Editor's note: Above video is a report on Idaho's preparation for the Census
SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington and Idaho gained between tens and hundreds of thousands of residents in 2018, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly 261,000 people moved to Washington in 2018 and nearly 80,000 moved to Idaho. In both states, the most new residents filtered in from California.
Nearly 700,000 total residents of California decided to pack their bags and move last year. Most Californians found themselves heading to Texas, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Oregon.
Clearly, the population growth in Washington and Idaho isn’t only stemming from California, so we wanted to know: Where did the new residents of both states come from?
The biggest Washington gains from within the U.S. came from California, Oregon and – maybe more surprisingly – Texas.
The chart below compares the top five states where the new Washington residents previously lived. All numbers of people who moved from each state are estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The states are as follows: California, Oregon, Texas, Arizona and Idaho.
Another interesting factoid: more than 8,000 people left Florida’s warm climate for Washington and another 3,416 left the sandy beaches of Hawaii for the Evergreen State.
More than 62,000 new Washington residents moved to the U.S. from abroad, according to the data.
In Idaho, most of the new residents came from California, and the neighboring states of Washington and Utah.
The chart below compares the top five states where the new Idaho residents previously lived. All numbers of people who moved from each state are estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The states are as follows: California, Washington, Utah, Oregon and Nevada.
More than 6,700 new Idaho residents moved to the U.S. from abroad, according to the data.