The exodus from California appears to be growing, fueled in part by rural towns across the country that are seeking to attract remote workers to their communities, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"Start with $5,000 to $7,500 in relocation cash. If that’s not enough, how about free health insurance for a year, unlimited golf club membership, a seat on the community’s nonprofit board?" the Los Angeles Times wrote, listing just some of the many benefits rural towns are dangling to attract remote workers.
"How’s a Himalayan massage strike you? Or bourbon and burgers with the mayor?" the article continued.
Some former California residents are sharing their stories after they chose to leave the state for a better life elsewhere. Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo, who was born in Sacramento, California, said that the state government is run through with "bureaucratic incompetence" and "greed."
Overall, California’s population dropped by 500,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022 as residents continue to stream out of the state. Only New York came close to matching California's exodus, with the Empire State losing roughly 485,000 residents between 2020 and 2022.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the competition for workers leaving California - especially remote workers - who now make up roughly 10 percent of the workforce, is growing fast.
"Across the Hoosier state, dozens of counties and cities are practically stepping over each other in what has become the new competition across the land: attracting the pandemic-enlarged horde of people with remote jobs who no longer feel the need to live in more expensive urban centers like Los Angeles or New York," according to the report.
One family featured in the article that left California for Indiana told the Los Angeles Times that they were drawn to the state for the cash bonus, family space and community.
"You’re kind of getting paid to immerse yourself in the local community," California native Mariah Zingarelli said.
CALIFORNIA LOSES 500,000 RESIDENTS IN 2 YEARS AS AMERICANS FLEE HIGH COSTS, COVID RESTRICTIONS
Matt Winters, a city manager in Poplar Bluffs, a town in Missouri, reportedly touted the advantages of living in a rural town.
"Our cost of living is low," he said.
"Rural America is attractive to some people," Winters added. "It takes me five minutes to get to work every morning, and that’s if I’m not in a hurry."
Fox News Digital has reached out to MakeMyMove, a company that helps families and workers move to rural towns across the country, for additional comment.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
