Which states WA is gaining and losing residents from

When it comes to population growth, Washington was firing on all cylinders during the 2010s. The state grew by nearly 1 million people during the previous decade, driven by natural increase (more births than deaths) and by domestic and international migration.

The pandemic changed that equation.

Since 2020, the growth rate has slowed, and while Washington has continued to gain residents from natural increase and international migration, we started losing people to other states.

From 2020 to 2024, census data shows Washington experienced a net loss of more than 20,000 residents to other states. Even so, there is wide variation across the map. Washington is losing population to some, but still gaining from others.

Let's start with the influx. Two states stand out: California and Oregon.

California is perennially the state that sends us the most new residents and absorbs the most Washingtonians who are leaving. But the surplus is always in Washington's favor.

That trend held true for the 2020-24 period. On average, about 51,000 Californians relocated to Washington annually, and about 33,000 moved in the opposite direction, resulting in Washington's largest net gain of about 18,000.

The astronomically high cost of living there is surely a factor in favor of Washington. California is one of the few places that can make Washington seem almost affordable.

Oregon was second behind California. About 29,000 moved from Oregon to Washington, compared with 21,000 who went the other way. That pencils out to an average annual net gain of nearly 8,000 people who will now be paying sales tax, but, at least for now, not state income tax.

Because Washington sits just across the Columbia River from Oregon's largest city, Portland, much of the movement between the two states likely comes from short-distance moves within the Portland metro area.

There's a huge drop-off after Oregon, and the No. 3 state is a bit of a surprise: Maryland. There isn't much movement between Washington and Maryland, but from 2020 to 2024, it was lopsided in Washington's favor - nearly 3,000 moving here compared with about 1,400 moving there each year. That left Washington with a gain of about 1,600 residents.

The other states in the top five were Nevada and Illinois. Washington saw an average net gain of around 1,100 people from each.

On the flip side, three states had significant population gains at Washington's expense: Arizona, Idaho and Texas.

Arizona was the biggest gainer from Washington between 2020 and 2024. Nearly 19,000 left here for the Grand Canyon State on average each year, compared with 8,800 who moved in the opposite direction. That left Washington with a deficit of around 10,200.

It's not much of a surprise to see the migration imbalance between Arizona and Washington. Like many Sunbelt states, Arizona has been attracting a steady stream of residents from the northern half of the country in recent years, drawing folks with a combination of affordability and year-round sunshine.

Idaho was effectively tied with Arizona, with nearly identical numbers moving in both directions, and an average annual net gain of about 10,200 ex-Washingtonians. Idaho has attracted large numbers of movers from the West Coast in recent years, drawn by its lower cost of living, outdoor lifestyle, and more conservative political climate.

Another Sunbelt state, Texas, placed third with a net gain of 6,400 movers from Washington. The Lone Star State drew about 19,800 people from here, while 13,300 moved in the opposite direction.

There is a big drop-off after Texas. Two more Sunbelt states rounded out the five biggest takers from Washington: Oklahoma, with a surplus of about 2,000 movers, and Tennessee, at around 1,900.

We might see Tennessee climb the rankings in the coming years. Starbucks recently announced it is investing $100 million to build a massive corporate office in Nashville, bringing up to 2,000 jobs.

Correction: An earlier version of this column did not specify that the numbers were annual averages.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 6:44 AM.