Driving around Montana these days you are bound to see a variety of license plates from all over the country. Some of the license plates are from rental cars, some are people visiting the state and some have actually moved here. There has been a large number of people who have left the state of California. Not all of them have come to Montana.

When it comes down to numbers, compared to other states there have been very few people from California that have moved to Montana. There are numbers that back that up. According to SmartAsset.com, which analyzed IRS data from 2021-2022, Montana's ranking may be much lower than most people think.

When it comes to states where Californians are moving to the most, Montana ranks 31st. Our neighbors have seen a lot more people move there than we have. The state that has seen the biggest increase of Californians is Texas.

According to the data almost 400,000 people moved out of Californian during that time. Of those people 3,286 of them relocated to Montana. Not everyone moves away from California. There were 1,175 households that moved from Montana to California.

The top 5 states where Californians moved most are:

  • Texas - 54,136 households
  • Arizona - 32,864 households
  • Nevada - 30,571 households
  • Washington - 27,550 households
  • Florida - 24,011

An interesting finding from the study is the amount of money that has moved into one of our neighboring states. The richest Californians moved to Wyoming. Overall Wyoming ranked 42nd for the state where people are moving most, but the ones moving there make the most money.

The numbers may change as data gets updated, but for now there may not be as many people moving from California to Montana as once thought.

8 Places That Might Be Better for Retirement Than Montana

Whether you live in Montana already or not, when looking for a place to retire, Wallet Hub has found 8 states that rank better than Montana. Take a look at why they might be better than the Big Sky State for your golden years. (Source: Wallet Hub)

Gallery Credit: Ashley

Montana Vs. Everyone: Which State Would Montana Pick a Fight With?

Gallery Credit: KC

More From Z100 Classic Rock