San Francisco · California · New York · Fortune Technology
Gen Z is defying trends and betting on California—even as older Americans flee to the Sun Belt
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
California has been shrinking for the past half-decade.
Key facts
- The state’s population fell 0.5% between April 2020 and July 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
- U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends National Report ranks states and metros by their net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box containers from July 2025 through June 2026
- It puts California at No. 2 for Gen Z (born 1997–2012), behind only Texas
- A record 1 in 3 adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025, most of them employed
Summary
U-Haul’s 2026 Midyear Migration Trends National Report ranks states and metros by their net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks, trailers, and U-Box containers from July 2025 through June 2026. It puts California at No. 2 for Gen Z (born 1997–2012), behind only Texas. Gen Z hasn’t given up on the Sun Belt. Its top five metros are New York City, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles. That’s a shift from recent trends that saw young workers leave San Francisco for more affordable cities like Nashville and Orlando, and from rankings that name cheaper Midwest and Texas cities as the best places for new grads. California’s scale is hard to compete with.