‘People are paying a lot for California’s beautiful weather’
What could possibly make someone leave Laguna Niguel and Coachella Valley, California for a move to Goodyear, Arizona? According to our latest interview with Barri on Leaving California, California’s highest-in-the-country cost-of-living, and “quality of life.”
Everyone is piling on California these days, and for many valid reasons. California is always ranked as one of the worst states in the country in which to run a business, while many other states are ranked at the top of the chart. People leave because of the exorbitantly high cost of living, leftist politics, and ever encroaching government.
California even ranks as one of the bottom five least free states – a dismal 48th – on CATO Institute’s Freedom in the 50 States ranking. New Hampshire, Florida, South Dakota, Nevada, and Arizona are the five freest states in the country.
The Globe interviewed Barri, who left California 6 months ago and moved to Goodyear, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. Barri is a native of Coachella Valley where her agriculture family were growers. She was living in Laguna Niguel when she decided to take the plunge and leave her home state.
Interestingly, we’ve been doing this series since 2019, and will update some of the states’ offerings. Sadly, California still ranks at the bottom on so many of the important categories – income and corporate taxes, regulations, education, right-to-work, unemployment and freedom.
Chief Executive’s annual CEO survey of the best and worst places to do business reflects the impact of transformed global trade environment, changing regulatory frameworks and massive demographic and technological shifts taking place across the nation and they always rank California in an embarrassing last place at 50th. Back in 2019 when we first started this series, Arizona, the Grand Canyon State, ranked number 7, with a booming business environment. It is now ranked at 10th, but notably in the top 10, and still 40 slots above California.
This year, 2025, Chief Executive reports Texas and Florida once again top the list, with Texas retaining its long-held No. 1 position. “Both Texas and Florida are growing states, in people and infrastructure,” said one CEO respondent. “I think the policies there invite business and make it easy to do business.”tax and property taxes, although they are a little less than California.”
“Illinois, New York and California maintain their position as the bottom three states. Despite their economic scale and cultural capital, CEOs continue to cite high taxes, regulatory burdens and rising costs of living as major obstacles.”
“But beyond those mainstays, the 2025 rankings reveal a broader shift taking place across corporate America. Increasingly untethered from traditional urban economic hubs, companies are migrating toward states offering a powerful trifecta: business-friendly environments, skilled workforces and a more affordable, higher quality of life.”
