Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) said they struggle to save money or pay for unexpected expenses even as they scrape by — a jump of 6 percentage points since April 2022 when residents were asked the same question. About 35% said they live comfortably and 18% said they find it difficult to make ends meet every month.

More than 40% of residents say they’re contemplating moving out of California, with nearly half of them saying they’re considering that “very seriously.” About 61% pointed to the high cost of living here as the reason they’d go. People of color are far more likely to say that the expense of living in California is the reason they might leave. About 71% of residents who are either Black or Asian/Pacific Islander and considering relocating cited the cost of living.

[It takes a long time for the LA Times to cover the lead in their headline. First they have to check the boxes on how two-thirds of “people of color” feel “accepted,” only to then note that 71% of them want to get out. That’s something for Republicans to bookmark when Gavin Newsom makes his national campaign stops in Florida and Texas, two popular destinations for California’s economic exiles. In just three years, the percentage of respondents in the $50k-100K income range who think they can live comfortably and save for the future dropped by half — from 54% to 28%. — Ed]