According to population estimates from the state Department of Finance for the 12 months ending July 1, net domestic migration rose 3,032, compared with a decline of 3,373 the year before.
Adding the natural increase of births minus deaths and continued influx of international migrants, the county population rose 46,634, or 1.5 percent to 3,161,477, the highest one-year boost since 2002.
“That’s quite an accomplishment,” state demographer Linda Gage said. “The state certainly had a (sustained) level of out-migration last year. San Diego is more unusual in having that (domestic migration) turnaround.”
The state lost 135,173 residents to other states and nations in 2007-8, about the same as the year before. But because of a net increase of international migration and more births than deaths, the overall state population rose 435,905 to top the 38 million mark for the first time.
San Diego State University geography professor John Weeks said the shift in San Diego’s migration pattern could be an early sign of a bottoming out of San Diego’s housing slide and a signal that the economy might pick up here earlier than elsewhere.
“If times are good relative to other places, even if they are not as good as five years ago, then we’ll see some returned migration to San Diego,” he said, “and that will be indicative of better times here than elsewhere.”
Stating no outflow and international migration as cause for change in trends. I would suggest people are not moving out because they can’t sell their homes, traditionally don’t move in times of economic downturn and the international migration has always been there. So basically this is not a positive despite article spin.
