Angelenos appear to be more confident in the county’s economy, and fewer want to leave now compared to three years ago. (Image Source: iStock.)

Pandemic-driven exodus from L.A. slows to a crawl, consumer confidence among Angelenos improves

While the 2023 USC Dornsife LABarometer survey on livability and affordability in Los Angeles County finds that housing challenges persist and reports of discrimination are rising, Angelenos are feeling better about the economy and only 3% plan to leave, compared to 10% in 2020.

ByIleana Wachtel January 29, 2024

While the rise of remote work and the pandemic’s outsized impact on the health and financial well-being of cities drove people out of urban areas and into cheaper, less densely populated regions, the 2023 USC Dornsife LABarometer survey finds that the pandemic-initiated exodus from Los Angeles County has come to a near standstill.

Just 3% of L.A. County residents plan to leave in the coming year, a dramatic 70% drop from 2020, when 10% said they planned to leave. That’s an “exodus rate” even lower than 2019, when 8% said they planned to leave the county. It’s a drop largely driven by renters, who are significantly less likely to leave than they were in 2020.

The researchers note that this change reflects a national decline in moving rates and may be associated with the economic challenges of moving. Still, the study finds Angelenos feel better about their neighborhoods and the economy.