Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in California
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in California using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal California residents live.
#50. Monterey County
- Population: 437,609
- Born in California: 243,790 (55.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 59,836 (13.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7,421 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 126,562 (28.9% of population)
#49. Contra Costa County
- Population: 1,162,648
- Born in California: 653,592 (56.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 194,566 (16.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 19,034 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 295,456 (25.4% of population)
#48. Mono County
- Population: 13,219
- Born in California: 7,624 (57.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,069 (23.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 37 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,489 (18.8% of population)
#47. Santa Barbara County
- Population: 445,213
- Born in California: 257,942 (57.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 81,676 (18.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 6,774 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 98,821 (22.2% of population)
#46. Napa County
- Population: 137,384
- Born in California: 79,657 (58.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 25,174 (18.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,054 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 30,499 (22.2% of population)
#45. Alpine County
- Population: 1,515
- Born in California: 883 (58.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 575 (38.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 6 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 51 (3.4% of population)
#44. Solano County
- Population: 450,995
- Born in California: 268,037 (59.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 83,333 (18.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 11,012 (2.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 88,613 (19.6% of population)
#43. Modoc County
- Population: 8,651
- Born in California: 5,153 (59.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,936 (33.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 34 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 528 (6.1% of population)
#42. Imperial County
- Population: 179,578
- Born in California: 107,342 (59.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,780 (7.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,597 (2.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 54,859 (30.5% of population)
#41. Ventura County
- Population: 842,009
- Born in California: 511,005 (60.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 139,975 (16.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 10,524 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 180,505 (21.4% of population)
#40. Yolo County
- Population: 217,141
- Born in California: 132,028 (60.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 33,660 (15.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 3,684 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 47,769 (22.0% of population)
#39. Sacramento County
- Population: 1,579,211
- Born in California: 971,422 (61.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 247,070 (15.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 25,228 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 335,491 (21.2% of population)
#38. Santa Cruz County
- Population: 268,571
- Born in California: 165,214 (61.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 52,385 (19.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,249 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 46,723 (17.4% of population)
#37. Riverside County
- Population: 2,429,487
- Born in California: 1,498,225 (61.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 371,371 (15.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 33,917 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 525,974 (21.6% of population)
#36. Colusa County
- Population: 21,811
- Born in California: 13,637 (62.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,774 (8.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 156 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,244 (28.6% of population)
#35. Sierra County
- Population: 2,916
- Born in California: 1,827 (62.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 993 (34.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 20 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 76 (2.6% of population)
#34. Sonoma County
- Population: 488,436
- Born in California: 306,473 (62.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 96,799 (19.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5,590 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 79,574 (16.3% of population)
#33. Sutter County
- Population: 99,101
- Born in California: 62,736 (63.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,952 (13.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,864 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 21,549 (21.7% of population)
#32. Siskiyou County
- Population: 44,049
- Born in California: 28,332 (64.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,619 (28.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 446 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,652 (6.0% of population)
#31. San Joaquin County
- Population: 779,445
- Born in California: 503,331 (64.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 78,154 (10.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 11,313 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 186,647 (23.9% of population)
#30. Kings County
- Population: 152,515
- Born in California: 98,589 (64.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 23,105 (15.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,670 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 28,151 (18.5% of population)
#29. Placer County
- Population: 406,608
- Born in California: 263,025 (64.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 88,554 (21.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 6,193 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 48,836 (12.0% of population)
#28. Merced County
- Population: 282,290
- Born in California: 183,240 (64.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 22,083 (7.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,806 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 74,161 (26.3% of population)
#27. Nevada County
- Population: 102,322
- Born in California: 66,817 (65.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 27,909 (27.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,078 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,518 (6.4% of population)
#26. Mariposa County
- Population: 17,130
- Born in California: 11,230 (65.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,443 (25.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 104 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,353 (7.9% of population)
#25. San Bernardino County
- Population: 2,180,563
- Born in California: 1,429,688 (65.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 264,414 (12.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 25,620 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 460,841 (21.1% of population)
#24. El Dorado County
- Population: 191,713
- Born in California: 126,204 (65.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 45,607 (23.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,033 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 17,869 (9.3% of population)
#23. Plumas County
- Population: 19,650
- Born in California: 13,150 (66.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,648 (28.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 95 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 757 (3.9% of population)
#22. Mendocino County
- Population: 91,145
- Born in California: 61,632 (67.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 17,930 (19.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,331 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 10,252 (11.2% of population)
#21. Kern County
- Population: 906,883
- Born in California: 613,886 (67.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 104,797 (11.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 9,584 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 178,616 (19.7% of population)
#20. Madera County
- Population: 157,243
- Born in California: 107,345 (68.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 16,394 (10.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,546 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 31,958 (20.3% of population)
#19. Yuba County
- Population: 81,705
- Born in California: 55,896 (68.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 14,075 (17.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,507 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 10,227 (12.5% of population)
#18. Tulare County
- Population: 473,446
- Born in California: 324,089 (68.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 40,456 (8.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,443 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 104,458 (22.1% of population)
#17. Lake County
- Population: 68,024
- Born in California: 46,568 (68.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 14,204 (20.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 672 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,580 (9.7% of population)
#16. San Luis Obispo County
- Population: 281,712
- Born in California: 193,117 (68.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 57,665 (20.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,209 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 26,721 (9.5% of population)
#15. Stanislaus County
- Population: 552,063
- Born in California: 379,254 (68.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 55,697 (10.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5,566 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 111,546 (20.2% of population)
#14. Fresno County
- Population: 1,008,280
- Born in California: 697,510 (69.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 99,350 (9.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 10,652 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 200,768 (19.9% of population)
#13. Inyo County
- Population: 18,829
- Born in California: 13,085 (69.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,245 (22.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 153 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,346 (7.1% of population)
#12. Del Norte County
- Population: 27,462
- Born in California: 19,095 (69.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 6,012 (21.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 269 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,086 (7.6% of population)
#11. San Benito County
- Population: 64,753
- Born in California: 45,080 (69.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 6,554 (10.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 586 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 12,533 (19.4% of population)
#10. Glenn County
- Population: 28,657
- Born in California: 20,077 (70.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,845 (13.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 418 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,317 (15.1% of population)
#9. Humboldt County
- Population: 136,132
- Born in California: 95,721 (70.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 30,778 (22.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,215 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 8,418 (6.2% of population)
#8. Trinity County
- Population: 15,889
- Born in California: 11,181 (70.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,523 (22.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 14 (0.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,171 (7.4% of population)
#7. Shasta County
- Population: 181,852
- Born in California: 128,838 (70.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 42,107 (23.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,495 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 9,412 (5.2% of population)
#6. Tehama County
- Population: 65,484
- Born in California: 47,699 (72.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,995 (16.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 352 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,438 (9.8% of population)
#5. Amador County
- Population: 40,577
- Born in California: 29,594 (72.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,285 (20.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 357 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,341 (5.8% of population)
#4. Lassen County
- Population: 31,873
- Born in California: 23,426 (73.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 6,405 (20.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 300 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,742 (5.5% of population)
#3. Tuolumne County
- Population: 54,993
- Born in California: 40,424 (73.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,345 (20.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 490 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,734 (5.0% of population)
#2. Butte County
- Population: 213,605
- Born in California: 158,731 (74.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 36,416 (17.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,322 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 16,136 (7.6% of population)
#1. Calaveras County
- Population: 45,674
- Born in California: 34,211 (74.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,849 (19.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 235 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,379 (5.2% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
