,668,232,000 / 28,221 returns
South: $4,141,298,000 / 83,946 returns
West (other than California): $6,474,155,000 / 128,092 returns
TOTALS: $13,921,014,000 / 274,278 returns
Money into California / Tax returns into California:
Midwest: $1,810,572,000 / 37,027 returns
Northeast: $2,169,639,000 / 36,223 returns
South: $2,698,385,000 / 61,314 returns
West (other than California): $2,755,642,000 / 67,797 returns
TOTALS: $9,434,238,000 / 202,361 returns
COMING TO CALIFORNIA
Counties with the highest net loss of taxpayers to California:
New York City boroughs / Suffolk County, N.Y.: 1,217
Cook County, Illinois.: 795
Middlesex County, N.J.: 470
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LEAVING CALIFORNIA
Counties with the highest net gain of taxpayers from California:
Maricopa County, Ariz.: 11,375
Clark County, Nev.: 10,657
Washoe County, Nev.: 2,149
--
Sources: California Department of Finance, Internal Revenue Service. Data analysis by Doug Smith and Sandra Poindexter

The sources of in-migration actually make a lot of sense. If you are going to live in a state with higher costs of living, higher taxes and increasingly warped and corrupt politics, why not make it a state with nicer weather? Less Mafia too, at least for now, but the Mexican Mafia, Nuestra Familia and MS-13 are dong their best....